Sarah · Jul 29, 2026 · 3 min read
Expedia's restructured One Key program goes live today: earning rates now depend on status tier, flight bookings earn nothing, and the Hotel Price Guarantee disappears from Expedia and Hotels.com.
Airbnb's summer 2026 update introduces grocery delivery, airport transfers, and AI tools, expanding its travel service offerings.
Amazon has added Model Context Protocol support to Alexa+ and revived Amazon Wallet, with Priceline, Viator and Virgin Atlantic among the first travel partners building in-chat booking tools — while Booking.com, Expedia and major hotel chains sit out.
On its first investor call after China's record antitrust ruling, Trip.com Group said it has killed its automated price-tracking tool and is replacing its Tier 1 and Tier 2 distribution programs — and confirmed the March shutdown is already hitting results.
Trip.com Group announced 19 rectification measures, ending forced exclusivity and price controls on hotels, and filed a 6-K formalizing China's record ¥5.18 billion antitrust penalty.
China's market regulator has confiscated ¥1.66 billion in illegal gains and fined Trip.com Group ¥3.52 billion — roughly $765 million in total — for abusing its dominant position in hotel bookings. The company says it accepts the decision.
The European Commission has issued Google its first fine under the Digital Markets Act — €460 million for favoring its own services, including hotels and transport, in Search, plus €430 million over Play Store steering restrictions.
MakeMyTrip's wholly-owned subsidiary MMT India has confidentially filed a draft red herring prospectus with SEBI and Indian stock exchanges for a proposed IPO and listing, with proceeds earmarked for growth, M&A, and share repurchases.
Expedia Group is the first OTA ever authorized to sell Allegiant flights, under a 12-month exclusive covering 566 routes across 124 US cities.
Agoda and the Taiwan Tourism Administration launched a destination marketing campaign running July–December 2026, targeting travellers in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.
Hostelworld's H1 2026 revenue rose 12% to €52.2m on nearly flat bookings, with its Elevate monetisation tool pushing the effective commission rate to 17.7%. Full-year guidance is maintained.
Booking.com's Summer Getaway Report finds 71% of Brits heading somewhere new this summer, with adults-only stays, solo trips and secondary UK coastal towns all surging.