Articles tagged “hotwire”

A changing of the guard at Hotwire was inevitable given the challenges it has faced all year due to Priceline's advertising and overall gains. Hotwire's own advertising wasn't effective enough to blunt the onslaught.

Fairly hidden amidst Expedia's woes and financial announcements is that it apparently believes its eLong business in China can vie with Ctrip for a leadership position in the country.

Hotel booking through apps is all about speed and ease of use these days, and Hotwire's first iPad app is a step forward for the company in this regard.

It's deal-time 24/7 in the world of online and mobile travel. There's nothing particularly wrong with that, although it would be nice to see some originality. It's like a commercial AT&T is currently airing, when the kids in it implore, "We want more, we want more."

Things have come full circle in the decade-long Priceline-Hotwire skirmish. Over the last couple of years, Priceline officials conceded that Hotwire was taking share from Priceline's Name Your Own Price business, which has been de-emphasized. Now Expedia execs say Priceline's Express Deals have been eating Hotwire's lunch.

Brockway will likely find out that his flirtation with a business outside the travel industry was a flight of fancy. We like his criteria for starting a new business though -- think big.

Hotwire suggests that employees take advantage of deals between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but a bigger question is how the industry can encourage them to take breaks earlier in the year.

Is it possible that this survey, administered before November 6, could have been used to predict the final winner?

Almost all the growth is driven by double-digit increases in San Francisco, Monterrey, Santa Barbara, and Honolulu. Otherwise the numbers along each coast are relatively similar.

Weak economies, an excess of rooms left empty after the Olympics, and seasonal slowdown means trouble for Europe's tourism industry -- but great rates for off-season travelers. Go now.