Expedia News

The relative stability found in the U.S. will help companies in the online travel agency and vacation rental orbit fuel growth for the next few years — but don’t completely write off Asia and Europe. Most major hotel companies see those regions as the way to continue adding thousands of hotels to their portfolios.

It's a question of when, not if, business travel returns for Barry Diller. Booking data from the likes of Marriott and Alaska Airlines back his claim.

Optimism about recovery, a wariness about the tricky nuances of each sector, and suppliers demanding respect from online brands were among the themes at the Skift Short-Term Rental and Outdoor Summit. Plus: the past year's boom isn't a one-off.

Vrbo President Jeff Hurst looks to build on the full-home rental site's growth momentum coming out of the pandemic. But that doesn't mean travel this summer will be a breeze: book early or have a back-up plan is his advice to travelers.

Airbnb seemed to be disciplined about its marketing spend during the first quarter, and didn't return to the bad old days of 2019 in terms of freewheeling spending. The true test will be this summer when rivals crank up their performance marketing campaigns.

Vrbo indeed seems to be stealing a bit of market share from Airbnb in the U.S. in recent months, albeit from a much smaller base. Vrbo's aggressive marketing campaign earlier this year appears to be paying off.

Now that the investor winners and losers are clear, Hertz is tasked with the even harder job of retooling the business to adapt to a diminished business travel environement — at least in the short term.

The idea seems counterintuitive, but yes, there is actually scope for agencies to be guiding lights in a virtual world.

Expedia is taking advantage of the travel recovery in the U.S., a region that is the company's strongest, while Booking Holdings got pinched for its weaker presence. Don't read too much into it. These are Covid-impacted developments, not protracted trends.

For years, industry analysts would muse: When is Booking.com going to launch flights? Well, now that business is showing strength, albeit from a small base. Seen as strategic, that airline ticket business comes at a price — lower profit margins.