The global hotel industry posted solid numbers in Q1, a positive trend for online travel companies such as Priceline Group (PCLN), Expedia (EXPE) and TripAdvisor (TRIP), investment bank Cowen & Co. said in a research note Monday. Cowen analysts Kevin Kopelman and Andrew Marok said hotel-industry revenue per available room, or RevPAR, has been stable or improving across all major regions. RevPAR is a key hotel performance measure. In the U.S.,
Expedia (EXPE) unveiled a redesigned home page for U.S. users Tuesday that it says meets the needs of increasingly mobile travelers. The online travel agency said the changes represent the most significant redesign to its home page since 2002. New features include “smart” recommendations for travelers, faster page loading and a visually rich page layout optimized for desktop and mobile users. The simplified, streamlined home page offers one-click
Expedia (EXPE) soared over 14% in the stock market today, a day after the online travel agency beat fourth-quarter analyst earnings and sales forecasts on accelerating hotel room night growth and some analysts raised their price targets on the shares. Bellevue, Wash.-based Expedia said it earned 92 cents a share excluding options expenses, amortization and other items, up 46% from 63 cents in the year-earlier quarter and 6 cents above the average