RESEND: Hotel rate parity nightmare ahead? / MakeMyTrip's earnings / Uplift's $123M round

Today's news on travel technology, distribution and the digital economy Email not displaying correctly: [View it in your browser]( We are updating our PhocusWire eNewsletter sending technology including a change to the domain. To ensure you continue to receive your copy without interruption, please whitelist: @news.phocuswire.com Please [click here]( for additional instructions on how to whitelist our new domain. Top Stories from the past 24 hours January 24, 2019 Booking.com’s Booking.Basic feature - an accommodation tier that displays discounted rates from third parties - has been spotted on European hotel listings, spelling a potentially serious parity problem for hoteliers. An [analysis]( today breaks down Booking’s reasoning behind the formula, as well as why hotels should pay closer attention to their downstream distribution. MakeMyTrip is [reporting]( big numbers in revenue and bookings for Q3 2019, pushing the loss figure down to $22.9 million, and travel payment brand Uplift has [news]( on a $123 million funding round. - Jill Menze, news editor Today's Top Story Interview I B2B Tech [Are hotels on the verge of a parity nightmare?]( More Headlines [MakeMyTrip posts gains in revenue and bookings as overall loss figure narrows]( News | Online Total gross booking volumes hit $1.41 billion, up by 32% on the same period in 2017 - pushing the loss figure down to $22.9 million. [READ MORE]( [Uplift banks $123M round to expand travel payment service on multiple fronts]( News | Technology A $123 million financing round led by Madrone Capital Partners brings the total invested in the company to around $220 million. [READ MORE]( [TUI adds a touch of (augmented) reality to tours and activities]( News | Technology TUI Destination Experiences is experimenting with augmented reality on glasses to enable travelers to get more information on what they are seeing. [READ MORE]( [Niche vacation rental platform Cozystay adds first properties in China]( News | Online Vancouver, Canada-based Cozystay expands its vacation rental platform into China with its acquisition of Oak Properties. [READ MORE]( [NDC is not just a standard – it’s a signal to the industry]( News | Distribution In order to understand what NDC means for businesses and where the industry is heading, it is important to recognize current challenges facing our industry and improvements that are enabled through technology. [READ MORE]( [Airbnb and hotel distribution - (almost) one year in]( News | Online As the Airbnb and SiteMinder deal nears its one-year anniversary, here's an update on how the platform's hotels business is faring. [READ MORE]( [MORE STORIES]( From Our Partners... [Fragmentation continues to shape the competitive landscape for hoteliers]( This analysis examines how the hospitality industry, from accommodation options to distribution technology, is heating up as external and internal forces ignite change in the sector. [READ MORE]( Trending Stories [Lufthansa invests alongside Hopper, plotting collaboration on artificial intelligence-led tools]( News | Technology A "multimillion-dollar" deal will include a research collaboration and help spearhead the Canada-based price prediction platform's expansion into Europe. [READ MORE]( [When it comes to guest personalization, price is only one piece of the puzzle]( News | Startups A new hotel brand, Life House, is currently testing an algorithmic pricing system based on customer profiles, history, spending habits and even social media followers. [READ MORE]( [STARTUP STAGE: SBC Travel launches crypto-friendly hotel booking platform]( Interview | Startups SBC Travel is a new online travel agency that accepts cryptocurrency. It is launching with an inventory of 175,000 hotels and accommodation providers in more than 185 countries, primarily powered by Hotelbeds. [READ MORE]( [REPORT: Dynamic travel packaging - The next game-changer]( From Our Partners | Distribution Dynamic packaging has been growing and evolving for the past ten years and this trend will continue to 2020 and beyond. This in-depth report finds out why. [READ MORE]( [Inside cruise, part 3: The technical transformation]( News | Technology For the second in our series on cruise, we explore how cruise lines are using technology to improve the customer experience. [READ MORE]( [Privacy]( | [Subscribe]( | [Unsubscribe]( Northstar Travel Group LLC. 116 West 32nd Street New York, New York 10001