My key takeaways from this past week’s Expedia call are below:
Highlights from the recently announced sale of Expedia’s corporate travel platform, Egencia, to Amex GBT include (i) Expedia eventually owning approximately 14 percent of the combined businesses post-closing – which Expedia assumes will be worth $700 million and (ii) the deal comprising a long-term supply agreement between Expedia Partner Services (EPS) and Amex GBT, which according to Expedia CEO, Peter Kern, underscores EPS’ continuing efforts to position itself as a B2B business platform and allow Expedia to focus on its core B2C and B2B businesses.
Over the past quarter, Expedia has shifted its perspective on marketing – moving from an initial bias against large marketing commitments early in the quarter to now making major investments in an attempt to get out ahead of the anticipated wave of travel demand. Expedia, Orbitz and Vrbo are the initial beneficiaries of this new marketing commitment.
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It was another relatively quiet week in the online travel world as evidenced by our stories below. Expedia Group’s introduction of its Fast Track program designed to recruit unhappy Airbnb hosts and its rollout of AI-enabled virtual travel agents received most of the attention. Enjoy.
(“Expedia’s Vrbo Looks to Poach Discouraged Airbnb Hosts With New Incentives, March 29, 2021 via Skift Travel News) (subscription may be required)
We have all read the many stories chronicling the successes of short-term rentals during the pandemic. Our team has done more work in the space over the last six months than the past two years combined. Now, as the travel industry prepares for the anticipated return of leisure travel (and continued strong demand for traditional lodging alternatives), distributors are getting creative in their efforts to add to their rental inventory – even going so far as to create a dedicated programs se
For readers who have been following our Online Travel Updates since its inception, we thank you for your continued support. In this year of 2021, June will mark our six-year anniversary.
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This week’s Online Travel Update features updates to a number of stories that we covered previously – online vaccination records, Apple’s privacy policy and the many challenges associated with regulating online platforms’ algorithms.
(“Vrbo and Expedia Dominate Online Travel TV Advertising in the U.S. So Far in 2021,” January 21, 2021 via Skift Travel News) (subscription may be required)
Although overall television advertising spending by OTAs (online travel agencies) is dramatically down this year (approximately 81 percent lower), there has been a change at the top of the television advertising leaderboard. At this time last year, Booking.com, dominated U.S. television advertising among its OTA competitors. This year, Expedia Group companies, Vrbo and Expedia.com, have dominated U.S. television advertising spending with their common “togetherness” campaigns. Some may say that the effort at a time when CO