Ground transportation is in the cross hairs of the Priceline Group as it starts rolling out a new brand known as Rideways. The service has been developed quietly within the RentalCars division of the portfolio during 2016 and is now available in 120 countries. Rideways will initially be a consumer-facing brand but…
The British haven’t quite got the Airbnb bug yet according to research released today. A study on usage shows only 12% of travellers say they have used the peer-to-peer accommodation platform. The World Travel Market Industry report reveals that while Airbnb has attracted huge investment and is estimated to…
Hedge funds have long had a crush on Priceline Group. In autumn 2015, they ran up its stock price to above $1,400 a share, after the company signed an semi-exclusive deal with TripAdvisor to participate in the hotel metasearch platform’s instant booking function. The connection lets users instantly book…
It is check-in time for many hotels in search of a technology upgrade. That’s the bet of DerbySoft, a seller of distribution connectivity software, launching its first tool for the independent hoteliers. But the sales challenge is high. Many hoteliers in Europe may be scratching their heads and asking,…
This past year, Google and TripAdvisor revolutionised the travel industry by launching Book on Google and Instant Booking respectively. Comparing one with the other will help us understand them both. NB This is a viewpoint by Pablo Delgado, CEO of Mirai. Where is the booking made? Inside TripAdvisor and…
Look beyond websites to the digital behaviour of 16 year olds for clues to where mobile travel booking is headed. The mobile travel industry has been gathering momentum for two or three years yet many airlines don’t have a mobile app or website optimised for mobile. In addition, there’s…
The number of organisations using room and home-sharing service Airbnb has increased by a third – and the amount being spent is even higher. Research by Concur, looking at company travel expenses filed through its system, found that the 32% jump in businesses opting for Airbnb coincided with a…
As we all know, Airbnb has illustrated the enormous appetite that exists for the house/room-sharing concept in the travel industry. But there are many consumers that have concerns about a model that, despite its proclaimed transparency, still throws strangers together. The idea behind UK startup MyFriendsRoom is that travellers can secure accommodation…
Hotel keyless door entry technology provider OpenKey has raised $8 million in a Series A investment round. The round was led by Ashford Group of Companies and included participation from fellow investment fund, Phoenix American. The company (TLabs here) was created in 2014 with a piece of technology that pairs with…
This is a roundup for product news and announcements for MARKETING in travel, tourism and hospitality for November 2016. Friday 4 November 2016: TrustYou picks up Modus Hotels The chain of US-based properties (in locations such as Washington DC and Chicago) will use TrustYou’s Analytics & Radar platform to help capture…