Traveling Blog: Inside Priceline's Trivago Diss + Skift Research in 2018 + Google Flights Overhauled

November 20, 2017

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Note From the Editor

Look for big things from Skift Research in 2018, as Research Director Luke Bujarski details today in next year's Travel Industry Research Canvas. Combining editorial reporting skills and research, you can expect quick-hit Reaction Reports on breaking news, including mergers and acquisitions; in-depth analysis of hotel ownership and airline distribution, as well as the Skift Tech Forum in Silicon Valley June 5, 2018.

Whatever actions Google takes on the advertising and product sides will impact all of the above issues. Today, Travel Tech Editor Sean O'Neill looks at the Google Flights beta. It's a signal that Google is becoming much more consumer-focused in its airline and hotel products, and less utilitarian. Also look at O'Neill's takedown of Priceline's move to scale back its Trivago spending. You'll read it nowhere else.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

Travelers Are Open to the Internet of Things, Yet Privacy Concerns Persist [SPONSORED]

We continue to evolve and improve our product with the busy travel industry executive in mind. We're digging deeper than ever before with more analyst perspective, and more data to support our forward-looking insights and conclusions. 2018 will be the year of the subscriber.

Google Flights' New Look Moves Away From Travel Inspiration

Google made its claim to fame partly on the simplicity of its user interface. Its new interface for flight search is a return to its elegant design roots.

Inside Priceline Group's Diss of Trivago — The Back Story

What do a debate over landing pages, the acquisition of Momondo, a shift into hotel software services, and regulators forcing changes in online travel agency contracts have in common? Each of those seemingly unrelated things may have pushed Priceline to toggle back its spending on Trivago.

Ctrip Relaunches Trip.com as Its English Language Travel Agency Brand

We had speculated before that Ctrip might use its newly acquired Trip.com domain for its own agency listings, displacing the travel recommendation service it recently bought. By de-emphasizing its Chinese origin, it may hope to ingratiate itself with more Western travelers.

United Is Making Tech Changes to Boost Wi-Fi Speeds on Many Planes

Road warriors have long suspected a systematic Wi-Fi problem on many United planes, but the airline has said little about it. Now, we know more about this issue. The good news? It will be fixed soon, according to United.

Overtourism Discussion Elicits Denials, Spin and Occasionally an Insightful Idea

Travel leaders are at least starting to admit there might be a problem with unmanaged mass tourism, but many are still in denial about the real reasons it has become such a big issue.

U.S. Tour Operators Optimistic About Cuba Travel Because They're Even More Essential

U.S. tour operators and travel agents are betting that it will be business as usual, or perhaps even better, as the new Cuba restrictions take effect and individual people-to-people visas get sidelined. But many also find it ironic that the White House announced these changes while Trump was courting leaders of Asian countries that have poor human rights records.

Airbnb Growth in Southern Africa Raises Familiar Issues

Airbnb is booming in Africa, but the first cracks in the success story are beginning to show – in hotels griping about the lack of regulations, and locals priced out of prime property. Can African cities avoid the side effects of the sharing economy that already blight more-developed markets?

The future you're promised is never the future you get. Google is touting artificial intelligence-powered translation capability as a transformative feature for its users, but it's really just an impractical repackaging of existing technology.

Sojern Buys Ad-Tech Firm Adphorus to Better Compete on Facebook

Advertising on Facebook is an expanding strategic opportunity for travel brands. That's why travel marketing-tech startup Sojern is nabbing Adphorus, a travel specialist ad tech company in Turkey, as a bridgehead for growth.

Hilton and Marriott Turn to the Internet of Things to Transform the Hotel Room Experience

It was only a matter of time before the big brands started rolling this smart-room technology. But what will be even more interesting is seeing which brand's approach works better in a hospitality setting, and is more appealing not only to guests but to hotel owners, too.

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