Booking Holdings

Whether the price tag on GetYourGuide was too much for Booking to admit, the tours and activities platform is likely still viewed as a viable buy for someone but that notion won't do much to calm GetYourGuide's nerves in the meantime.

Large travel corporations can't seem to get enough of the tours and activities space. It's one to watch as the year unfolds. Deals can be a great way to get a foot in the door, but don't forget to make sure there is a strategic fit — and, of course, that the price is right.

Only a couple of years ago, the CEO of family-owned activities distributor FareHarbor said the company would never sell. But never say never. For Booking Holdings, this is further proof that the giant wants to be full-service.

Booking.com has a test-and-learn culture, and chief marketing officer Pepijn Rijvers will be doing plenty of that over the next few years as he tries to sort out the complexities of marketing a widely diverse set of accommodation types. Ask anyone, though: It's a great problem to have.

Stocks go up and stocks go down. That's one of the perils of being a public company and exposing yourself to such pressures. Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel expresses a commitment to focus on the long term regardless of short-term complications. If Airbnb goes public, it would have to deal with a similar dynamic.

Evolve or be crushed. That's CEO Glenn Fogel's philosophy about business in general and Booking Holdings in particular. But the move toward becoming more of a full-service online travel agency comes with the risk of losing focus on accommodations. No one ever said all this online travel agency stuff is easy.

Airbnb has crafted an ideal template for telling the same old story when it comes to dealing with short-term rental regulations around the world, and more cities just don't seem to want to hear it anymore.

If you don't know what a serviced apartment is, you're likely not alone. And that's probably one of the biggest problems this lodging sector faces as it tries to grow beyond catering solely to corporate travelers.

It’s probably a tiny blip on the radar of Priceline and Expedia but Hostelworld is quietly building up a nice niche business. How long can it be before one of the bigger players shows an interest?

Booking.com may be marginally ahead of Airbnb in the listings race, but for practical purposes you can call it a draw. It's game on, though, pitting Booking.com's renowned demand aggregation and marketing resources versus Airbnb's brand advantages, and the resources it would gain by doing an IPO and becoming more comprehensive.