Fall has definitely arrived in the Pacific Northwest. It was a relatively quiet week in the online travel world. This week's Update features a story on one of the most widely used Global Distribution Systems – Amadeus – as the company announces its second (unnamed) major customer for its new reservation platform. Enjoy.
Airbnb Takes Steps to Accommodate Hotel Listings
("Airbnb revives hotel strategy, moves closer to rival
OTA model," September 29, 2021 via Phocus Wire)
While the pandemic may have led Airbnb to pause its hotel
distribution aspirations, it appears that the pause may have only
been temporary. Airbnb is reportedly testing a new API that allows
suppliers to provide and display multiple rate plans (similar to
many of Airbnb's OTA competitors). According to two of
Airbnb's beta partners – RoomCloud (an Italian channel
manager and booking engine) and Cloudbeds (an US cloud-based PMS
provider), the changes are designed to appeal to hoteliers. Airbnb
is also apparently re-starting efforts with its mobile booking
platform, HotelTonight, as it seeks to fill multiple open positions
within the company, including market managers. Airbnb has refused
to provide comment on either effort.
The Most Downloaded Travel App in the First Half of 2021?
Hopper
("Top Travel Booking Apps: Look Who's Winning the U.S.
Now," September 28, 2021 via Skift Travel News) (subscription
may be required)
Those of you who have read my Update for the past year or two know
all about Hopper. While Hopper may have started out as just another
mobile booking application, it is now successfully leveraging its
many fintech tools to appeal to post-pandemic travelers seeking
maximum flexibility in their travel plans (as evidenced by the 1.3
million U.S. consumer downloads of the app that occurred in July
alone). As noted in last week's Update, Hopper CEO, Frederic
Lalonde, isn't satisfied just being the most downloaded app, he
hopes to create the "West's first travel superapp."
For those of you wondering, with the exception of Tripadvisor,
Expedia and/or Booking Holdings owned applications dominated the
remainder of the list of the top ten most downloaded apps.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.