This week, we draw your attention to key stories from our sister publication PhocusWire.
OTA held accountable to change its ways – a win for consumers?
A ruling from the Competition and Markets Authority in the U.K., coming after a leading academic institution in Europe made claims that large hotel booking platforms (Expedia and Booking.com were cited) were often giving inferior positions to hotels in search results if the property quoted a cheaper price on their own website, may be seen as a win for consumers. Read More
Booking.com still king of the hill
Booking.com continues to dominate, bringing in the highest total booking revenue to hotels even though more third-party channels has entered its space. With the exception of the U.S., where Expedia was the top revenue-generating channel for hotels, each region saw Booking.com at the top of the list.
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Four key developments in U.S. OTA market to watch
Expedia and Booking Holdings continue to hog the headlines, but PhocusWright’s recent research paper points to four key developments that will headline this year’s OTA scene. First, Expedia and Booking Holdings stand firm in their 1, 2 positions and continue to make key investments around the world; Second, the duopoly is keeping its focus on Asia Pacific like a hawk. Investments have already been made, but watch this space for more to come. Third, the activities market is grooming itself to be the hottest segment in the online space this year; and fourth, the discussion around voice tech being a game changer continues.
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In the Big Chair: Tarry Wang Liantao, Xiaozhu
As we celebrate all things Chinese this week, get to know the man who runs the Airbnb of China. It didn’t take him and co-founder Kelvin Chi Chen long to achieve “unicorn status” – just about five years. Find out what brought them quick success and their continued mission.
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