Travel Technology

As we have said and covered time and time again here at Skift, the delta between what gets funded and what actually works in travel has been huge over the last decade, and it may finally be catching up as investors are fed up of bad travel startup ideas, and even poorer execution.

Apple has a long way to go until it can help users find the right way to go.

Kayak's digital advertising spending in the U.S. just about disappeared around the time that the Priceline's acquisition went down. It will definitely be back.

The tonight-only hotel space in Europe is hardly even beginning to take shape, and there will be plenty of room for several players. But it is getting interesting now.

Priceline is no slouch when it comes to mobile, but it tapped Kayak as an acquisition target in part because of Kayak's mobile expertise.

Expect Google Glass to crop up in more tourism marketing campaigns and as a reward of social sweepstakes. It makes a destination look tech-savvy, puts played-out attractions in a new light, and attracts potential visitors that a destination might otherwise miss.

How long will it be before we talk about travel websites as always having an essential, if limited place, in much the same way that we sometimes talk about print guidebooks? Smartphones with bigger screens, tablets of mini and maximum dimensions ... buckle your seatbelts.

For Groupon, which has built its business on limited time-based inventory, the acquisition makes sense to add to its travel business. For the mobile booking sector, it is just the beginning, with a lot more to come.

Nothing soothes the stress of a Sunday afternoon or evening flight like being able to watch your favorite team take to the field. It's almost enough to make you forget you're in coach.

HotelTonight's success to date is validation of at least two things: Going mobile-only from day one, and focusing on just one thing, hotels.