An honest view on tours and activities / Ruzwana Bashir in the green room / Venture capitalists and Google

Today's news on travel technology, distribution and the digital economy Email not displaying correctly: [View it in your browser]( Top Stories from the past 24 hours November 6, 2018 Travelers want personalization. They want it from Amazon, they want it from Netflix and they want it from travel. The challenge for hotels is incorporating that experience into their own websites, otherwise they’ll lose direct bookings to online travel agencies, which (while not perfect) are better at tailoring offerings. Today we feature a breakdown of the six key personalization principles for hoteliers. Among the takeaways: Not all data is created equally. Booking Holdings reports more than 200 million room nights booked in the third quarter of 2018, and in acquisition news, WebJet has acquired Destinations of the World of a whopping $173 million, and TravelgateX has bought business intelligence startup REVVA. In exactly a week The Phocuswright Conference officially begins in Los Angeles. The last remaining tickets are up for grabs, so make sure you get in touch with the team to secure your spot... - Jill Menze, news editor Today's Top Story Opinion I Distribution [The six principles of personalization for hotel websites]( More Headlines [Booking Holdings reports 200M room nights milestone during upbeat Q3 earnings]( News | Online Booking Holdings saw an acceleration in the rate of its room night growth in the third quarter of 2018, exceeding the high end of its guidance, driven by a delayed summer travel peak and improved results from some of its performance marketing channels. [READ MORE]( [WebJet acquires Destinations of the World for $173M]( News | Distribution Australia-based WebJet has acquired Destinations of the World (DOTW) for $173 million, a move that significantly expands Webjet’s B2B accommodations supplier business, WebBeds. [READ MORE]( [VIDEO: What it takes to capture the burgeoning activities sector]( News | Online Two brands, either side of the Atlantic Ocean - both with modest levels of investment to date. [READ MORE]( [TravelgateX snaps up REVVA to improve business intelligence tools]( News | Technology TravelgateX, a travel connectivity specialist, has acquired revenue management and business intelligence startup REVVA. [READ MORE]( [Ticketing technology updates, innovations critical for major attractions]( News | Technology Large attractions such as theme parks, amusement parks, zoos and museums need to update and invest in their ticketing technology in order to meet consumer expectations and to adapt to new distribution opportunities. [READ MORE]( [Tech Heads at a crossroads: all-in, shun, or dabble?]( News | Technology The problem with new forms of technology appearing on the scene is that for travel brands there is a lot of evaluating needed. [READ MORE]( [MORE STORIES]( Webinar REPLAY! [Best practices for engaging employees when traveling]( In this session, you’ll learn marketing best practices for breaking through the noise and communicating with employees effectively as well as the importance of personalization, convenience and rewards when it comes to creating an effective travel program. [CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDING, SLIDES AND Q&A]( Trending Stories [How travel management companies are battling the content gap]( News | Distribution The travel management company's first purpose is to print paper airline tickets and deliver them to travelers. TMCs since have diversified into duty of care, reporting and consulting, but in order to stay in the booking business they have to close the content gap. [READ MORE]( [Foursquare partners with TripAdvisor, wants to "make noise" in travel sector]( News | Technology TripAdvisor is the latest travel brand to partner with Foursquare, the company that began as a social check-in app for consumers but in recent years has evolved to focus on providing location intelligence data to businesses. [READ MORE]( [TravelBird shuts shop after investment fails to arrive]( News | Online TravelBird, an online deals service that was one of the longer-term survivors of the early flash sales era, has shut, blaming a lack of funding. [READ MORE]( [Travel fraud trends you need to know]( From Our Partners | Technology Online fraud is rampant and travel brands are feeling the pain more than ever before. Fraud attack rates overall have increased by 13% since the beginning of 2017, and these rates show no signs of abating. [READ MORE]( [An honest view from the sharp end of tours and activities]( News | Distribution There's been a huge amount of attention on tours and activities during 2018 - perhaps more than any other sector in the industry. [READ MORE]( [Privacy]( | [Subscribe]( | [Unsubscribe]( Northstar Travel Group LLC. 116 West 32nd Street New York, New York 10001