Expedia Open to Mergers + Marriott's Labor Unrest + TripAdvisor's Meta Twist

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

October 16, 2018 View in browser

Editor's Note CEOs tend to be very coy in broaching the subject of mergers and acquisitions. Mark Okerstrom doesn't have that issue. He was Expedia's main dealmaker before he rose to CEO so he loves stirring the pot — and speculation. At Skift Global Forum last month, he told Executive Editor Dennis Schaal doing deals was in Expedia's DNA, and he didn't rule out some future transactions. That's where the candor stopped, unfortunately for us. But Expedia will be worth watching closely. After a series of deals in 2015 and taking some time to digest, don't be surprised if Okerstrom is looking at Thomas Cook in Europe, or Despegar in South America, or other deals that may come out of nowhere. Expedia's M&A record was mostly good under former CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Now it's time for Okerstrom to make good on all that buying and make his own mark as CEO. — Tom Lowry, Managing Editor Balancing Privacy and Personalization for Today's Empowered Traveler Sponsored by Epsilon and Conversant Data privacy is becoming a growing issue for consumers, even as travel brands try to gather more accurate identity details and deliver personalized experiences. Is it possible to thread the needle between these seemingly conflicting goals? Emerging strategies suggest the answer is yes. Read More Top Stories Expedia CEO: Mergers and Acquisitions Are Always on the Table An Expedia acquisition of Thomas Cook? While problematic on many fronts, including buying all of those offline agents, it isn't out of the question. Consider that Expedia would gain access to a customer base in Europe that it hardly touches. Expedia's Barry Diller has made a ton of acquisitions. He and Okerstrom are hardly done yet. How Big a Problem Are the Growing Worker Strikes for Marriott? It's Marriott under fire now, but keep an eye on the broader hospitality and travel services industry in the U.S. TripAdvisor Plays Meta on Meta Marketing Game With Google TripAdvisor still isn't crazy about Google emphasizing its own travel businesses ahead of those of competitors. Still in the wacky world of online travel marketing, metas will advertise in other metas when the financials work in their favor. User experience? It isn't always the best. How Alibaba-Backed Shiji Is Expanding Its Tech Sales to Hotels Outside of China Beijing-based Shiji serves more than 47,000 hotels outside of China. This is the first time it has spoken candidly about its acquisition strategy. This year its subsidiaries have won deals with MGM Resorts, Radisson, and other major brands. Reading between the lines, it has big plans in the works. Group Booking Pace Slows in Tight Market for Meetings New research from Cvent shows that group business is declining for U.S. hotels, and planners are booking room blocks closer to the date of their event than before. This is bad news for hotels, which rely on group bookings to boost business. United Makes Top-Tier Elite Status Harder to Earn Changes to United's MileagePlus program will make it harder for ultra-frequent flyers to stay loyal to the airline. Last Chance to Register for ITB Asia Skift CEO Rafat Ali takes the ITB Asia stage in just two days for a Skift Forum Asia preview session. He'll be joined by leaders from Intrepid Travel, Pegasus Lodges, & more. You can get a ticket for only $65 when you use exclusive code TV-Skift50! Top Stories The Resilience of the American Vacation in Mexico The relationship between American tourists and Mexico is nearly a century old and has weathered ups and downs. Today's drug-related violence, mounting border tension, and political rhetoric won't stop these trips, but are clearly disrupting them. Video: Marriott's New Reservations System Could Be Its Secret Weapon in Direct Booking Wars Expect all the other major hotel brands to be revamping their reservations systems just like IHG has, and Marriott soon will, too. Delta Will Deploy Newest Jet to Go Directly at Competitors All U.S. airlines are performing well. Demand is robust, and while fuel prices are up, they're not that high compared to historical levels. Delta is using that state-of-play to go on the offensive to win more share from its competitors. For Gmail users: If you are using the tabbed inbox, Skift emails may be pushed to the 'Promotions' tab. To get updates from Skift direct to your primary inbox, drag and drop this email to that tab. You received this email because you are subscribed to Skift Daily Newsletter from Skift.

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