Online Passport Renewal, Booking Vs. Airbnb and Tripadvisor and Direct Bookings

Skift Take

Today’s podcast looks at easier U.S. passport renewals, Booking’s growing short-term rental business, and Tripadvisor’s rethink of that same sector.

Rashaad Jorden

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, September 18, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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Episode Notes

Skift Global Forum kicked off in New York City on Tuesday with big news in the U.S. travel industry. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma said U.S. travelers will have the option of renewing their passports online starting on Wednesday, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. 

Verma told Skift CEO Rafat Ali that the State Department believes half of passport renewals will be done online in the near future. However, Verma acknowledged that the online option wouldn’t necessarily be faster than the in-person process – but said that it would be a better customer experience. The State Department recently tested an online renewal process, which attracted 200,000 participants. 

Next, Booking Holdings’ short-term rental business is growing fast as it tries to compete with Airbnb, reports Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes.

CEO Glenn Fogel told Executive Editor Dennis Schaal during Skift Global Forum that Booking Holdings is now selling two-thirds of the room nights for short-term rentals as Airbnb. Fogel added his company has grown its short-term rental business faster than Airbnb in 12 of the past 13 quarters.

Booking Holdings has close to 8 million short-term rental listings worldwide, but only a small number of them are in the U.S. But Fogel said its lack of U.S. listings represent an opportunity for significant growth. 

Finally, Tripadvisor has informed its vacation rental guests and hosts that it will discontinue direct bookings on its platform, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. 

Schaal reports that reservations with check-in dates on or after November 1 will be canceled, and guests will be entitled to a full refund. However, those cancellations don’t represent the end of vacation rentals for Tripadvisor. A Tripadvisor spokesperson told Skift the company will turn to third-party providers to accept vacation rental bookings, like it does with hotels.