Technology

The world of hotel technology software, or the “tech stack” as it’s often called, has long existed as a fragmented puzzle of competing platforms, competitors and solutions. Now, growing signs of consolidation loom as big players from both inside and outside the category vie for a bigger piece of the pie. What solutions and strategies will be most important to help hotel owners stay competitive, and profitable, in the years to come?

Traveler demand for, and use of, Internet connection services is soaring, creating a dilemma for travel brands that must walk a precarious tightrope between charging for access and risking customer anger over unreliable free service. How are travel brands coping with these challenges, and what future innovations in connection services might transform the industry?

Travel booking is transforming the mobile-first ecosystem. Messaging technology is replacing face-to-face and voice-to-voice commerce with a screen-to-screen conduit that stands to drive returns and open interactions to new levels of customer context and continuity that the travel industry has seldom, if ever, experienced before.

Messaging technology is expanding at a rapid pace across the online commerce ecosystem, across categories. This report addresses the marketing operations side of the messaging technology equation among travel companies. A companion Skift report will focus on bookings and messaging tech.

Industry consolidation and innovation is ramping up as the tours and activities sector finally comes online. But a range of technical and logistical challenges still hold the sector back. How are tour operators adapting, and what strategies are helping them thrive in this dynamic environment?

Weighing in at three times the size of our standard reports, this expanded trends report offers exclusive insight into new Google travel products launched on November 19, 2015, as well as exclusive interviews conducted at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California this fall. In addition, it includes industry analyst notes that are otherwise only available to clients and banks.

An in-depth look at the trends that are driving booking via smartphones and tablets, the challenges holding the market back, and strategies for businesses in the travel and hospitality industries.

The travel industry is looking closely at how hotels tackle the project of closing the conversion loop more often — generating higher returns — by paying attention to how reviews can augment direct-channel bookings and how online reputation management can impact marketing and operations best practices, online and onsite.

A handful of major disruptive companies in travel and hospitality are enjoying sky-high valuations as they secure late-round funding, while an ever-increasing number of newer startups are vying for investment capital as they target more specific markets. Learn about the trends that are driving venture funding in travel, and what startups need to know as they vie to secure the capital necessary for their growth.

The on-demand economy is on the rise, but what does on-demand mean, exactly? In this report, a look at the nature of a technology-driven sea change in consumer behavior and the business models emerging to meet it in the travel industry.

With technology innovation and a thriving online distribution landscape, vacation rental owners are taking their businesses to new heights. Homeowners and property managers are more astute in digital marketing, by developing their own websites and managing calendars on billion-dollar distribution sites. Technology is revolutionizing the vacation rental at a multitude of touchpoints.

For the travel industry, online search is in the middle of significant transformations. From the mobile-first milieu to the evolving concepts of search and commerce, attribution and product-level innovation, avenues to reach travelers via search marketing are moving toward a future that brands can’t afford to bypass or ignore.