Expedia Group hits record Q1 profitability amid AI overhaul
On the back of an artificial intelligence (AI)-focused technological overhaul, Expedia Group reported its highest Q1 profitability in company history on Thursday.
Within the results, the company's adjusted EBITDA rose 83% year over year to $542 million. Room nights booked totaled 113.9 million, [...]
Booking Holdings’ play to keep travellers in ecosystem with AI
Booking Holdings is positioning its artificial intelligence (AI) efforts as a moat against general AI models. The company reported early testing showed lifts in user conversion, reduced customer service interaction and other positive metrics across brands.
CEO Glenn Fogel shared a [...]
APAC startup funding tightens as market matures
While travel demand in Asia Pacific (APAC) remains strong, early-stage startups may find it harder to secure funding.
According to an upcoming Phocuswright research report, “A Market Rewired: Ten Structural Shifts Redefining Asia Pacific Travel,” investors increasingly are prioritiz [...]
Expedia partners with OpenAI for Access Connectors, Perplexity for Comet launch
Expedia Group has partnered with Perplexity on the launch of Comet, its free, downloadable browser and artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. To encourage use, Expedia is giving travelers an opportunity to cash in on their download of the AI browser with Silver status in OneKey.
“This i [...]
RateGain to acquire Sojern for $250M
RateGain, an India-based provider of distribution, revenue management and marketing solutions for hotels, online travel agencies, airlines, destinations and more, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sojern for $250 million.
Sojern, based in the United States, provides marketing, [...]
Airbnb seems set up for hotel expansion, competition with OTAs
Airbnb is changing its service fee structure from split to single fee, potentially positioning the company to compete with online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia and Booking.com.
But not all affected will benefit. While it may give the short-term rental (STR) giant new opportunities to wi [...]
Booking Holdings reports strong Q2 results, growth in Europe, Asia
Despite ongoing global uncertainty, Booking Holdings again reported positive results, exceeding its own expectations for the second quarter of 2025.
"We are pleased to report a strong second quarter with 8% room night growth and a double-digit increase in gross bookings and revenue, reflecting [...]
Airbnb adds catering, massages, personal training and more in new ‘Services’ business
Airbnb’s 2025 Summer Release has been highly anticipated thanks to the long-awaited, much discussed relaunch of the company’s Experiences vertical.
Today, on the heels of mixed first quarter financial results, the short-term rental giant did officially relaunch Experiences, along with anot [...]
Purple Elephant Ventures raises $4.5M to build travel technology in Africa
Kenya’s startup studio Purple Elephant Ventures (PEV) has received $4.5 million in seed funding to push forward its mission to transform Africa’s tourism industry.
Purple Elephant Ventures aims to make Africa a leading player in regenerative tourism, focused on creating a travel sector that [...]
Booking Holdings’ connected trip transactions jump 40% year over year in Q3
Booking Holdings is locked in on its mission to create the connected trip - something it has been talking about for more than five years - and artificial intelligence will be a critical part of that continued journey, CEO Glenn Fogel shared on the company’s third quarter earnings call.
“We [...]
