Articles tagged “online travel agencies”

In Skift's top stories this week, Tripadvisor CEO Steve Kaufer announces he will leave the post in 2022, numerous hotel executives express optimism about the industry's recovery, and a large number of U.S. travel agencies struggle to serve customers due to a shortage of advisors.

This was a great day for unheralded channel managers and digital marketing startups toiling in the backwaters of hotel distribution. If SiteMinder can achieve unicorn status, perhaps through a SPAC, an IPO or more hard work, keep at it and you can too.

People in the West traditionally have used mobile phones as a research tool and a desktop for transactions whereas in the East, since people mostly skipped the offline era, users began directly in the digital age through mobile. Companies looking to boost mobile commerce need to create unique touchpoints and tailor their product offerings to achieve a greater sales mix.

Mobile is already the primary device for travel planning in the majority of the world. Still, mobile bookings are yet to surpass desktop bookings in volume or value. Undoubtedly, travel companies need to increase mobile investments while also deploying an overarching multi-device strategy to engage customers throughout.

Skift Aviation Forum 2021 will look beyond travel's recovery to focus on the key global trends and strategies of leaders defining the future of air travel. Join us for this jam-packed online event as we bring together leaders from aviation and experts across the travel ecosystem to take a deep dive into the issues facing aviation ahead.

Google's Gmail itinerary feature can be helpful to travelers — up to a point. But Google's execution of it is deceptive, and a disservice to its travel partners.

The pandemic proved that digitized payment solutions are no longer a “nice-to-have” for travel and hospitality companies and the businesses they work with — they’re now a must. Thankfully, new digital payment solutions in the B2B space, many inspired by innovations in B2C payments, are now available, as the industry looks toward a post-pandemic landscape.

Hotel companies have broadly resisted using aggregators such as Expedia and Booking.com for online sales so far during the recovery because of somewhat surprising factors. Yet the temptation remains.

Wow, CEO Expedia Peter Kern isn't afraid of saying what he thinks.

In big travel news this week, Skift looked Expedia partnering with GetYourGuide to help give it a big U.S. presence, four airlines that made more on ancillaries than ticket sales in 2020, and what the retirement of longtime CEO David Kong means for the future of Best Western.