Expedia News

IAC/Expedia Group Chairman Barry Diller speaks with Skift Editor-in-Chief Tom Lowry at Skift Global Forum in September 2020.

Sister brands Vrbo and Expedia are being opportunistic in getting relatively aggressive about U.S. TV advertising early in 2021 when rival brands are standing down. You can debate whether it is smart or risky given the pandemic backdrop.

Messaging and collaboration tools help businesses run smoothly in these pandemic times, but not all travel agencies have their finger on the pulse.

Airlines all over the world to varying degrees are pursuing direct-booking strategies. Is JetBlue's decision to remove its flights from CheapOair and OneTravel an isolated dispute or are Expedia and Priceline next on JetBlue's target list?

The bean counters, meaning the financial experts, at all of the major online travel companies have their work cut out for them as they monitor and try to predict the shape and timing of any potential travel recovery. These companies need to be nimble, and hoard their cash.

Stay deep or go wide? Online travel companies from Expedia to Airbnb and Booking.com are grappling with these issues. Focusing on core products can clearly be a winning formula, but when you are a public company, pressure to generate growth from new areas is a constant conundrum.

Domestic travel searches are on the rise, booking windows are getting shorter, and more travelers are dreaming and shopping than they are canceling or changing their trips – new Expedia Group data and consumer research offers clues on how travel companies can best connect with travelers right now.

Given Google's global market clout, none of its product introductions and activities should be dismissed. But Expedia's CEO Peter Kern got feisty and made a good point that Expedia has transaction data, which can be more useful for hotels and tourism boards, than mere search data. Unless Google ups its booking game, and then all bets are off.

The Covid crisis seems to have softened some of the hostilities between cities and short-term rental players. The idea of the two sides working together was once anathema, but certainly seems possible as long as their thinking keeps evolving.

Before the pandemic turned the world sideways, nearly 12 percent of Airbnb's revenue last year came from its top 10 cities. But among them, cities like Lisbon and San Diego are taking radical steps to limit their short-term rental portfolios. Are investors overlooking the likelihood of vastly more stringent regulations?