Editors Pick

Top Travel Tech Weekly News

What a voice-enabled future looks like for the vacation rental market
News / Technology
What a voice-enabled future looks like for the vacation rental market
By Jill Menze | March 7, 2018
As travel intermediaries such as online travel agencies tighten their grip on owning traveler data, vacation rental property managers are left in a precarious position. Read More
Voice tech in travel, part 1: Brand adoption
News / Technology
Voice tech in travel, part 1: Brand adoption
By Mitra Sorrells | March 5, 2018
The days of typing search terms into a browser or clicking through drop-down menus may be fading. Rising in their place is a much more natural interface: voice. Read More
quote of the week 12
News / Online
QOTW: Something about room for the biggest startup in the world
By PhocusWire | March 2, 2018
Quote from Brian Chesky, in a one-to-one interview with PhocusWire this week. Read More
Google Flights: the mainstream player everyone feared?
News / Online
Google Flights: the mainstream player everyone feared?
By Kevin May | March 2, 2018
Google doesn't really talk about how well its Flights metasearch engine is shaping up against its powerful competitors - but external data providers can help shine a light. Read More
Kayak Google Hangouts Chat bot
News / Technology
Google's new Hangouts Chat launches with Kayak chatbot
By Mitra Sorrells | March 1, 2018
Google has released Hangouts Chat – a collaboration tool widely called Google’s competitor to Slack – and Kayak is one of several companies that have built bots that are integrated with the Chat... Read More
Airbnb exec takes key role at Booking.com
News / Online
Airbnb exec takes key role at Booking.com
By Kevin May | February 26, 2018
Booking.com will take an apparent fight it now faces with Airbnb head-on after hiring one of the private accommodation sharing giant's high profile figures. Read More
Blockchain cross border payments
News / Technology
Decoding blockchain, part 4: Cross-border payments
By Mitra Sorrells | February 26, 2018
Most of the headlines about blockchain have been about the implications of this emerging technology on the financial sector – the potential for it to change banking, share trading, insurance, payments... Read More
Interview: Airbnb CEO says it's now "100%" battling online travel agencies
News / Online
Interview: Airbnb CEO says it's now "100%" battling online travel agencies
By Jill Menze | February 23, 2018
Airbnb views itself going all-in with a plan to compete with the giants of the accommodation world - online travel agencies. Read More
QOTW: Something about binding travel together
News / Technology
QOTW: Something about binding travel together
By PhocusWire | February 23, 2018
Quote from Niklas Andreen, senior vice president and managing director of hospitality and digital at Travelport. Read More
Advantage report TMCs and technology
News / Technology
Travel management cos must embrace high-tech while maintaining high-touch services
By Mitra Sorrells | February 22, 2018
The role of travel management companies is evolving, driven by the rise of new technology and the changing demands of business travelers.   Read More
TUI Group blockchain development 2
News / Technology
Q&A: Trust, truth and transparency at the heart of TUI Group’s blockchain work
By Mitra Sorrells | February 21, 2018
TUI Group was one of the first travel brands to make headlines for its adoption of blockchain.   Read More
Decoding blockchain, part 3: Flight data management
News / Technology
Decoding blockchain, part 3: Flight data management
By Mitra Sorrells | February 19, 2018
Data sharing is a complicated - and sometimes disjointed - process in the air transport industry. The creation and storage of information for each flight is handled by multiple entities, at minimum the... Read More
Top reasons why startups end up in the deadpool
News / Startups
Top reasons why startups end up in the deadpool
By Kevin May | February 16, 2018
The travel industry is littered with the remains of startups that came and went quicker than you can say "great, but please tell us how you're going to make money". Read More
TripAdvisor 2018 strategy hotels attractions mobile
News / Online
TripAdvisor bets on TV advertising, improved UX to restore profit in hotel segment
By Mitra Sorrells | February 15, 2018
TripAdvisor will expand its television advertising spending to $100 to $130 million for its hotel segment during 2018, with new creative and new markets, while simultaneously reducing online marketing... Read More
OTA Insight on Google and Airbnb
News / Distribution
Google, Airbnb and the evolving distribution landscape
By Mitra Sorrells | February 15, 2018
Airbnb and Google made notable announcements in the first week of February – the former opening its platform to hotel distribution and the latter rolling out updates to expand and simplify travel... Read More