How Long Till It’s Just One, Big Company?

You practically need a scorecard — or a spreadsheet — to track who’s gobbling up who in the fast-consolidating “online travel agent” industry.

Courtesy of The New York Times (“The Consumer’s Quandary:  Book Online or Book Direct?”), here’s how the industry is configured (at least for now):

I.  Expedia

A. *Orbitz (acquisition announced)

1. CheapTickets
2. HotelClub

B. Travelocity
C. Hotels.com
D. Hotwired

II. Priceline

A. Kayak
B. Booking.com
C. OpenTable.com

III. Google

A. Google Flight Search
B. Google Hotel Finder

IV. Airbnb, HomeAway

Anyone tempted to just get in their car and drive?

Me, too . . .

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

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