Booking Holdings has launched Vayo, a personal AI travel service, with plans to invest $100 million in the business. The Seattle-based company opened a waitlist for its free, invite-only private beta on October 14…
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1.1 million hotel-branded ads linked to ‘predatory OTAs’ in a single month
The run of bad press for artificial intelligence (AI) continues, and this time it’s the turn of “predatory” online travel agencies (OTAs). These are the websites that look like a legitimate hotel website but are far from the real deal…
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Booking.com says Europe's hotels don't depend on it
Booking.com's head of public affairs calls Europe's hotel distribution balanced, two weeks after an EU court upheld that Booking dominates online hotel sales
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Booking Holdings and Expedia Group Control 85% of European OTA Market, Study Finds
HOTREC’s 2026 European Hotel Distribution Study reports that Booking Holdings and Expedia Group now account for over 85% of online travel agency (OTA) bookings in Europe, highlighting increasing market concentration and raising concerns over…
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Google’s Agentic Hotel Booking Push Raises New Questions for Direct Distribution and Guest Ownership
Google has moved another step closer to turning conversational hotel search into an actual booking channel. The company recently confirmed that it has begun a limited U.S…
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Trip.com Fined in China Antitrust Case as Price Wars Continue
China’s months-long antitrust probe into Trip.com Group Ltd. ended with a multi-billion-yuan penalty on the nation’s largest online travel agency, but the action does little to ease the fierce price wars gripping the domestic hotel sector…
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Booking is copying Expedia's most durable asset
The company is folding Booking.com, Agoda, and Priceline into one B2B entity run by Agoda's CEO — a bet that the most valuable OTA business is the one hotels never see
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EU pushes for unified reporting in short-term rental sector
The reforms target a rapidly growing European short-term rental sector where differing national rules have made cross-border data comparison and market assessment difficult.
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Direct Booking Hotels: Why Market Share Battles Mask Economic Wins
After a decade-long campaign for direct bookings, major hotel chains have secured better economics and lower commissions despite OTAs maintaining market dominance in 2026.
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How hotels are adapting to the EU and UK Accessibility Laws
The hotel industry is undergoing a structural shift in its digital operations as two major regulatory frameworks take effect across European markets.
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Amsterdam Court Backs Key Booking.com Arguments in German Hotel Price Parity Case
An Amsterdam court has upheld key elements of Booking.com’s position in a long-running dispute over hotel price parity rules in Germany, a decision that could have significant implications for online travel agency relationships and hotel…
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OpenAI's 'stunning admission': Maybe people don't want to book stuff inside ChatGPT
Not so long ago, OpenAI would announce a grand expansion, and stocks in the relevant sector would swoon. Now, the opposite is happening.
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PayPal, Sabre, and Mindtrip Launch Groundbreaking End-to-End AI Experience for Travel Industry
In an era where convenience and personalization are paramount, a groundbreaking partnership between Sabre Corporation, PayPal, and Mindtrip is poised to transform how small businesses engage with the travel industry. This strategic collaboration…
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Airbnb makes decisive move into hotels as experts warn of brand shift
Airbnb has officially entered the hotel market, marking a significant strategic shift for a company once defined by spare rooms, local hosts and the promise of “living like a local”.
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China's market regulator probes Trip.com over suspected abuse of market dominance
China's market regulator has opened a formal investigation into online travel platform Trip.com Group for suspected abuse of its dominant market position and monopolistic practices, according to an official notice released on Wednesday…
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Can the future of hotel reviews be completely AI-generated?
I feel that the scenario is no longer speculative. It is, if anything, the natural extension of where reputation systems are already heading. It is easy to imagine Tripadvisor, Google or any major OTA replacing the old free text box with a short…
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Food for Thought: Why Hospitality is Over Dependent on the OTAs?
Hospitality is the most dependent on the OTAs, compared to all other travel sectors: airlines, car rental companies and cruise lines.
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Booking.com and hotels increasingly go their separate ways
Hotels are reporting a significant recent drop-off in sales from online travel agencies (OTAs), particularly Booking.com, after “leaning” away from them in recent years, alongside other broader industry trends…
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