Duff on Hospitality Law

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OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Travelers seek increased transparency and Booking.com abandons BookingSuite effort

October 23, 2020

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(“Skyscanner, Expedia, Hopper on need for transparency in travel retailing,” Oct 14, 2020 via Phocus Wire)In a recent roundtable held at the Open Industry Summit: The New Reality of Flight Shopping hosted by APTCO, online platforms Expedia, Skyscanner and Hopper emphasized that today’s travelers are seeking more than ever critical information about destinations’ pandemic status and suppliers’ health and safety practices, and flexible booking terms. At times, these “new” factors can be equally or even…

Duff on Hospitality Law

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Hotel partnerships with co-working companies continue to rise; Google plans to phase out third-party cookies from Chrome; Expedia and Agoda claim COVID-19 has killed the 'sacred cow' of rate parity

By Greg Duff

October 16, 2020

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This week’s Update features two stories on the growing (temporary?) phenomenon of using hotel guest rooms and other public spaces for those seeking an alternative arrangement to working from home and how those new remote work locations are being distributed. If this trend continues, it won’t be long until distributors (either new or existing) begin featuring this new form of inventory. Enjoy. (“Hotels Partnering With Co-Working Companies Signal a Pandemic Trend Could Be Here to…

Duff on Hospitality Law

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: OTA Insight introduces Rate Parity Distribution certification program; Amazon introduces virtual experiences; Booking.com pursues domestic development opportunities

By Greg Duff

October 12, 2020

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With this week’s Update, we welcome Amazon back to the distribution discussion with its recent introduction of Amazon Explore. Enjoy. (“OTA Insight launches Parity Certification Program for Distributors, Sep 29, 2020 via Hospitality Net – Latest Industry News)Great idea in theory, but will the largest distributors actually use it? Recently, OTA Insight, the cloud-based distribution data platform, announced the launch of its Rate Parity Distribution certification program. With a focus on system controls, applicable contract…

Duff on Hospitality Law

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Booking.com remains bullish on long-term prospects of short-term rentals and introduces longer-stay rates; CitizenM introduces corporate traveler subscription program

By Greg Duff

October 2, 2020

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This week’s Update features a variety of stories, including the big three industry players, Trip.com, Expedia and Booking.com; the always insightful update on the current status of airline distribution; and details on CitizenM’s recent introduction of a subscription plan for corporate travelers. Enjoy. (Booking Holdings CEO Sees Greater Traveler Awareness in Alternative Accommodations as a Long-Term Boon,” Sep 22, 2020 via Skift Travel News) (subscription may be required)With approximately 6.7 million short-term rental listings on its…

Duff on Hospitality Law

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Marriott's transition to Expedia Partner Solutions and recent successes with short-term rental program; MakeMyTrip's expansion into United Arab Emirates

By Greg Duff

September 24, 2020

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This week’s Update features a number of stories on short-term rentals, which is a trend that we will likely see continue as interest continues to grow over Airbnb’s long-awaited IPO. Enjoy. (“Expedia Is Now Marriott’s Exclusive Provider of Wholesale Rates for Travel Agents,” Sep 14, 2020 via Skift Travel News) (subscription may be required)Last fall, we (like every major distribution news outlet) featured a story detailing Marriott’s decision to partner with Expedia Partner Solutions (EPS)…

Duff on Hospitality Law

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Air France-KLM and Delta take vastly different approaches to airline distribution; false advertising claims against Expedia is ready for trial

By Greg Duff

September 18, 2020

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Pandemic, protests and riots and now wildfires. To say 2020 has been a challenging year is an understatement. As I anticipated, with summer now officially behind us, things have again picked up in the distribution world. This week’s Update features two stories on airline distribution, which as most of my readers know by now, I find instructive as to what we might soon see in the accommodations world, particularly as both industry segments consider plans for a…

Duff on Hospitality Law

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Apple’s updated privacy practices may create headaches for marketers

By Greg Duff

September 10, 2020

As summer was coming to a close last week (and people everywhere were doing best to hang onto the last few glimmers), there was little noteworthy news coming out of the distribution world. Enjoy. (“How Apple’s New Privacy Effort Will Impact Travel Marketing, Sep 3, 2020 via Skift Travel News) (subscription may be required)While Apple announced late last week that it was likely postponing until early next year previously announced changes to its privacy practices,…

Duff on Hospitality Law

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Online travel suppliers come and go on Google’s short-term rental platform; Google launches contactless guest system for travelers; EU regulators once again take different approaches to rate parity

By Greg Duff

September 3, 2020

This week’s Update features important updates on the status of rate parity in the EU and introduces yet again, new tools by Google for safety conscious travelers. (“Booking Is In, Airbnb Is Out of Google Vacation Rentals,” Aug 26, 2020 via Skift Travel News) (subscription may be required)Participate in the free advertising program of the world’s most dominant search engine (and at the same time further strengthen the search engine’s dominance) or shun the program…

Duff on Hospitality Law

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Google continues to unveil new travel products despite pandemic; Choice Hotels enters into a strategic agreement with Hotelbeds

By Greg Duff

August 27, 2020

This week’s OTA & Travel Distribution Update includes Google prominently featured in the news and a new agreement for Choice Hotels. Enjoy. (“Google Quietly Debuts Game-Changing Tours and Activities Advertising Product,” Aug 17, 2020 via Skift Travel News) (subscription may be required)Last week, we featured a story on Google’s release of new pandemic-related information on popular travel destinations. This week, we introduce you to Google’s new tours and attractions advertising platform. Although the new advertising is viewable today…

Duff on Hospitality Law

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Parity commitments extended by Expedia and Booking.com; Google adds pandemic details to travel search

By Greg Duff

August 21, 2020

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Parity Commitments Extended by Expedia and Booking.com(“Expedia, Booking.com voluntarily extend ‘price parity’ antitrust commitments, Aug 14, 2020 via MLEX Insight)While the European Commission continues its re-examination of Expedia’s and Booking.com’s parity practices, both platforms recently announced their decision to extend their so-called “narrow” parity commitments (the commitments by both Expedia and Booking.com were set to expire in July). While the extensions were welcome news for many regulators, hoteliers throughout Europe continue to challenge the effectiveness…

Duff on Hospitality Law

Blog Authors

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Travelers seek increased transparency and Booking.com abandons BookingSuite effort

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Hotel partnerships with co-working companies continue to rise; Google plans to phase out third-party cookies from Chrome; Expedia and Agoda claim COVID-19 has killed the 'sacred cow' of rate parity

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: OTA Insight introduces Rate Parity Distribution certification program; Amazon introduces virtual experiences; Booking.com pursues domestic development opportunities

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Booking.com remains bullish on long-term prospects of short-term rentals and introduces longer-stay rates; CitizenM introduces corporate traveler subscription program

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Marriott's transition to Expedia Partner Solutions and recent successes with short-term rental program; MakeMyTrip's expansion into United Arab Emirates

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Air France-KLM and Delta take vastly different approaches to airline distribution; false advertising claims against Expedia is ready for trial

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Apple’s updated privacy practices may create headaches for marketers

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Online travel suppliers come and go on Google’s short-term rental platform; Google launches contactless guest system for travelers; EU regulators once again take different approaches to rate parity

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Google continues to unveil new travel products despite pandemic; Choice Hotels enters into a strategic agreement with Hotelbeds

OTA & Travel Distribution Update: Parity commitments extended by Expedia and Booking.com; Google adds pandemic details to travel search

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