Articles tagged “vacation rentals”

When Priceline ended traveler fees on airline bookings a decade ago, the other online travel agencies generally followed. Whether Expedia will match Booking.com and start charging hotels commissions on resort fees is a much more complex issue. Part of it depends on how much resistance Booking gets from hotels to its new policy.

It will be tremendously complex for Airbnb to transition from an alternative accommodations site into one that also offers lots of hotels. The coming business model changes and technology challenges will get sorted out, but it will be rocky for quite some time.

Falling victim to the so-called law of large numbers, Booking Holdings saw its total revenues for the first quarter drop 3 percent from the prior year. Industry ears perked up when CEO Glenn Fogel mentioned mergers and acquisitions as a possible tactic to reignite growth a few times during an investor conference call.

This news will trigger responses from elated to downright furious, whether you're a Bonvoy member, Marriott hotel owner, a property manager, or just someone concerned about the growth of homesharing around the world.

Booking Holdings' Glenn Fogel, whose background is in mergers and acquisitions, was undoubtably not surprised when Airbnb bought HotelTonight. We'd be shocked if he and others hadn't kicked the tires.

The name itself is kind of irrelevant. What matters is that Awaze is now a proper company rather than a division.

Airbnb has dominated the discussion of alternative accommodations, but it appears as though Booking Holdings' apartment-rental business may be in a dead heat with its competitor. Airbnb's perceived lead may not be as great as many observers believe.

Expedia officials can try to assure hoteliers that the rise of alternative accommodations is no big deal for their businesses. But you can be certain that figuring out how to manage this changing dynamic is of paramount concern for all parties involved.

The acquisition of once-high-flying Tripping.com as a distressed asset was a losing deal for investors. It's not clear what the payoff will be for HomeToGo acquiring a Silicon Valley rival at vacation rental price-comparison. HomeToGo faces daunting expectations now, having raised $150 million.

Until recently, Selina has been a glorified hostel operator. Its ambition to provide work-life balance to millennials who travel internationally has been more of a work-in-progress than a consistent offering. Yet massive fresh funding this year will help drive Selina to become one of 2019's most fascinating experiments in hospitality.