With Super Bowl XLV headed to living rooms and sports bars everywhere this weekend, one highly anticipated aspect of that great event is, of course, the ever present commercials which often entertain more than the game itself. Remember the time when your parents rented that beach house for the Summer? HomeAway remembers.
Travel Technology
Cease Fire Called In Online Travel Wars
The ceasefire between American Airlines and GDS giant Sabre signals an “all quiet” moment on the front lines of the online travel wars we have been covering. The announcement that the two companies would attempt to resolve their differences out of court, at least until June 1st, calmed the churning business cauldron for online travel for some.
Off & Away: Pamper Your Love with a Luxury Valentine’s Suite
Off & Away’s February “Whole Lotta Love” series gives you the chance to win an all-inclusive stay in the luxurious 9,757 square foot, bi-level Cancun Hotel’s Suite ME.
HeyTell Joins the Mobile Travel Family
Remember those walkie-talkies Dad got you for Christmas back when? Well for relief of drive time boredom and far more interesting uses, an application for smart phones called HeyTell is a big winner. When SMS won’t do, HeyTell is a walking talking solution to short duration communication.
ChaCha Dances Another Round Around Search
Indianapolis based, real time search service ChaCha has just closed another round of funding. According to the press, the human powered search engine startup gained another $3 million from investors to further expand their mobile product. ChaCha has so far raised a total of $75 in funding since its launch in 2005.
Travel to Africa with The Far Horizons
The Far Horizons, an African travel company offering luxury safari tours, has re-launched its website today, with a better, more modern design and added interactive features for a better user experience.
A Savory Set of Travel Startups: Book One
Some really great online travel sites never even get mentioned. What with all the stories about American Airlines, Google, Expedia, Orbitz, Microsoft, even Bing, how is the consumer ever to know who the best is. What we often see is not innovation or anything approaching the best, it’s marketing and big business.
Skyscanner Acquires Zoombu
Europe’s top flight search site Skyscanner has acquired Zoombu, one of the UK’s most exciting online travel start-ups.
Availpro Expands Adding Horsepower for Hotels
France’s Availpro promises to add horsepower for small and medium sized hotel bookings. A recent expansion into the online travel market in Spain signals the company’s popularity with hoteliers in Europe. Just how many horses the company can provide depends a great deal on the end user as usual.
Justice Department Poised to Nix Google Deal
The Justice Department stands poised to nix Google’s acquisition of ITA proprietary software as FairSearch and other entities press the issue. Is Google becoming a monopoly? This is the overriding question on the minds of consumers, but what is on the government’s mind, this is what counts. With American Airlines’ recent ITA deal, exactly how will the Justice Department deal with the immense pressures being leveled? This online travel war is a far bigger confrontation than many realize.
TripIt Cashes In Big Time
Travel startup TripIt cashes in for an estimated $120 million after only 5 years of development and customer building. Concur is said to have acquired the Web’s most utilized business travel planning tool for cash and stocks. As for the future of TripIt, Concur has not released a statement as of yet.
SnowTrax Compares Beyond Compare
There’s a new ski trip search dynamo out there, and SnowTrax is the name it goes by. For refined ski vacation search, there may not be a better example on Earth. But, and there are always “but’s”, corporate lip service social engagement will never do for any new tech startup. On the consumer Web, there is no room for slip ups when professing social media kinship. Aside this flaw, SnowTrax has a foot in their skis for flawless ski vacations.