Golf-Hotel-Resorts AND CASINO News: Google Antitrust Heat + Top 10 Skift Stories + Airbnb's Complicated Relationships

December 29, 2017

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Note From the Editor

The Wall Street Journal cited Skift Research in an editorial Wednesday that criticized Google's travel-business practices for alleged anti-competitive behavior. No big deal about the Skift Research reference; we quote the Wall Street Journal sometimes, too. But the Journal's jab at Google shines a brighter spotlight on how it does business, and this could lead to new regulatory activity in 2018.

Before we get to 2018, Skift compiled a list of our Top 10 stories that grabbed your attention in 2017. Hotel industry brand explainers were big, as were online travel exposes and scoops. We have plenty more planned for next year.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

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Might 2018 be the year U.S. regulators take a hard look anew at Google's travel-business practices after declining to take action in 2012? We hope so, in the interests of fair play, although the Trump Administration has been keen to reduce government regulation of businesses, not increase it.

These 10 Skift stories got the most clicks in 2017, and none were clickbait. The list shows Skift readers love hotel and online travel stories, original reporting, analysis and breaking news.

Tourism Board Engagement With Airbnb Is Not One-Size Fits All

Tourism boards are stuck between a rock and a hard place on a lot of issues and particularly with Airbnb. Destination marketers understand that many travelers prefer Airbnb while their hotel partners definitely do not. We'll be watching to see how both sides attempt to bridge the gap in 2018.

Vacasa CEO on Why a Recession Could Be Good for His Business

Vacasa CEO Eric Breon doesn't see Airbnb or big hotel companies as competition for his company, which specializes in managing traditional vacation home rentals. But he could use more homes to manage.

Latin America Travel Unicorn Despegar Is Hunting but Could Be Hunted Too

The biggest online travel story in Latin America in 2017 was Despegar's IPO. The Expedia-backed booking site raised $332 million to fund its expansion. The company has hinted that it is likely to use some of the cash to make an acquisition in 2018.

Journal Hotels is out to prove that you don't necessarily need to be a brand to succeed in the increasingly crowded lifestyle hotel space.

The Detroit Travel Story Is Starting to Get Rewritten by the Black Travel Movement

The mainstream media currently has control of the Detroit travel story, but the Black Travel Movement is about to redefine what it means to visit the blackest city in America.

CEO Interview: Paligroup's Avi Brosh on Growing Boutique Hotels in the Shadows of Big Brands

In some ways, building a boutique hotel brand isn't much different from when the first pioneers did it in the early 1980s. The only distinction is that today, the competition is certainly tougher and increasingly more abundant.

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