Senior Marketing Specialist, Expedia Group

Between 2021 and 2022, Expedia has been selling and merging a list of its sub-brands in a bid to simplify its operations, including Egencia and Classic Vacations. Due to plummeting share prices, mostly in the case of its sub-brands, Expedia has been leveraging its subsidiaries' customer base and merging them into the company’s core brand. Contrasting this move, Expedia has also been partnering with tech start-ups in a bid to make travel more accessible to underserved groups. Becoming Rentable, a travel company for the disabled is one of 12 startups that are part of Expedia Group’s new Open World Accelerator Programme.

What this indicates is Expedia’s shift from buying other travel companies and a move towards enhancing the experience of its preexisting customer base. This move is aiding in a long-term plan for greater long-term traveler loyalty, utilizing Expedia’s vast amounts of data, not just from reviews, but from check-in, cleanliness, communication, cancelations, etc to inform how guests experience a property.