OTAs still dominate travel booking, but pressure is building from AI, banks, and global disruption.Seth Borko and Dennis Schaal break down Booking’s earnings, the Capital One–Hopper deal, and what it all means for the future of online travel.
Connect with Skift
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/
WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social
X: https://twitter.com/skift
Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
00:00 Six Million Room Nights
01:05 Meet Dennis Schaal
02:42 Booking Earnings Breakdown
05:26 US Share Gains
06:23 Brand Strategy Debate
08:35 Genius Loyalty Power
10:20 Airbnb Loyalty Questions
13:02 Connected Trip Expansion
15:58 Glen Fogel Insight
17:03 AI Disruption Debate
19:44 OTA Marketing Arbitrage
21:38 Skift Path to Purchase
22:41 Search Phase Shift
22:57 AI Enters Decision
24:08 Trust and Intermediaries
25:16 Customer Service Reality
27:29 Capital One Buys Hopper Tech
28:50 Hopper and B2B Arms Race
31:14 B2B OTAs vs GDS
33:26 Expedia CFO Shakeup
36:29 Airbnb Services Debate
40:04 OTAs Still Dominate Booking
43:44 Winners Losers and Lessons