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 . . .