Our holiday-abbreviated OTA & Travel Distribution Update is below. Happy Holidays. Booking.com Agrees to EU Demands to Change Travel OffersReuters Technology on Dec 20, 2019The European Commission said that Booking.com had committed to end “manipulative techniques” on its travel site, such as time-limits for making bookings. Booking.com Building Connected Travel with Google NestPhocus Wire on Dec 20, 2019Booking.com and Google Nest say guests and hosts are looking for more safety and security features…

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: South Korean competition authority’s antitrust enforcement action against major OTAs; U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority reinforces focus on consumer practices of intermediary platforms U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority Back in the News(“Intermediary platforms’ sales practices need CMA consumer-law focus, official says,” MLex Insight on Dec 13, 2019)Last week, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) Director of Consumer Law and International Policy, Jason Freeman, made news again with comments highlighting the CMA’s continued focus and…

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Sudden resignations of Expedia Group CEO & CFO; Kayak’s metasearch business model evolves with launch of Kayak Premium; Amazon slowly expands its travel products on its Indian travel platform It should come as no surprise that stories detailing the unexpected resignations of Expedia’s top two senior executives are featured prominently in this week’s Update. Rather than just recirculating the usual industry reports, we thought we might offer a more localized…

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Airbnb introduces new ‘Cooking’ Category on Airbnb Experiences; Pegasus partners with Alibaba-backed Shiji Group to grow its Asia-Pacific market presence Shiji Is Becoming a Household Name in Asian Hospitality(“Pegasus Partners with Shiji Group to Grow Asia-Pacific Market Presence,” Hospitality Net – Latest Industry News on Nov 27, 2019)This past year, we’ve featured three stories detailing Alibaba-backed Shiji Group’s dramatic expansion in the Asian hospitality industry. That trend continued last…

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Travel booking startup turning traditional group booking upside down; Hoxton hotel chain introduces flexible direct hotel bookings; Booking.com’s Genius loyalty program goes mainstream New Benefits for Booking Direct(“Check In, Check Out Anytime You’d Like at These Hotels,” Skift Travel News on Nov 21, 2019)Booking direct? Want to arrive early or stay late? Meet “Flexy Time.” The Hoxton hotel chain (with properties in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Los Angeles, Brooklyn and…