Hospitality Expos - Google Hotel News

The Justice Department on Friday approved Google’s $700 million acquisition of a flight search software maker, but imposed conditions limiting how Google could use the company’s technology, potentially opening the door to broader antitrust scrutiny of the search giant’s activities.

On July 1, 2010, ITA Software announced a merger agreement to be acquired by Google subject to customary closing conditions. Today we are extremely pleased with the DOJ’s decision to clear Google’s acquisition of ITA.

Google has told delegates at the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) conference that two thirds of businesses now plan their travel using search engines, with smart phone bookings rising 69% on last year.

The very public flap between Google and TripAdvisor over hotel reviews continues to play out like a travel industry soap opera. In case you have missed the drama, here is a run-down on what’s happened.

The U.S. Justice Department's review of Google Inc's planned acquisition of airline ticketing software company ITA Software is focusing on making sure ITA's products remain available, even to Google's rivals, according to a source close to the deal. Google's proposed acquisition of ITA has sparked worries in the tech world that travel websites such as Orbitz Worldwide Inc, Kayak and TripAdvisor could be deprived of ITA's software.

Google has a knack for making waves when it pushes into new arenas, and online travel is no exception. Six months ago, Google announced its intention to buy the company that made it easy for travelers to compare airfares, ITA Software, for $700 million. Since then, the biggest players in online travel have drawn lines, for and against the deal, and regulators have sought more time and information for an antitrust investigation, which continues

Search Giant Displays Its Own Health, Shopping, Local Content Ahead of Links to Competing Sites

Mobile phone manufacturers are poised to take over from Google as the most powerful technological players in the European travel and tourism industry, reveals the WTM Global Trends Report today.

FairSearch.org Created to Protect Competition, Transparency and Innovation in Travel Search

About two years ago we published our first SEO Starter Guide, which we have since translated into 40 languages. Today, we’re very happy to share with you the new version of the guide with more content and examples.