Expedia News and Updates

Expedia Group is one of the most influential players in online travel, with a portfolio of brands and platforms that shape the digital booking landscape. PhocusWire provides timely, in-depth coverage of Expedia news and updates, including leadership changes, platform innovation, and shifts in its global strategy across lodging, air, and experiences.

The latest developments from Expedia and the OTA market

Track how Expedia is evolving its technology stack, streamlining traveler engagement, and reimagining its marketplace to compete in a rapidly changing OTA environment. Our reporting includes insights on product development, loyalty integration, and strategic partnerships that reflect broader trends in online travel retail.

Priceline Group buys Momondo for $550 million
News / Distribution
Priceline Group buys Momondo for $550 million
By Kevin May | February 8, 2017
The Momondo Group has sold to the Priceline Group, owner of rival travel search service Kayak, in a $550 million deal. The deal will see the two brands within the group, Momondo and Cheapflights, " Read More
HomeAway removes last remnant of independent guest-owner interaction
News / Online
HomeAway removes last remnant of independent guest-owner interaction
By Kevin May | January 31, 2017
HomeAway has split opinion over its decision to alter the way in which potential guests can interact with a property's owner. At the turn of 2017, HomeAway shifted the ability for a traveller to fi Read More
Winners and losers in the US travel website marketplace
News / Online
Winners and losers in the US travel website marketplace
By Kevin May | January 18, 2017
Airbnb ended 2016 ahead of Booking.com for the first time in visitor numbers on US travel websites, although Expedia remains ahead of both. Data released by audience tracking service SimilarWeb saw Read More
The great loyalty rate debate
News / Technology
The great loyalty rate debate
By Viewpoints | January 17, 2017
2016 was the year of 'the loyalty wars', the battle of the century between online travel agencies and hotel brands. NB: This is a viewpoint from Peter O’Connor, professor of information systems at Read More
Hotels.com gives travellers a full-service mobile app when in-destination
News / Technology
Hotels.com gives travellers a full-service mobile app when in-destination
By Kevin May | January 10, 2017
Hotels.com is teaming up with a myriad of companies to help power a new mobile app that it hopes will be everything a traveller needs once they arrive on a trip. Ignoring the fact that many of its Read More
Ciao, Venere - Expedia closes headwind-facing hotel booking site
News / Distribution
Ciao, Venere - Expedia closes headwind-facing hotel booking site
By Kevin May | January 9, 2017
Venere - the European hotel site once considered to be a part of Expedia's attempt to counter the rise of Booking.com - is no more. Expedia Inc confirmed earlier reports into its demise, saying the Read More
Hilton joins the Instant Booking fray on TripAdvisor
News / Distribution
Hilton joins the Instant Booking fray on TripAdvisor
By Kevin May | January 9, 2017
Some momentum in recent weeks for TripAdvisor and its Instant Booking service - with global hotel group Hilton finally joining the initiative. Hilton's portfolio of 13 brands will now be available Read More
What now for chatbots in travel?
News / Technology
What now for chatbots in travel?
By Viewpoints | January 4, 2017
2016 was the year when chatbots emerged as a new interface for consumer interaction. NB: This is a viewpoint by Scott Crawford, vice president of product management at Brand Expedia. Advances in Read More
Private accommodation travel bookings to reach $106 billion by 2018
News / Distribution
Private accommodation travel bookings to reach $106 billion by 2018
By Kevin May | January 3, 2017
Private accommodation will account for almost a fifth of global hospitality bookings within two years - and the online travel agency giants are tipped to benefit. In terms of figures, financial ana Read More
Expedia pushes vacation rentals with Dream Home game
News / Online
Expedia pushes vacation rentals with Dream Home game
By Kevin May | December 21, 2016
Expedia wants to get more of its core audience interested in (and buying) vacation rental trips, so is trying everything it can to raise awareness. Buying HomeAway for $3.8 billion was the big move Read More
TripAdvisor gets Instant Booking nod from Expedia
News / Distribution
TripAdvisor gets Instant Booking nod from Expedia
By Kevin May | December 20, 2016
Just over 12 months on from what was heralded as a major development in its drive to offer Instant Bookings for hotels, TripAdvisor has now inked a deal with Expedia Inc. The Priceline Group was th Read More
Study: Insights into the booking paths of American, British and Canadian travelers
Webinars / Technology
Study: Insights into the booking paths of American, British and Canadian travelers
By Sponsored Content | December 19, 2016
Expedia Media Solutions has launched a new study by comScore, The Traveler’s Path to Purchase, which identifies trends and behaviors of American, British and Canadian consumers along the 45-day digita Read More
Airbnb demand increasingly hitting hotels, not online travel agencies
News / Distribution
Airbnb demand increasingly hitting hotels, not online travel agencies
By Kevin May | December 12, 2016
Use of Airbnb is growing faster than industry commentators predicted, with hotels the main losers in the new accommodation war. A large survey and follow-up analysis by global financial services gi Read More
Sabre Labs distils global travel tech into three megatrends
News / Technology
Sabre Labs distils global travel tech into three megatrends
By Martin Cowen | December 9, 2016
Sabre Labs has launched its first-ever Emerging Technologies in Travel report, identifying the three megatrends it believes will dominate the travel tech landscape in 2017. The megatrends are conne Read More
Trivago planned IPO has analysts purring
News / Distribution
Trivago planned IPO has analysts purring
By Kevin May | December 8, 2016
Analysts appear to be toasting the prospect of trading on Trivago with fairly hefty glasses Mulled Wine, ahead of its recently announced decision to IPO. The Germany-based hotel search engine inten Read More