Articles tagged “metasearch”

Ctrip’s acquisition of Skyscanner marks the next phase of consolidation in the metasearch industry. The premium valuation paid by Ctrip is well-timed for Expedia’s pending Trivago IPO.

Ryanair‘s no-nonsense approach to screenscrapers has claimed another victim. Will Momondo bow to pressure and stop linking to Opodo and CheapOair or will it tolerate the loss of Europe’s largest airline?

Whether Ctrip overpaid or underpaid is irrelevant. They needed a meta site to position itself as a global player in online travel. The implications for the future of search and travel are huge.

Ctrip is anxious to expand globally and views the acquisition of Skyscanner as a means to expand Ctrip's international footprint in selling air tickets. Look for Skyscanner to increase its booking capabilities and to evolve beyond search under the Ctrip umbrella.

Next year will be a make or break year for TripAdvisor Instant Booking. Either the economics work out and consumers start treating TripAdvisor as a booking site or the company will have to pivot. It's a tough slog with much potential. TripAdvisor is playing the long game on this; let's talk next year at this time to see how the game works out.

Slim margins and complex technology have turned travel metasearch into a contact sport. Identifying the winners and losers in this space takes a keen understanding of the economics and mechanics that power these businesses. Luckily, we've produced the definitive resource for understanding and forecasting the trend lines.

Like Hipmunk, Room 77 had an innovative product and talented team but ran into a buzz saw: the marketing clout of Google preferencing its own products, and Expedia, Booking.com and Kayak. Don't feel sorry for the venture capital firms receiving just 53 cents on the dollar. That's the game they play. The real losers are the angel investor and employees, although we're sure for many it was quite a ride nonetheless.

With Lola's acquisition of Room 77's metasearch tech, Room 77 essentially becomes a consumer insights and hotel search test lab for Lola. Room 77's original founders have essentially exited the business: Google licensed its tech and hired the bulk of its employees, Expedia acquired Room 77's pioneering room-view tech, TrustYou bought Room 77's Checkmate hotel-messaging app, and now Lola picked up the remaining technology.

The IPO that we all knew was coming is finally here.

The U.S. Department of Transporation wants to take a hard look at the distribution methods of U.S. airlines. While it's unclear if any regulation will indeed take place, a move to increase transparency in airfares and schedules would effectively empower online booking sites and metasearch providers while removing a powerful revenue management tool that airlines have used for two decades.