A story on Skift this morning bears the headline; “Airbnb’s Growth Doesn’t Scare Priceline at All”. A big picture of William Shatner set to duke it out is as funny, given Priceline should be scared, that is. If only Priceline’s Star Fleet had integrated Airbnb!
Priceline
Priceline 2014 Tourist Report Card is out
Priceline has just released its 2014 Tourist Report Card revealing the latest bits on “blending with the locals.” While most tourists think they blend in well with the people who play host to their travel excursions, the same cliche “touristy look” is still prevalent.
Expedia Acquires Auto Escape Group
Expedia has just announced completing its acquisition of Auto Escape Group, a leading European car rental entity online. The acquisition from private equity fund Montefiore Investment, tell of Auto Escape Group management migrating to the booking giant’s team as well.
Priceline to Buy Kayak in $1.8 Billion Deal
Priceline (NASDAQ: PCLN) announced on Thursday an official agreement to purchase travel research and comparison site Kayak in a stock and cash transaction.
Big OTAs and Big Hotels in Price Fixing Lawsuit
A federal lawsuit naming the likes of Expedia, Orbitz, Booking.com, Travelocity, Trump International Hotels Management, Intercontinental, Kimpton, Sabre Holdings, Priceline, Marriott, Starwood, and Hilton alleges the companies conspired to fix hotel room prices. According to the news from Reuters, the suit claims the travel giants did so in an effort to fend off competition from smaller online retailers.
Whitbread Shares Get Caffeine Fix from Costa
An article by Mark Wembridge at the Financial Times this morning speaks of a slowdown in UK hotel demand. According to a report from Whitbread, targeted hotel chain Premier Inn showed a drop in sales, as did others in and outside London.
Agoda Goes Mobile with Free iPhone App
Agoda, the leading online booking portal in Asia, has announced a new iPhone application. Free for download, the app allows Agoda customers to view and book up-to-the-minute rates at more than 150,000 properties around the world.
Russia’s SAT & Agoda Join Forces
Agoda.com, Priceline.com’s Asian global hotel booking site, announces partnering with Russia’s SAT Airlines. The resulting collaboration will allow SAT travelers instant access to Agoda’s over 150,000 hotels.