Expedia News Page 17
Expedia drops phone booking fees
Expedia announced today that they are removing booking/service fees on all travel products sold through Expedia’s call centers.
Expedia cuts phone fees in price war
Expedia has made a significant change to its service policy, eliminating all phone-based booking fees and the company will not charge phone booking fees for any flight, car rental, hotel or cruise reservation booked by phone in the US.
Expedia says “You’re Out” to Choice
“You’re Out!” No, that’s not just the last thing said to the Phillies at the end of this year’s World Series. It’s also the last thing Expedia said to Choice before they pulled the chain’s inventory.
Expedia Billboard Effect: Cornell agrees that it is real
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.
Will Expedia’s Multi Brand Strategy Succeed in China?
TripAdvisor’s acquisition last week of Kuxun.cn, China’s number two travel search engine, kicked off its ambitious investment plan of US$50 million in China’s burgeoning tourism market over the next two years.
Florida AG sues Expedia and Orbitz - If cities can, we can too
Bill McCollum, the Florida Attorney General filed suit against Expedia and Orbitz this afternoon, opening the next chapter in the ongoing fight over occupancy taxes.
Florida sues online travel companies over tax
The state of Florida is suing online travel companies Expedia and Orbitz over hotel taxes following a number of lawsuits nationwide which claim the sites owe local authorities millions of dollars in tax.
Texas Cities vs. PCLN, EXPE, OWW et al: A Draw at Best
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.
Expedia and Choice Hotels: Spencer Has His Say
In Part Two of our Ghosts of the Internet Past interviews, we caught up with former Expedia executive Spencer Rascoff. Spencer is now the Chief Operating Office of real estate website Zillow.com but was ran hotel supplier relations during the IHG/Expedia stand-off six years ago
Choice Hotels and Expedia: Former IHG Exec Jim Young Strolls Down Memory Lane
As we discussed earlier, all of the relevant parties to the last major public flare-up between an OTA and a major brand (Expedia and IHG) have moved on to new challenges. However, we’ve tracked the two key witnesses down, and they both have agreed to discuss the current situation between Choice and Expedia.
Expedia earnings up in Q3
Expedia has reported that Q3 earnings have risen 23% amid higher bookings and increases in hotel and car rental revenue. The company grew revenue 2.4% over the third quarter of 2008 as a result of a 9% increase in global gross bookings.
Choice Hotels and Expedia: We’ve Seen this Movie Before
Hotels Magazine just broke a nice story on a squabble that has erupted between Choice and Expedia that is eerily reminiscent of a fight between Expedia and IHG several years ago.