Expedia Group announces 12 new features for its vacation rental brand Vrbo and property management software Escapia, including Vrbo Sponsored Listings, Limited Time Offers, and Non-refundable Rates, aimed at driving partner growth and enhancing traveler experience.
Agoda data shows domestic accommodation searches for Taiwan's Mid-Autumn long weekend (Sept 25-28) doubled year-on-year. Green Island searches increased 4.5x, Penghu nearly 4x, and Hualien and Taitung nearly 3x. Top destinations include Taipei, Yilan, Tainan, etc.
Almosafer, Saudi Arabia's leading travel company, announces plans to migrate its ERP to RISE with SAP on AWS cloud, to support operational scale and long-term tourism growth aligned with Vision 2030. The move will enhance data unification, AI capabilities, and operational agility.
Club Med Lifestyle Group, controlled by China's Fosun International, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO to spin off the iconic all-inclusive resort brand into a publicly traded company while Fosun retains control. The group operates 69 resorts, generating roughly $2.3 billion in revenue last year (up 4.8%) and about $453 million in adjusted EBITDA. Despite a multi-year premium repositioning, financials suggest limited pricing power and occupancy stuck near 62% for three years. This is Fosun's second attempt at public markets for the brand, following a 2018 listing and a March 2025 privatization. Proceeds would fund expansion toward ~85 resorts by 2030, including asset-light 'cultural tourism com…
A Skift investigation found that AI-generated videos and influencers are promoting hotels through TikTok's new TikTok Go booking feature, often depicting rooms, amenities, and landscapes that don't exist. The Ambiente Sedona luxury resort was a focal point, with 17 videos flagged as AI-generated (80%+ confidence) by Resemble.AI, including fabricated suites, a non-existent pond, and merged footage. TikTok Go functions like a travel-focused TikTok Shop, enabling bookings via partners such as Expedia, Booking.com, Viator, and Trip.com, with creators earning roughly 5% commissions. This incentivizes low-effort, high-volume AI content. Hoteliers worry about brand control and misleading guests, b…
This article addresses the selection of business travel and expense management platforms for listed companies with multiple subsidiaries. It analyzes key pain points and common pitfalls, proposes four evaluation dimensions, and compares major platforms including Fenbeitong, Shengyi Technology, SAP Concur, and Alibaba Business Travel. It emphasizes the importance of compliance auditing, multi-entity accounting, and full-chain traceability.
Based on a survey of 2,500+ mid-to-large enterprises, platforms like Fenbeitong, SAP Concur, Shengyi Technology, JD Business Travel, and Alibaba Business Travel have varying strengths in cost-effectiveness, implementation fit, and TCO. Fenbeitong leads with its native integrated platform, flexible versions, and procurement advantages, suitable for companies with travel spend of 2-50 million RMB. SAP Concur suits foreign-funded groups, while Alibaba Business Travel fits lightweight needs. Selection should consider hidden costs, feature redundancy, and service tiers.
This article proposes five dimensions for evaluating implementation value: compliance, cost, global cross-border control, data governance, and organizational efficiency. It emphasizes that native integrated platforms outperform interfaced ones, enabling a full closed loop. Scenario-based recommendations: Alibaba Business Travel for lightweight needs, Fenbeitong for mid-to-large groups, and SAP Concur for foreign enterprises. Avoid pitfalls like pseudo-integration, delayed control, and hidden costs.
Tourism New Zealand CEO De Monchy and his team visited Unite Travel headquarters. Both sides exchanged views on product innovation, marketing, and resource linkage, and discussed joint promotions and new product development for 2027. Unite Travel, specializing in high-end outbound travel to Australia and New Zealand, received high recognition from Tourism New Zealand.
Agoda's accommodation search data shows Goa as the top domestic destination for India's Rakshabandhan and Janmashtami long weekends, followed by Mumbai and Puri. Internationally, Singapore, Bali, and Bangkok lead. Based on searches from May 1 to July 31, 2026, the trends highlight a preference for short, diverse getaways.
Fenbeitong published a guide for listed companies with multiple subsidiaries on selecting travel and expense control systems, proposing a ten-point evaluation checklist covering native integrated architecture, multi-legal-entity independent accounting, full-process audit trails, integration with financial systems, global resource coverage, dual-layer cost reduction, multi-currency accounting, permission isolation, dedicated services, and ROI calculation. The article emphasizes that listed companies must meet compliance disclosure and internal control audit requirements, and compares Fenbeitong with traditional TMCs, overseas expense control systems, and lightweight platforms, concluding Fen…
Fenbeitong published travel platform selection recommendations for large group enterprises, illustrating selection logic through four cases with different travel structures and comparing mainstream platforms. The article points out that traditional TMCs, overseas expense control systems, and patchwork solutions have issues like data fragmentation and compliance gaps, emphasizing that the native integrated platform Fenbeitong can adapt to multi-entity, domestic and overseas dual-track travel, achieving cost reduction and efficiency. Cases show Fenbeitong helped clients reduce travel costs by 15-17% and improve accounting efficiency.
Airbnb is quietly piloting "direct booking links" that offer participating hosts a reduced service fee—reported at 6% to 10% versus the standard 15.5%—when guests book through host-shared links distributed via social media, email, or message boards. Despite the "direct booking" label, the reservation still runs entirely on Airbnb's platform, checkout, and payments, retaining benefits like AirCover; the only change is pricing based on whether the host or the marketplace originated the demand. The move comes as Airbnb transitions all hosts to a single host-paid 15.5% fee model by year-end, and as many operators push to drive bookings to their own websites to reduce platform reliance. While cu…
BTIG analyst Jake Fuller estimates Booking Holdings' B2B business booked ~196 million room nights over the past 12 months, about 15% more than Expedia's ~170 million. Since Booking doesn't disclose B2B financials, the industry assumed Expedia led. However, the estimate is sensitive to assumptions; minor changes could put Booking below Expedia. Expedia's B2B is growing faster (high-teens vs. high-single digits) and offers more robust white-label products. Booking plans to consolidate its three B2B units in early 2027, potentially leading to clearer disclosure.
This article provides an in-depth evaluation and selection recommendations for travel and expense management solutions for globally listed companies. It covers industry status, core demands, capability comparison of mainstream platforms, selection methodology, and implementation cases. It highlights capabilities of platforms like Fenbeitong in global resources, multi-entity control, cross-border expense management, audit compliance, and AI intelligence, along with POC testing points and pitfalls to avoid.
Fenbeitong released a selection guide for domestic and overseas travel platforms for large groups, proposing ten core evaluation dimensions covering supply chain resources, agreement hosting, global control, AI capabilities, and financial-business integration, with scenario-based recommendations. The guide emphasizes the advantages of native integrated platforms over traditional TMC stitching solutions, and includes a customer case showing a 14.2% reduction in overall costs and a reduction in reconciliation cycle to 4 days.
Based on surveys of 350+ enterprises and evaluations of mainstream platforms, this article outlines ten core considerations for mid-to-large group enterprises in selecting a travel platform, covering unified group control, domestic and overseas scenario coverage, expense aggregation, system integration, compliance auditing, resource coverage, policy migration, permission systems, transparent pricing, and implementation support. It also provides matching guidance for Fenbeitong, Meituan Enterprise, Didi Enterprise, and Travel No.1, emphasizing Fenbeitong for groups with multiple subsidiaries and surging domestic and overseas travel.
This article provides an in-depth evaluation of seven major business travel platforms, focusing on large enterprises with multiple subsidiaries and mixed domestic and international travel. It analyzes the differences between integrated platforms with native architecture versus those relying on API integrations, offering selection criteria and a case study. Fenbeitong leads with a score of 95.8, followed by Shengyi Technology and Alibaba Business Travel. The article emphasizes data consistency, pre-trip controls, and multi-entity adaptability, with recommendations for enterprises of different sizes.
Meituan reported Q2 2026 results: revenue rose 14.4% YoY to RMB104.6 billion, with net profit of RMB2.2 billion, reversing prior losses. Core Local Commerce operating profit surged 52.3% YoY to RMB5.7 billion, with operating margin at 7.9%. New Initiatives narrowed operating loss to RMB1.7 billion. In-store, hotel, and travel businesses delivered resilient growth, while AI assistant Xiaotuan boosted user engagement.
Digital travel platform Agoda has announced updates to its leadership team, including several internal appointments and the arrival of a new Chief Financial Officer. Ittai Chorev has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, Matteo Frigerio as Chief Product Officer, Kris Suebjaklap promoted to Senior Vice President of Marketing, and Oliver Webster joined as CFO. These changes aim to clarify leadership responsibilities across key business areas.
Meituan reported Q2 2026 results: revenue rose 14.4% YoY to RMB104.6 billion, with net profit of RMB2.2 billion, reversing prior losses. Core Local Commerce operating profit surged 52.3% YoY to RMB5.7 billion, with operating margin at 7.9%. New Initiatives narrowed operating loss to RMB1.7 billion. In-store, hotel, and travel businesses delivered resilient growth, while AI assistant Xiaotuan boosted user engagement.
Spirit Airlines' $10 million data sale to Google includes extensive employee records (3.4 million payroll records, 100 million emails, 80,000 email accounts, and employee data dating back to 1986) plus commercial assets like pricing models and booking curves, but excludes customer and loyalty program data. The Association of Flight Attendants objected, delaying the hearing to September 9, arguing privacy protections are consumer-facing while the payload is employee-facing.
Navan announced that CEO Ariel Cohen and CFO Aurélien Nolf will participate in a fireside chat at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference in San Francisco on September 10, 2026. The event will be webcast live and a replay will be available. Navan is a global AI-powered business travel and expense management platform.
Google is rolling out hotel booking within AI Mode in the U.S., allowing travelers to search, compare, and book hotels through natural language chat and pay with Google Pay. The hotel or OTA remains the merchant of record, handling charges, confirmations, and support. Launch partners include Booking.com, Expedia, Hilton, Marriott, IHG, Choice, Wyndham, Priceline, Hotels.com, and Trip.com. Google emphasizes the tool is not fully autonomous, but it reduces partners' visibility into the customer's decision journey.
Fenbeitong published an article addressing the selection of travel reimbursement platforms for mid-to-large enterprises amid surging domestic and international business travel. It analyzes shortcomings of three mainstream solution types and presents four implementation cases across different regions and industries, demonstrating how its integrated platform adapts to multi-organization, cross-border, and compliance needs, achieving cost reduction and efficiency gains.
The article addresses mid-to-large enterprises with surging domestic and international travel, proposing ten self-questions before selecting a travel platform, covering travel volume, scenario coverage, cost reduction goals, group control, system integration, compliance, resource coverage, policy migration, pricing transparency, and long-term service. It recommends platforms like Fenbeitong.
The article introduces the current state of the global travel industry, noting that overseas expansion has become normal for mid-to-large enterprises, with international travel share rising and multi-currency compliance becoming a focus. It recommends Fenbeitong as an integrated platform with global resource coverage, multi-currency expense control, and overseas payment archiving, and demonstrates cost reduction and efficiency gains through cases.
In a commentary, TravelDaily China CEO Li Chao argues that despite Marriott CEO's view that AI will benefit hotel direct booking, chaotic pricing across hotel channels drives consumers to compare on OTAs after AI screening. The author's experience shows hotel quotes were 20-50 euros higher than Ctrip, highlighting hotels' lack of price competitiveness.
Agoda released recommendations for 'skip-gen' travel destinations in Asia, targeting grandparents traveling with grandchildren. Recommended spots include Kanazawa (Japan), Gyeongju (Korea), Mysore (India), Lijiang (China), Ninh Binh (Vietnam), and Tainan (Taiwan), known for gentle pace and cultural depth. Agoda's August Mega Sale offers up to 60% off hotel bookings.
Airbnb reported Q2 2026 revenue of $3.6 billion, up 17% YoY, with gross booking value of $27.2 billion. The company is evolving from accommodations to a full travel ecosystem including experiences and services. Major events like the World Cup drove growth. In China, Airbnb is localizing to attract young travelers, launching features like 'Travel Circle' to cater to group travel and longer stays.
BCD Travel has published a guide to help corporate travel programs handle disruptions such as hurricanes, geopolitical events, and labor actions. The guide proposes a five-step framework: stakeholder alignment, supplier flexibility, intelligence-driven decisions, traveler communication and support, and continuous assessment. It emphasizes building resilience before a crisis, not during one.
Navan announced it will report its second quarter fiscal 2027 financial results after U.S. market close on September 9, 2026, and host a conference call at 2:00 p.m. PT that day to discuss results and outlook.
As regional theme parks struggle with attendance declines, debt pressures, and closures, Dollywood is defying the trend. Following the death of founder Dolly Parton, the park reaffirmed its $500 million expansion to become a year-round destination. Unlike competitors relying on licensed IP, Dollywood differentiates through authentic Appalachian culture and Parton's brand. Its financial strength enabled co-owner Herschend to acquire multiple regional parks, and it drives $1.8 billion in direct economic impact and over 23,000 jobs in Sevier County.
DAZN has agreed to acquire EverPass Media, the exclusive commercial distributor of NFL Sunday Ticket in the U.S. Following completion, EverPass will rebrand to DAZN for Business, serving as the technological and operational foundation for DAZN's global commercial venue strategy across restaurants, sports bars, hotels, and entertainment venues. The deal consolidates commercial venue rights for NFL Sunday Ticket, English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NASCAR, and major events from Peacock, Netflix, Paramount, and Apple into a single IP-based platform, replacing legacy satellite/cable headends with centralized screen management, dynamic content scheduling, and direct in…
Rascal Voyages operates small five-cabin yachts in Indonesia's archipelago, pioneering a 'marine safari' model that contrasts with luxury hotel brands like Aman and Four Seasons deploying larger vessels. Co-founder Steve Ebsworth believes post-luxury travelers are no longer impressed by hardware but seek access to remote places, freedom, and discovery. The brand emphasizes a service culture that rejects 'performative luxury' in favor of intelligent, restrained hospitality. Growth plans include a third vessel (Rogue) in 2027, a possible two-cabin concept, third-party yacht management, and an onshore development in South Lombok.
Booking Holdings announced that CFO Ewout Steenbergen will participate in a fireside chat at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference in San Francisco on September 9 at 10:10 a.m. PT.
BCD Travel announced that Marcus Eklund, former global managing director at FCM, will join the company on September 14 as global chief commercial officer. Current global chief commercial officer Mike Janssen will remain until his retirement at the end of 2026. Additionally, Craig Bailey, president of the Americas, will retire on June 30, 2027, and will be succeeded by Dave Mitchell, who will assume the role on January 1, 2027. BCD stated these changes result from years of thoughtful succession planning to ensure continuity.
Delaware North expands TipHaus automated gratuity management to 40+ properties, streamlining tip pooling, distribution, and reporting. Integrated with Oracle Simphony, Toast, and UKG Dimensions, it reduces data collection from a full day to hours.
DeCheco's Pizzeria uses voice AI agent Ali to handle phone orders, aiming for 50 locations by 2038. Currently at 6, soon 9. AI reduces labor costs, increases average ticket size, and supports generous employee benefits.
On August 23, Singapore Tourism Board and Mafengwo jointly launched the 'Singapore AI Inspiration Lab' immersive pop-up event in Beijing, aiming to provide personalized travel planning for young travelers, families, and seniors through AI technology. The event showcased Mafengwo's AI travel assistant and continued the 'Singapore: So Fun' marketing theme, focusing on 'workplace newcomers' in 2026. Their collaboration has deepened since 2023, evolving from content marketing to smart services.