Google Friend Connect adds some social sauce with new Gadgets but there are better options to serve the needs of your ideal guests. This post addresses a few of the new gadgets and better alternatives.

Expedia and other OTAs have long touted what has become known in the industry as “the billboard effect” whereby they have claimed that positioning on their sites generates not only bookings through the OTA but also a halo effect on the hotels’ own sites by generating brand awareness.

In the past few years, U.S. travelers have increasingly begun to treat airline tickets as a commodity. Shoppers scour the Internet with the ultimate goal of finding the lowest price, often checking a myriad of Web sites including supplier sites, online travel agencies (OTAs), metasearch sites and deal sites.

Elliott Ng will represent UpTake during the PhocusWright 2009 Conference, Blogger Summit Town Hall on Wednesday, November 18th at 9:00 a.m.

Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. officially takes ownership of Oasis of the Seas .

Late last week, a jury in San Antonio delivered a verdict on a class-action suit against the major OTAs that was brought by around 170 cities in Texas. The verdict against Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and Priceline is for $20M plus court imposed penalties and interest.