Have you been searching for a stock that might be well-positioned to maintain its earnings-beat streak in its upcoming report? It is worth considering Expedia (EXPE - Free Report) , which belongs to the Zacks Leisure and Recreation Services industry.
When looking at the last two reports, this online travel company has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 24.13%, on average, in the last two quarters.
For the most recent quarter, Expedia was expected to post earnings of $1.41 per share, but it reported $1.96 per share instead, representing a surprise of 39.01%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $3.46 per share, while it actually produced $3.78 per share, a surprise of 9.25%.
Price and EPS Surprise
Thanks in part to this history, there has been a favorable change in earnings estimates for Expedia lately. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the stock is positive, which is a great indicator of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Expedia has an Earnings ESP of +7.86% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on August 5, 2026.
When the Earnings ESP comes up negative, investors should note that this will reduce the predictive power of the metric. But, a negative value is not indicative of a stock's earnings miss.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Earnings are arguably the most important single number on a company's quarterly financial report. Wall Street clearly dives into all of the other metrics and management's input, but the EPS figure helps cut through all the noise.
We know earnings results are vital, but how a company performs compared to bottom line expectations can be even more important when it comes to stock prices, especially in the near-term. This means that investors might want to take advantage of these earnings surprises.
Hunting for 'earnings whispers' or companies poised to beat their quarterly earnings estimates is a somewhat common practice. But that doesn't make it easy. One way that has been proven to work is by using the Zacks Earnings ESP tool.
The Zacks Earnings ESP, ExplainedThe Zacks Expected Surprise Prediction, or ESP, works by locking in on the most up-to-date analyst earnings revisions because they can be more accurate than estimates from weeks or even months before the actual release date. The thinking is pretty straightforward: analysts who provide earnings estimates closer to the report are likely to have more information.
Now that we understand the basic idea, let's look at how the Expected Surprise Prediction works. The ESP is calculated by comparing the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate, with the percentage difference between the two giving us the Zacks ESP figure.
Bringing together a positive earnings ESP alongside a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better has helped stocks report a positive earnings surprise 70% of the time. Furthermore, by using these parameters, investors have seen 28.3% annual returns on average, according to our 10 year backtest.
Most stocks, about 60%, fall into the #3 (Hold) category, and they are expected to perform in-line with the broader market. Stocks with a #2 (Buy) and #1 (Strong Buy) rating, or the top 15% and top 5% of stocks, respectively, should outperform the market, with Strong Buy stocks outperforming more than any other rank.
Should You Consider Expedia?The final step today is to look at a stock that meets our ESP qualifications. Expedia (EXPE - Free Report) earns a #2 (Buy) 13 days from its next quarterly earnings release on August 5, 2026, and its Most Accurate Estimate comes in at $5.84 a share.
By taking the percentage difference between the $5.84 Most Accurate Estimate and the $5.41 Zacks Consensus Estimate, Expedia has an Earnings ESP of +7.86%. Investors should also know that EXPE is one of a large group of stocks with positive ESPs. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Find Stocks to Buy or Sell Before They're ReportedUse the Zacks Earnings ESP Filter to turn up stocks with the highest probability of positively, or negatively, surprising to buy or sell before they're reported for profitable earnings season trading. Check it out here >>
Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC trimmed its position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE – Free Report) by 17.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 43,413 shares of the online travel company’s stock after selling 8,971 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Expedia Group were worth $9,884,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of EXPE. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Expedia Group during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Expedia Group by 78.6% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its stake in Expedia Group by 970.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 182 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.76% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In EXPE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Monday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Expedia Group from $266.00 to $262.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. B. Riley Financial lowered their target price on shares of Expedia Group from $360.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Expedia Group in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $255.00 target price on shares of Expedia Group in a research note on Monday. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Expedia Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $288.64.
Read Our Latest Analysis on EXPE
Expedia Group Stock Performance Expedia Group stock opened at $261.08 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $31.99 billion, a PE ratio of 22.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.23. Expedia Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $174.05 and a twelve month high of $303.80. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $242.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $244.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43.
Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The online travel company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.55. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 84.33% and a net margin of 9.81%.The firm had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.40 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 16.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Expedia Group Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 28th were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 28th. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.90%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Expedia Group In other news, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 4,702 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.00, for a total transaction of $1,095,566.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 105,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,569,384. The trade was a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.86, for a total transaction of $208,548.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,124,454.38. The trade was a 6.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.
Expedia Group Profile (Free Report)
Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) is a global travel technology company that operates an online marketplace connecting consumers, travel suppliers and third‑party partners. The company’s platform enables search, comparison and booking of travel products and services, including hotels, airline tickets, vacation rentals, car rentals, cruises and packaged travel. Its portfolio comprises consumer-facing travel brands as well as corporate travel solutions and technology services that serve both leisure and business travelers.
Key offerings include consumer booking platforms and mobile apps that aggregate inventory from hotels, vacation rental managers, airlines and car rental companies, alongside ancillary travel services such as trip insurance and activities.
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Stock Market Rally Defies Rising Oil, Bond Yields; Chips Lead As Seagate, Micron Make Bullish Moves Together, Expedia (EXPE) and Booking.com (BKNG) account for roughly half of the online travel agency market. While Booking's market capitalization of $139 billion dwarfs the roughly $32 billion market cap of its rival, Expedia stock has a spot on the Investor's Business Daily Breakout Stocks Index while Booking.com does not. While both stocks recently reset their base counts, Expedia stands…
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Expedia® today released its 2026 Island Hot List, revealing the Next Wave of island destinations gaining global momentum with searches for islands rising an average of 55% year-over-year,1 alongside social media mentions up 20%.2 Based on Expedia's search data, the Island Hot List highlights 10 fast-rising islands offering travelers an alternative to traditional hotspots, combining natural beauty, cultural depth, and sometimes better value. Expedia's 2026 Island Hot Li.
Investors with an interest in Leisure and Recreation Services stocks have likely encountered both Expedia (EXPE) and Viking Holdings (VIK). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now?
California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE – Free Report) by 8.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 243,149 shares of the online travel company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,567 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.20% of Expedia Group worth $56,141,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Expedia Group by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 61,211 shares of the online travel company’s stock worth $17,344,000 after purchasing an additional 9,256 shares during the period. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC acquired a new stake in Expedia Group in the fourth quarter valued at $3,164,000. Lmcg Investments LLC increased its holdings in Expedia Group by 276.0% in the fourth quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 9,655 shares of the online travel company’s stock valued at $2,735,000 after purchasing an additional 7,087 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management bought a new position in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth $2,781,000. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in Expedia Group during the 4th quarter worth $3,027,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.76% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have commented on EXPE shares. Gordon Haskett reduced their price target on Expedia Group from $320.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Zacks Research downgraded Expedia Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Expedia Group from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Expedia Group from $252.00 to $246.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded Expedia Group from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twenty-two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $288.82.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Expedia Group
Expedia Group Stock Performance Shares of EXPE opened at $268.77 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $240.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $244.49. Expedia Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $174.05 and a 12 month high of $303.80.
Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The online travel company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.55. Expedia Group had a return on equity of 84.33% and a net margin of 9.81%.The firm had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.35 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.40 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Expedia Group, Inc. will post 16.98 EPS for the current year.
Expedia Group Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 28th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 28th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Expedia Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.90%.
Insider Activity at Expedia Group In other Expedia Group news, CAO Lance A. Soliday sold 940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.86, for a total value of $208,548.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 14,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,124,454.38. The trade was a 6.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert J. Dzielak sold 4,702 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.00, for a total value of $1,095,566.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 105,448 shares in the company, valued at $24,569,384. The trade was a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.
Expedia Group Profile (Free Report)
Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) is a global travel technology company that operates an online marketplace connecting consumers, travel suppliers and third‑party partners. The company’s platform enables search, comparison and booking of travel products and services, including hotels, airline tickets, vacation rentals, car rentals, cruises and packaged travel. Its portfolio comprises consumer-facing travel brands as well as corporate travel solutions and technology services that serve both leisure and business travelers.
Key offerings include consumer booking platforms and mobile apps that aggregate inventory from hotels, vacation rental managers, airlines and car rental companies, alongside ancillary travel services such as trip insurance and activities.
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Expedia Group has entered a strategic partnership with Allegiant Travel Company. The 12-month exclusive agreement covers Allegiant's full network of 566 routes across 124 U.S. cities. This partnership means Expedia Group now offers 100% coverage of U.S. commercial passenger carriers. , /PRNewswire/ -- Expedia Group and Allegiant Travel Company today announced a strategic partnership as the airline looks to tap Expedia Group's booking expertise and extensive network of U.S. travelers.
This partnership marks a major milestone for Expedia Group and the airline, making it the first authorized online travel agency (OTA) to distribute Allegiant flights. The 12-month exclusive agreement will bring Allegiant's nonstop network of 566 routes across 124 U.S. cities to all of Expedia Group's U.S. brands.
Expedia Group Allegiant Allegiant's network is well suited to leisure travelers, connecting underserved communities to popular vacation destinations across the U.S. By bringing this inventory to Expedia Group, the partnership makes those routes more discoverable to a broader base of travelers while giving Allegiant access to Expedia Group's demand, technology and marketplace capabilities.
For travelers, the addition of Allegiant's domestic flights to Expedia Group adds more domestic leisure options in one familiar place to compare and book trips. With Allegiant now available, Expedia Group offers 100% coverage of U.S. commercial passenger airlines, reinforcing its position as one of the most comprehensive travel marketplaces in the country.
The agreement also underscores Expedia Group's continued focus on expanding travel choice across its brands, meeting demand for simpler, more flexible trip planning, and serving a wider range of travel needs across the U.S.
"Partnering with Allegiant is a significant milestone for Expedia Group as we continue to build the most complete and trusted travel marketplace," said Golan Shakéd, Vice President, Hotel Management Partnerships and Air, Expedia Group. "With Allegiant now available across our brands, travelers can shop every U.S. carrier in one place, making it easier to compare options and book with confidence."
"Allegiant has always focused on connecting travelers to popular destinations by providing affordable, nonstop flights. This agreement allows us to reach new audiences through Expedia Group's global platform while maintaining our commitment to value and simplicity," said Drew Wells, Allegiant's chief commercial officer. "As our first authorized OTA partnership, this is a meaningful step in our distribution evolution."
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the global travel marketplace with one purpose: to help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. Expedia Group™ connects travelers, partners, and advertisers through its trusted brands, leading technology, and rich first-party data, delivering predictive, personalized experiences that shape the future of travel.
Expedia Group's ecosystem includes three flagship consumer brands – Expedia®, Hotels.com®, and Vrbo® – the largest B2B travel business, and a premier advertising network. Guided by an experienced and passionate global team, Expedia Group helps millions of travelers in more than 70 countries explore the world with confidence and ease.
For more information, visit www.expediagroup.com.
Follow Expedia Group on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.
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Follow Hotels.com on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X.
Media contact: [email protected]
About Allegiant – Together We Fly™
Las Vegas-based Allegiant (NASDAQ: ALGT) is an integrated travel company with an airline at its heart, focused on connecting customers with the people, places and experiences that matter most. Through Allegiant Air and Sun Country Airlines, the company serves approximately 22 million annual customers across scheduled passenger, charter and cargo operations. Together, the airlines operate more than 650 routes serving nearly 175 cities throughout the United States and select international destinations. Allegiant is committed to providing affordable travel options, operational excellence and long-term value for customers, employees, communities and shareholders. For more information, visit Allegiant.com.
Media information, including photos, is available at http://gofly.us/iiFa303wrtF
Media Inquiries: [email protected]
Investor Inquiries: [email protected]
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) will report its second quarter 2026 results for the period ended June 30, 2026, on Wednesday, August 5, 2026 via an earnings release and accompanying webcast. These items will be available in the Investor Relations section of the company’s corporate website at http://ir.expediagroup.com. The earnings release will post after market close and the webcast will begin at 1:30 PM Pacific Time / 4:30 PM Eastern Time. A replay of the call is expected to be available for approximately twelve months.
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the global travel marketplace with one purpose: to help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. Expedia Group™ connects travelers, partners, and advertisers through its trusted brands, leading technology, and rich first-party data, delivering predictive, personalized experiences that shape the future of travel.
Expedia Group’s ecosystem includes three flagship consumer brands – Expedia®, Hotels.com®, and Vrbo® – the largest B2B travel business, and a premier advertising network. Guided by an experienced and passionate global team, Expedia Group helps millions of travelers in more than 70 countries explore the world with confidence and ease.
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Stock to Watch: Expedia (EXPE - Free Report) Bellevue, Washington-based Expedia Group, Inc. is one of the largest online travel companies in the world. The company’s web portals focus on travel planning, travel purchases and travel experience sharing thus bringing suppliers and consumers of travel-related services together.
EXPE is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.
Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. EXPE has a Growth Style Score of A, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 24.4% for the current fiscal year.
Seven analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.50 to $19.73 per share. EXPE also boasts an average earnings surprise of +13.9%.
With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, EXPE should be on investors' short list.
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But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from.
That's where the Style Scores come in.
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Stock to Watch: Expedia (EXPE - Free Report) Bellevue, Washington-based Expedia Group, Inc. is one of the largest online travel companies in the world. The company’s web portals focus on travel planning, travel purchases and travel experience sharing thus bringing suppliers and consumers of travel-related services together.
EXPE is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.
It also boasts a Value Style Score of A thanks to attractive valuation metrics like a forward P/E ratio of 12.97; value investors should take notice.
For fiscal 2026, seven analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.50 to $19.73 per share. EXPE boasts an average earnings surprise of +13.9%.
With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Value and VGM Style Scores, EXPE should be on investors' short list.
Study of 1,500 hotel decision makers across six markets finds that full connectivity – not just basic connectivity – drives stronger revenue performance, less manual work and lowers operational risk
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Expedia Group today released new global research showing that full connectivity is a decisive performance differentiator for hotel properties in driving revenue, maximizing operational efficiency, and delivering reliable inventory. Findings from independent hotels, franchise properties, and mid-to-large chains show that properties using a full suite of connectivity report stronger business performance, less friction, and greater confidence.
"Our goal is to continue removing friction from travel distribution by developing APIs that address the most critical needs of our hotel partners and connectivity providers."
ShareBased on insights from 1,500 hotel decision makers across six markets, the research examines how different levels of connectivity software adoption – full, basic, or no connectivity – affect workload, channel performance, and perceptions of value.
“As booking channels proliferate, travel distribution is becoming increasingly complex, and hoteliers using connectivity providers and API capabilities can automate workflows, streamline operations, reduce pressure on their teams and improve profitability,” said Chris Hodges, Vice President of Global Connectivity & Partner Solutions, Expedia Group. “Our goal is to continue removing friction from travel distribution by developing APIs that address the most critical needs of our hotel partners and connectivity providers.”
Connectivity is a profit driver for hotels
81% of fully connected properties say connectivity has improved their property’s occupancy, average daily rate (ADR), or revenue per available room (RevPAR).52% of properties relying on basic connectivity say that technology has improved their occupancy, ADR, or RevPAR.83% of fully connected properties believe better connectivity improves their bottom line, compared to 55% with basic connectivity and 26% of unconnected properties.Connectivity helps hotels cut friction and save time
81% of decision makers from fully connected properties say working with a connectivity provider has reduced both friction and manual work, compared to 49% of properties using basic connectivity.Roughly 74% of unconnected properties report doing tasks on OTAs either partially or entirely manually.Approximately 50% of fully connected properties have tasks on OTAs fully or mostly automated.Connectivity gives hotels more control with less risk
95% of fully connected properties feel confident that rate and availability changes are made across all channels within 15 minutes, compared to 90% of properties with basic connectivity, and 80% of unconnected properties.OTA issues for unconnected properties: 14% are more likely to experience overbookings caused by mismatched availability and 9% are more likely to experience reservations not being delivered or delayed in their PMS or front office system.Perceived barriers preventing hotels from adopting connectivity
32% of hotel decision makers say concern about losing control over pricing or inventory is the top reason they haven’t adopted connectivity software.27% have plans to adopt connectivity but have not done so yet, and 25% cite limited internal IT resources or technical expertise as their main barrier to software adoption.Notably, 24% of hoteliers do not see sufficient benefit to connectivity.Expedia Group is supporting hotels on their journey to full connectivity
Expedia Group is embarking on a three-phase journey to reduce friction in hotels day-to-day operations through Autonomous Distribution. Each category will unlock a different layer of support:
Autonomous Onboarding will enable properties to onboard and go live in minutes.Autonomous Management will streamline day-to-day operations through software.Autonomous Optimization will improve performance through promotional levers and expanded distribution.For a deeper look at the full research findings and Expedia Group’s API offerings for hotels, visit the Expedia Group partner blog.
Methodology
Censuswide conducted a survey from March 26 to April 7, 2026, of 1,500 hotel decision makers representing various hotel sizes in 6 markets (U.S., Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, and South Korea). Participants included individuals from properties with full, basic or no connectivity.
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the global travel marketplace with one purpose: to help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. Expedia Group™ connects travelers, partners, and advertisers through its trusted brands, leading technology, and rich first-party data, delivering predictive, personalized experiences that shape the future of travel.
Expedia Group’s ecosystem includes three flagship consumer brands – Expedia®, Hotels.com®, and Vrbo® – the largest B2B travel business, and a premier advertising network. Guided by an experienced and passionate global team, Expedia Group helps millions of travelers in more than 70 countries explore the world with confidence and ease.
For more information, visit www.expediagroup.com.
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Expedia is positioned at the forefront of technological shifts transforming the travel industry. EXPE's evolution leverages advanced technology to adapt to changing consumer travel behaviors and preferences. The company's strategic focus on innovation aims to capture growth opportunities in a rapidly evolving market landscape.
Expedia Group, Inc. is well positioned in the travel sector through a deep accommodation reach and strong brands. The travel sector is growing well over the long term, aiding EXPE's earnings growth. Current macroeconomic volatility has pressured EXPE due to a slowing travel sector outlook, but the concern only seems temporary.
On May 11, 2026, Expedia Group Inc EXPE shares fell 3.6% to a current price of $221.46. This decline adds to a challenging year for the stock, which has experienced a year-to-date drop of 21.7% and traded within a 52-week range of $148.55 to $303.80.
GF Value™ verdict: Current price is $221.46 vs GF Value™ of $202.26, indicating the stock is 9.5% overvalued.GF Score™: 87/100, suggesting strong overall performance.Notable signal: Insiders sold $1.8 million in the last three months, indicating potential caution among company executives. Is EXPE Overvalued or Undervalued? The current price of Expedia Group Inc EXPE at $221.46 is above the GF Value™ estimate of $202.26, which categorizes the stock as 9.5% overvalued. This overvaluation presents a risk for potential investors as the price may not adequately reflect the company's intrinsic value. The GF Valuation label indicates that the stock is fairly valued, which means that while it may not be a bargain, it is also not significantly overpriced based on the company's fundamentals. GF Value™ is GuruFocus' proprietary measure of intrinsic value, calculated from historical trading multiples, past business growth, and future performance estimates.
Investors should be cautious given the overvaluation signal, as it suggests that the stock may not provide sufficient margin of safety for new buyers. A significant correction could occur if market conditions change or if the company fails to meet growth expectations. In contrast, if the stock were undervalued, it could present an opportunity for long-term gains, but such a scenario is not currently applicable to EXPE.
How Does EXPE's Valuation Compare to Its History? Metric Current Historical P/E (TTM) 19.5x 24.6x Forward P/E 11.5x N/A Currently, EXPE's P/E (TTM) of 19.5x is significantly below its 5-year median P/E of 24.6x, indicating that the stock is trading at a discount relative to its historical valuation. The forward P/E of 11.5x further highlights this disparity. This P/E analysis aligns with the GF Value™ verdict of overvaluation, suggesting that even though EXPE might appear cheaper relative to its past, it is still above the GF Value™ estimate and may not present a compelling buying opportunity at this time.
What Does EXPE's GF Score™ Tell Us? Metric Rating GF Score™ 87 Financial Strength 5/10 Profitability 8/10 Growth 8/10 Valuation 6/10 Momentum 8/10 The GF Score™ of 87/100 indicates that Expedia Group Inc has strong overall performance potential. The strongest areas are in profitability and growth, both rated at 8/10, suggesting that the company has been able to maintain healthy margins and show promising growth prospects. However, financial strength is a concern, rated only 5/10, which may indicate vulnerabilities in its balance sheet or capital structure. This mixed picture highlights the need for caution among potential investors despite the overall high GF Score™.
What Are Insiders Doing with EXPE Stock? In the last three months, insiders at Expedia Group Inc have sold approximately $1.8 million worth of shares with no recorded buying activity. This trend of selling could suggest a lack of confidence among executives regarding the company’s short-term outlook or valuation. When insiders sell shares, it can often signal that they believe the stock price may not appreciate in the near future, which warrants attention from potential investors.
What This Means for Investors Based on the current valuation metrics and the GF Value™ estimate, Expedia Group Inc EXPE is overvalued at this time. The price is trading above the intrinsic value calculated by GF Value™, indicating potential risks for investors looking to enter the stock.
For the complete analysis, visit the Expedia Group Inc EXPE stock page. You can also explore the GF Value™ page for detailed valuation methodology, or use the GuruFocus Stock Screener to find similar opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions What is EXPE's GF Score™?
EXPE's GF Score™ is 87/100, indicating strong overall performance potential based on multiple financial metrics.
Is EXPE overvalued or undervalued?
EXPE is currently overvalued, as its stock price of $221.46 is above the GF Value™ estimate of $202.26.
What is EXPE's P/E ratio?
EXPE's P/E (TTM) is 19.5x, which is significantly lower than its 5-year median P/E of 24.6x, indicating it is trading at a discount relative to its historical valuation.
This stock alert was generated using automated technology and GuruFocus financial data to provide readers with timely and accurate market reporting. This content was reviewed by GuruFocus editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) will webcast the general opening session of Explore 26, on May 19, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. PT. Explore 26 is Expedia Group’s annual partner event where the company will share new innovations focused on improving the complete travel experience for travelers and partners everywhere.
The webcast will be available on the Investor Relations website; ir.expediagroup.com.
Expedia GroupNASDAQ:EXPE
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Expedia Group to Participate in Evercore’s 2026 Global TMT ConferenceSEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) will participate in Evercore’s 2026 Global TMT Conference. Ariane Gorin, Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a fireside chat on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET. A live webcast of the session will be available at ir.expediagroup.com. A replay of the webcast will be accessible for 3 months. About Expedia Group Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the global travel marketplace with one purpose: to help travelers exp...
Expedia Group Reports First Quarter 2026 ResultsSEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) announced financial results today for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. First Quarter Highlights (All comparisons year-over-year) Booked room nights grew 6%. Total gross bookings grew 13%, while B2B gross bookings grew 22% and B2C grew gross bookings 10%. Lodging gross bookings grew 13%. Revenue grew 15%, driven by B2B, which grew 25%. GAAP net loss decreased 97% while Adjusted net income grew 361%. Adjusted EBITDA increased 83%...
Expedia Group Appoints Derek Andersen as Chief Financial OfficerSEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Expedia Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE) today announced that Derek Andersen has been appointed Chief Financial Officer, effective May 11, 2026. As CFO, Mr. Andersen will lead Expedia Group’s global finance organization and report to Chief Executive Officer Ariane Gorin. He succeeds Scott Schenkel, who is stepping down from the role of CFO after strengthening the company’s financial foundation and supporting margin expansion over the last 16 months. Mr. Schenkel will stay on...
From left: Expedia Group chairman Barry Diller, CEO Ariane Gorin, former CEO and current Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, and founder Rich Barton at Expedia’s Explore partner conference in Las Vegas this week. (Expedia Group Photo) From her office overlooking the atrium at Expedia Group’s sunlit headquarters campus on the Seattle waterfront, CEO Ariane Gorin puts the online travel giant’s 30-year history into three chapters, each tied to a major inflection point in the evolution of technology.
Chapter 1 was the internet itself: the 1996 launch of Expedia inside Microsoft, when a small team bet that consumers could benefit from technology previously exclusive to travel agents.
Chapter 2 was mobile: as travelers migrated from desktop to smartphone, Expedia rebuilt itself for the small screen and assembled a collection of brands through a wave of acquisitions.
Chapter 3, Gorin says, is artificial intelligence, and it’s only starting to unfold. Expedia is now positioning itself for a new reality in which different types of agents — machines, not humans — will play a role in booking travel, in some cases making the decisions entirely on their own.
“It’s exciting to get to write the future of AI and travel,” Gorin said.
Expedia is marking its 30th year in business this week with the launch of the Expedia Trails Fund, a philanthropic initiative to restore outdoor trails across the U.S., backed by an initial $4.3 million in grants.
The company is also bringing top executives from throughout its history — founder Rich Barton, chairman Barry Diller, and former CEO Dara Khosrowshahi — together with Gorin for its partner conference in Las Vegas. Collectively, they grew Expedia from internal division to corporate spinout to online travel giant.
What happens next, under Gorin, will depend on Expedia’s ability to reinvent itself for a fundamentally new relationship between travelers and technology — attempting to continue a pattern that has repeated itself throughout the company’s history.
Chapter 1: ‘Power to the people’ Expedia started with a question: why shouldn’t everyone see what travel agents do?
In 1994, Rich Barton was a 27-year-old Microsoft employee, working on a CD-ROM travel guidebook — an Encarta for travel — when he learned about the airline reservation systems that travel agents used to book flights. The systems were accessible electronically, but only to industry insiders. He started to imagine regular people using them directly.
Rich Barton speaks at Seattle University’s Albers Executive Speaker Series in 2016. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) “The idea was simple and almost obvious once you said it out loud: give consumers the same information the professionals have, and get out of their way,” recalled Barton, now a well-known entrepreneur and investor, who shared new details of the Expedia story for this piece.
His term for this approach would ultimately define his career: “Power to the People.”
Barton pitched the idea directly to Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and President Steve Ballmer, who gave him the green light.
Secretly building for the web The team initially started building the product for Microsoft’s proprietary online service, MSN 1.0, a would-be competitor to AOL, which had a proprietary multimedia development environment called Blackbird. Then the web gained steam, with its open protocols and universal reach.
That’s when Greg Slyngstad, the original general manager of what was then called Microsoft Travel, made a pivotal call: develop the product for the open web instead of Microsoft’s walled garden.
Slyngstad “knew the web would win,” Barton said. “Because of this, we secretly built for the web, which was brilliant. Expedia would not be what it is today if not for that decision.”
An early version of Expedia from the Internet Archive. Before it was called Expedia, the project had a very different interface. In the early days of Microsoft Travel, the hot trend in software was the social user interface, personified most memorably by the widely mocked Microsoft Bob. Barton’s team had its own version: a parrot that served as a travel planning guide.
“I can’t remember the name of the parrot now,” he said, “but I faked a travel planning scenario talking to a robot parrot in front of the whole Consumer Division — which was a hit!”
‘We had massive ambition’ A plaque still on the Microsoft campus in Redmond marks what came next: “Microsoft Expedia, Version 1.0, Shipped October 22, 1996.”
A marker commemorating the Expedia launch in a courtyard at Microsoft. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) Microsoft’s annual report for 1997 described Expedia as “a free travel service on the World Wide Web and MSN which enables users to find low fares, book flights, make hotel reservations, and rent cars.”
Barton and team had a much bigger vision. “We had massive ambition,” he said. Their BHAG — or “big, hairy, audacious goal,” the term popularized by author Jim Collins around the same time — was to become “the largest seller of travel in the world.”
Expedia’s revenue went from zero to $38.7 million by 1999. At the time, it was still about half the size of Travelocity, which had gotten to market first.
‘Go do this on your own!’ But Barton was already seeing a future for Expedia outside the software giant.
“One of my core arguments was that Expedia, in success, would become a travel company first and a tech company second,” he explained. “Therefore, we simply wouldn’t fit inside a giant tech company, and that by setting us free, it would dramatically improve our chances of fulfilling our giant global dreams.”
So Barton made the case to Ballmer, his boss at the time, to let him and his team of “internet adventurers” spin out through an initial public offering, with Microsoft retaining a stake.
He pasted a printout of Ballmer’s headshot onto an IATA card, the credential issued by the International Air Transport Association to licensed travel agents. “Steve, do you want to be a travel agent?” Barton remembers asking. “Do you want to run the largest travel agency in the world?”
Ballmer recoiled at the idea and yelled, “No, you guys should go do this on your own!” Then he asked if he could keep the card.
And with that, the spinout was set in motion.
The IPO prospectus in September 1999 described Expedia’s value proposition: “one-stop travel shopping and reservation services, providing reliable, real-time access to schedule, pricing and availability information.” Travel, it said, was uniquely suited to the internet: a global market with millions of buyers, and purchases “involving large amounts of information from multiple sources.”
‘Whoops and hollers’ Expedia went public on Nov. 10, 1999. The company had 138 employees. The stock, initially priced at $14 a share, soared more than 260% on its first day of trading.
“We’re feelin’ pretty good,” said Suzi Levine, who led Expedia’s IPO communications, in a Seattle Post-Intelligencer story about the Nasdaq debut, admitting “there may have been one or two whoops and hollers” around the office. Levine went on to become the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland under President Obama, among other high-profile government positions.
Another newspaper clipping from that week shows Barton and his wife Sarah holding their newborn son William, born the same day as the IPO. The headline: “Initial public offspring.”
Rich and Sarah Barton with newborn son William in November 1999, the week of Expedia’s IPO. (AP / Daytona Beach News-Journal) Within two years, Expedia had surpassed Travelocity to become the largest online travel company. Barton left in 2003, eventually going on to co-found ventures including Zillow and Glassdoor, applying the same “power to the people” philosophy — giving consumers access to data that industries had previously kept behind walls — to real estate and the job market.
Before Barton left, controlling interest in Expedia had passed to a new owner. But the deal that made it happen nearly didn’t survive the worst moment in the history of modern travel.
Chapter 2: ‘If there’s life, there’s travel’ Barry Diller was a Hollywood legend who had built Fox Broadcasting and launched the Home Shopping Network when he turned his attention to the internet in the late 1990s.
Through his company, USA Networks, he was assembling a portfolio of online brands, and he saw travel as the biggest opportunity. Travel, he wrote in his 2025 memoir, Who Knew, looked like “the perfect business to be colonized by the internet.” He had already acquired Hotels.com when he approached Microsoft about buying its controlling stake in Expedia.
Expedia Group’s then-Vice Chairman Peter Kern, Chairman Barry Diller, and future Expedia Group CEO Ariane Gorin, then president of Expedia Business Services, on stage at a company Town Hall meeting in December 2019. (Expedia Photo) Expedia was still losing money, and Ballmer had concluded that Microsoft shouldn’t be in internet verticals anyway, as Diller recalled in the book. With relatively little negotiation, Microsoft agreed to a deal worth about $1 billion in USA Networks stock.
They were set to close the deal in October 2001. Then, on September 11, the travel industry shut down in an instant. The deal included a material adverse change clause — a legal escape hatch that would have let Diller walk away. For weeks, his team debated whether to use it.
How could they pay $1 billion for a travel company when no one was traveling?
“Some people said, you shouldn’t do it, it’s too dicey, there’s no travel, the world is ending,” Diller told GeekWire in 2016, on the company’s 20th anniversary.
But then, someone in the room said, “If there’s life, there’s travel.”
“Yeah, that’s what we’ll do,” Diller recalled saying. “We’ll bet on life.”
The next transition The deal closed in February 2002. Diller folded Expedia into a division of his company called IAC Travel. When the head of that division resigned, a young executive named Dara Khosrowshahi raised his hand. Khosrowshahi had first crossed paths with Diller as a junior analyst at the investment bank Allen & Company, and had been in the room during the 9/11 deliberations.
“Barry was desperate. He had no one else,” Khosrowshahi recalled on the Diary of a CEO podcast.
In 2005, Diller spun IAC Travel back out as a standalone public company — Expedia, Inc. — with Khosrowshahi as CEO. He moved to what he later called “the Netherlands of Seattle.” He would hold the role for 12 years, longer than any leader in the company’s history.
It was under Khosrowshahi that Expedia navigated the shift from desktop to mobile. As travelers migrated to smartphones, the company rebuilt its products for the small screen.
Khosrowshahi also led an acquisition spree that transformed Expedia from a single brand into a travel conglomerate, adding Orbitz, Travelocity, Trivago, and others along the way.
Competition from all corners Even as Expedia consolidated its position in online travel, a different kind of threat was emerging. Google was pushing into travel directly through Google Flights and Google Hotels, and its search algorithm had become the dominant gateway to travel shoppers — making the search giant Expedia’s biggest advertising channel and one of its largest competitors.
Google’s position is “a reality of e-commerce,” Khosrowshahi said in a 2016 interview with GeekWire, on the company’s 20th anniversary, in the conference room at its Bellevue, Wash., headquarters. “It’s reality of the Internet, and it’s certainly a reality of this category in general. That’s not going to stop.
Then-Expedia Group CEO Dara Khosrowshahi at the company’s Bellevue HQ in 2016. (GeekWire File Photo / Kevin Lisota) The bigger direct threat, though, was emerging from across the Atlantic. The Priceline Group — later renamed Booking Holdings — had acquired Booking.com out of Amsterdam in 2005, building a business that would eventually surpass Expedia in gross bookings.
“Priceline is our toughest competitor,” Khosrowshahi said at the time, calling it a great company that had quickly expanded its international reach. “They’re more global than we are.”
And then there was a competitive threat that nobody at Expedia had anticipated: the rise of vacation rentals as a category, led by Airbnb. Expedia’s response was its biggest deal yet: the 2015 acquisition of HomeAway, which would later be rebranded as Vrbo — a $3.9 billion bet on the category.
“I think the growth of Airbnb has been pretty extraordinary, and I think anyone who would say today, ‘Oh, we expected it,’ would be lying,” Khosrowshahi said in the interview.
The one exception, he acknowledged, was Airbnb founder Brian Chesky, who was known for transforming the world of lodging just as Uber’s Travis Kalanick had upended transportation.
‘You’re f’ng crazy’ The next year, Uber came calling for Dara.
At the time, the ride-hailing company was in turmoil — embroiled in scandals, burning billions, and in need of a leader who could steady the ship. When Khosrowshahi told Diller he’d been offered the job as Uber’s CEO, the chairman’s first reaction was to hang up on him.
“He’s like, you’re f’ng crazy,” Khosrowshahi said on the Acquired podcast.
But Diller called back the next day. “Speaking as the chairman of Expedia, it will be a real mistake,” Khosrowshahi recalled him saying. “But speaking as a friend, I understand why you’re interested. How can I help?” Diller then helped him prepare his presentation for the Uber board.
In a farewell email to Expedia staff, obtained by GeekWire at the time, Khosrowshahi called Diller “the toughest, smartest, most demanding, and most human boss I’ve ever had.”
Ketchup and mustard One of the company’s rising executives at the time was Ariane Gorin. A Berkeley, Calif., native who grew up in a French-American family, she had moved to France in 2001 and lived in Europe for more than two decades, eventually becoming a dual French-American citizen.
The future Expedia CEO had joined the company in 2013, and her first encounter with Expedia’s leadership set the tone: she met Khosrowshahi and CFO Mark Okerstrom on Halloween, when they were dressed as ketchup and mustard. “This is the best company,” she recalls thinking.
Expedia chairman Barry Diller, center, speaks with then Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, right, and CFO Mark Okerstrom at an event marking the company’s 20th anniversary in Bellevue in 2016. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop) Okerstrom succeeded Khosrowshahi as CEO in August 2017. By comparison, his tenure was brief, most notable for Expedia’s move from downtown Bellevue to a picturesque former biotech campus on the Seattle waterfront, and an ambitious effort to unify its technology across its growing collection of brands.
After a strategy disagreement with the board over the pace and direction of the tech revamp, Okerstrom and CFO Alan Pickerill both resigned on the same day: Dec. 4, 2019. Diller, as chairman, asserted direct operational control alongside vice chairman Peter Kern, a longtime Expedia board member.
‘I’m on the edge of revolt’ Eight days later, on December 12, 2019, Diller put his frustration with Google in writing. In an email to Google’s chief business officer, Philipp Schindler — which later surfaced in the U.S. government’s antitrust case against Google — the chairman wrote that “much of Expedia’s trouble is due to an increasingly aggressive Google.”
Diller cited Vrbo’s payments to Google, which had risen from $21 million in 2015 to nearly $300 million in 2019, even as the traffic Google sent to VRBO stayed roughly flat.
“Google has systematically moved every lever in its hegemony over search to disembowel our businesses,” Diller wrote, describing himself as “on the edge of revolt.”
It wouldn’t be the last time Expedia found itself subject to forces beyond its control.
‘Buy the thing’ In the meantime, Diller had been shaping the company’s new home. In the mid-2010s, he had pushed Expedia to acquire a 40-acre site on Elliott Bay, formerly occupied by Immunex, maker of the arthritis drug Enbrel. The site was vacated after Amgen bought the Seattle biotech.
“Once I saw it, I just said, ‘buy the thing,’” Diller said at a 2023 company event. He wanted a campus that felt horizontal, not vertical, with what he called “a lot of ability to breathe.”
Expedia Group’s Seattle waterfront campus. Barry Diller personally shaped details of the design. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) Over five years of planning, Diller personally shaped details down to the geometric paving stones that radiate outward from the main building like airport runways. The campus included 1,000 trees, an on-site soccer pitch, and a meeting pavilion called “the Prow,” designed to rise out of the landscape like the bow of a ship.
Beyond the property line, Expedia funded improvements to a portion of the Elliott Bay Trail running alongside the campus. That gave the company a sense for how it could invest in outdoor public spaces — an early version of the work it’s now expanding nationwide.
The first of Expedia’s employees began moving into the campus in October 2019. By February 2020, the move was complete, at a final cost of more than $1.1 billion.
‘Travel finds a way’ In April 2020, when Kern was formally named CEO, COVID-19 had brought the industry to a halt. He used the moment to complete the overhaul of Expedia’s technology platform, unifying the patchwork of systems that had accumulated through years of acquisitions.
“Travel finds a way,” Kern said in a virtual appearance at the 2020 GeekWire Summit, predicting that cities would come “roaring back,” and the industry would ultimately rebound.
Peter Kern, then Expedia Group’s CEO, speaking at the company’s 2023 partner conference. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop) In the meantime, Gorin had been building what would become one of Expedia Group’s most important business lines. In 2014, Khosrowshahi had asked if she was interested in running the company’s affiliate network, which licensed the company’s travel technology and inventory to outside partners, letting them offer Expedia-powered bookings under their own brands.
It was less than 10% of the company’s business, and nobody else wanted the job.
“B2B was not seen as a sexy part of the company,” she recalled recently.
Gorin jumped in with passport in hand. She spent her initial months in the job talking to partners around the world, developing a strategy of going where Expedia’s own consumer brands couldn’t or didn’t go, including offline retail, corporate travel, emerging markets, and anywhere else there were untapped pools of travel demand.
Over the next decade, she grew the B2B division from a small afterthought into one of the company’s most important businesses. Today it accounts for roughly a third of Expedia’s overall business, powering travel programs for companies like Marriott, Hilton, United, Delta, and Capital One.
It was, in retrospect, perfect preparation for what would come next.
Chapter 3: ‘The agent that roams with you’ Long before ChatGPT became a household name, the head of OpenAI was already sitting on Expedia’s board. Sam Altman joined Expedia Group’s board of directors in 2019, recruited at a time when his AI research lab was still better known in Silicon Valley than in living rooms.
In November 2022, weeks before ChatGPT was unveiled to the world, Altman appeared on stage with Diller at a private executive event for IAC, the parent media company in Diller’s portfolio. Altman demonstrated what was coming by typing a prompt asking ChatGPT about Diller’s relationship with his wife, the fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg.
What the AI produced was “extremely creative” and “somewhat salacious,” Diller recalled at Expedia’s 2023 partner conference. “Because we do have a history.”
More than that, it was a glimpse of the future. Diller said the preview gave Expedia an early jump on generative AI. The company was one of the first travel firms to integrate ChatGPT — both as a plugin on OpenAI’s platform and as a travel-planning assistant in its own app.
It actually wasn’t a surprise to Diller. Speaking with GeekWire back in 2016, Mr. Diller (as we were advised to call him) had described AI as “another form of magic.” Asked whether it would influence travel, he said at the time: “Of course it will. It will influence everything.”
Altman left the board in June 2023, as OpenAI consumed his full attention.
From B2B to B2A When Kern stepped down in May 2024, Ariane Gorin — the executive who had been steadily expanding the company’s business-to-business reach — became Expedia Group’s CEO.
She soon had a phrase for what the AI era would require: B2A, for business to agent. But there’s a risk in this new world: a human traveler might choose Expedia out of loyalty, or brand recognition, but an AI agent making the same decision might not care about any of that.
Expedia Group CEO Ariane Gorin at the company’s Explore partner conference last year. (Expedia Group Photo) In a recent interview at Expedia headquarters, Gorin said the company now has teams looking at what it means to market to machines: how to make sure an AI agent understands that an Expedia Gold member gets a VIP perk at a particular hotel, or that a traveler has One Key points to apply toward a trip.
Expedia has been building AI into its own products for years now. But more recently, it has been looking outward: embedding its service inside ChatGPT, Claude, and Amazon’s Alexa+, buying ads inside AI chatbots, and signing a deal to power Uber’s hotel bookings. (Khosrowshahi, who remains on the Expedia Group board, recused himself from the negotiations over that partnership.)
“I think that’s the future,” Gorin said. “It’s the agent that really roams with you.”
A competitive moat It’s still early. AI-native platforms like ChatGPT account for less than 1.5% of Expedia’s overall traffic, Gorin said. But the company said on its recent earnings call that getting its brands to show up in AI responses has become its fastest-growing marketing channel.
As demonstrated by Diller’s past frustrations with Google, these external dependencies can be a double-edged sword. But there are early signs that Expedia won’t be cut out of the picture. In March, OpenAI scaled back plans to let users book travel directly inside ChatGPT.
Gorin said she wasn’t surprised, given the complexities of travel. “Trust me, it’s pretty complicated to be able to go from shopping to booking to servicing,” she said. Expedia handles 250 million customer service interactions a year, across more than 30 languages.
“I see them as partners,” more than competitive threats, she said of the major AI platforms. “I see them as an opportunity for us to attract new travelers into our ecosystem.”
Illustrating the ongoing importance of industry partnerships, Expedia struck a deal this spring to power hotel bookings inside the Uber app, with Vrbo vacation rentals coming later this year. Khosrowshahi, who still sits on Expedia’s board, recused himself from the deal.
Growth and challenges The company that began in 1996 as a small team inside Microsoft is now on a different scale entirely. When Expedia went public in November 1999, it had fewer than 150 employees, about $700 million in gross bookings, and a presence in four countries.
Fast forward nearly 30 years, to the end of 2025, and Expedia had roughly 16,000 employees across nearly 50 countries, $119.6 billion in gross bookings, and a marketplace of 3.6 million lodging properties, including 2.4 million vacation rentals.
The company’s evolution has also brought challenges, including executive turnover and job cuts — with the latest round impacting 162 tech positions at the company’s headquarters earlier this year.
‘More travel equals more memories’ Gorin, meanwhile, has been putting her own stamp on the company.
To mark its 30th year, Expedia is launching the Expedia Trails Fund, a philanthropic initiative to restore outdoor trails and protect natural landscapes across the United States.
The initial $4.3 million will go to 11 projects, spanning destinations from Yellowstone’s Paradise Valley to Hawaii’s Kealakekua Bay, covering areas that draw more than 1 million visits annually. Expedia is partnering with The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and Trust for Public Land, and with AllTrails to match support for the hiking app’s stewards fund.
The effort reflects growing demand among travelers for outdoor experiences, particularly among younger generations. Gorin said the company’s earlier trail work alongside its Seattle campus helped to show what could be possible at a larger scale.
“If our trails fund really works the way we want it to, the impact we’re going to have on trails across the U.S. and elsewhere is going to be huge,” she said.
For Gorin, the initiative connects to something deeper. A few years after she joined Expedia, her sister was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Before she died, she offered Gorin a piece of advice: travel more, because more travel equals more memories.
“And then she said, ‘Oh, wait a minute. You work in travel. One day, you should use that story on stage,'” Gorin recalled. She told it at her first town hall as CEO.
“We are in the business of helping people make memories,” Gorin said. The common thread among all of Expedia’s CEOs over the years, she said, is a belief in the benefits of travel for people and the world, and in the potential of technology to achieve it.
‘Original vision … fully realized’ But if Expedia’s founding vision was to remove the barriers to travel, isn’t there a risk of people losing control when AI puts a new intermediary into the process? Barton, the person who started it all, doesn’t buy that. He draws a direct line from the original idea to the present moment.
“Round one was radical transparency,” he said. “We blew the doors open and gave everyone access to information that used to live only in a computer on the desk of a professional.”
AI agents, Barton asserts, are “the next unlock.” Rather than replacing the human in the loop, he said, they give every traveler “the equivalent of a brilliant, tireless expert in their corner.” That makes AI an accelerant for the concept of “Power to the People,” not a replacement.
“I don’t see it as a threat. I see it as the original vision, finally fully realized,” he said. “We started by turning the screen around. Now we’re handing people the whole toolkit.”
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thirty years after bringing travel online — and into reach for millions of people — Expedia Group is taking its next visionary steps for the future of travel: unveiling new AI-powered traveler experiences, marketplace capabilities and a long-term philanthropic commitment to protect the places people love to visit. At Explore 26, its annual partner conference, the company's founding and defining leaders — Rich Barton, Dara Khosrowshahi, Barry Diller, and current CEO A.
New AI capabilities, expanded ground mobility, and merchandising capabilities help brands add and scale end-to-end travel experiences
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Expedia Group B2B today announced a new set of AI-powered products and partnerships that make it easier for companies in any sector to build travel into their customer experiences.
“For decades we’ve built the plumbing behind the scenes that makes travel work more connected, seamless, and trusted, bringing together supply, pricing, payments, service and more,” said Alfonso Paredes, President B2B & Chief Commercial Officer Expedia Group. “Now we’re making that infrastructure even easier for partners to plug into. With one connection, partners can build more complete travel experiences for their customers, capture more of the trip, and do it with less complexity.”
Expedia Group B2B today serves 75,000 partners across industry verticals and 200,000 travel advisors, and its platform processes 21 billion API calls a day (Expedia Group internal data, 2025).
AI toolkit for partners + new travel platform
At the Explore 26 partner conference, Expedia Group B2B previewed its new, in-development AI toolkit, which rolls out with select partners in the coming months. It simplifies how B2B partners connect Expedia Group capabilities into AI experiences across APIs, interfaces, and agent workflows.
At the core is the Intelligent Experience Platform, a set of composable AI components designed to help partners launch branded travel experiences powered by Expedia Group intelligence. Expedia Group B2B aims to reduce the time and investment required for partners to launch travel experiences and help them prepare for a future where travelers increasingly expect AI-assisted trip planning.
Expanding ground mobility to complete more trips
To help partners capture more of the end-to-end journey, Expedia Group B2B is expanding its car rental, ground transport and Insurtech solutions.
In a separate announcement today, Expedia Group shared it has entered into an agreement to acquire CarTrawler, an Ireland-based B2B platform powering leading travel brands.
CarTrawler follows Expedia Group’s recent acquisition of Tiqets, the Amsterdam-based activities and experiences platform, and together the acquisitions advance the growth strategy the company outlined to expand its Rapid API beyond lodging to include car, flights, activities and trip protection.
CarTrawler’s capabilities, coupled with Expedia Group’s extensive scale, technology and partner network, unlock several new growth opportunities for partners as well as unrivaled choice and value for travelers. The transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
Marketing and media capabilities to reach more travelers
At Explore ‘26, Expedia Group also announced marketing and media network enhancements that help partners reach more travelers in more places.
For Rapid API partners, two new merchandising solutions can help drive demand and improve conversion:
The B2B Partner Portal account can now be used to plan and track marketing strategies. The new Merchandising API can now be tapped to build compelling marketing experiences across platforms and channels. Expedia Group Advertising also shared advances to its Travel Media Network, including:
An enhanced AI-powered advertising portal, with strategies like Max Room Nights bidding. Richer ad formats across search results, property pages, Trips, and checkout. Broader reach via DSPs and exclusive media partnerships. Trust and support built in
Across these launches, Expedia Group emphasized the governance and infrastructure behind its B2B platform:
A Responsible AI Council that reviews high-risk AI deployments before they scale. Servicing remains a core strategic priority, with continued investment in people, processes, and AI as the B2B network grows. Expedia Group B2B currently: Handles more than 7 million servicing calls a year for partners. Provides 24/7 native voice support across 25 languages. “Partners want growth, but they also want to know their brand and their customers are in safe hands,” Paredes said. “A year ago, we said we would build a broader platform for partners, and we did. Today, we’re helping partners sell more, serve better, and capture more of the trip, using infrastructure that’s been tested at scale for decades.”
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the global travel marketplace with one purpose: to help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. Expedia Group™ connects travelers, partners, and advertisers through its trusted brands, leading technology, and rich first-party data, delivering predictive, personalized experiences that shape the future of travel.
Expedia Group’s ecosystem includes three flagship consumer brands – Expedia®, Hotels.com®, and Vrbo® – the largest B2B travel business, and a premier advertising network. Guided by an experienced and passionate global team, Expedia Group helps millions of travelers in more than 70 countries explore the world with confidence and ease.
For more information, visit www.expediagroup.com.
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Acquisition enhances Expedia Group’s ability to deliver mobility and Insurtech solutions for travelers worldwide through its B2B platform and consumer brands
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Expedia Group today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire CarTrawler, an Ireland-based B2B platform powering car rental, ground transport and Insurtech solutions for the global travel industry.
CarTrawler’s platform brings exceptional depth, breadth and expertise across these areas, connecting 550+ car rental suppliers and 500+ mobility suppliers to more than 300 leading travel brands around the world, including more than 70 airlines.
CarTrawler’s capabilities, coupled with Expedia Group’s extensive scale, technology and partner network, unlocks several new growth opportunities. Supply partners get access to incremental demand through a much larger distribution base. B2B demand partners get richer, more comprehensive access to car rental, ground transport and Insurtech supply at highly competitive rates as well as customized technology for seamlessly integrating these solutions into their existing platforms. Travelers in turn get unrivaled choice and superior value, whether booking through Expedia Group brands or via B2B partners.
“The CarTrawler acquisition is another huge, exciting step towards our ambition of building the most complete B2B travel platform,” said Alfonso Paredes, President B2B & Chief Commercial Officer, Expedia Group. “Last year, Expedia Group B2B set out a bold vision to expand our APIs beyond lodging. Acquiring Tiqets helped us solve for activities at scale. Adding CarTrawler now extends that same strategy into car rentals, ground transport and Insurtech. CarTrawler’s focus and differentiated expertise in these areas complements our strengths in B2B scale and technology, enabling us to massively amplify our joint value proposition to partners, suppliers, and travelers.”
“CarTrawler’s acquisition by Expedia Group is a testament to the strength of our technology, the drive of our people, our track record of innovation, and our accelerating commercial momentum,” said Peter O’Donovan, CEO of CarTrawler. “This exciting combination allows us to advance our mission as part of travel’s best and most complete B2B engine, unlocking new opportunities for innovation and growth.”
The transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the global travel marketplace with one purpose: to help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. Expedia Group™ connects travelers, partners, and advertisers through its trusted brands, leading technology, and rich first-party data, delivering predictive, personalized experiences that shape the future of travel.
Expedia Group’s ecosystem includes three flagship consumer brands – Expedia®, Hotels.com®, and Vrbo® – the largest B2B travel business, and a premier advertising network. Guided by an experienced and passionate global team, Expedia Group helps millions of travelers in more than 70 countries explore the world with confidence and ease.
Follow Expedia Group on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.
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About CarTrawler
CarTrawler is a leading B2B technology platform powering car rental, ground transport and insurtech solutions for the global travel industry. Through its proprietary Connect Platform, CarTrawler enables airlines, online travel agencies and travel providers to unlock high-margin ancillary revenue and deliver seamless end-to-end customer experiences.
Trusted by many of the world’s leading travel brands, including Ryanair, American Airlines, Air France-KLM, Uber, easyJet, eDreams ODIGEO and American Express, CarTrawler connects partners to a global network spanning over 50,000 locations.
Headquartered in Dublin, with offices in Paris, London, New York and Sydney, CarTrawler’s team of over 300 specialists combines deep industry expertise with advanced technology to drive partner success at scale. Its platform leverages data science, machine learning and dynamic pricing to optimise performance, increase conversion and maximise revenue.
Forward Looking Statements
All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated benefits and timing of the proposed transaction. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Expedia Group assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Expedia is acquiring CarTrawler, an Ireland-based B2B platform for the travel industry. “The CarTrawler acquisition is another huge, exciting step towards our ambition of building the most complete B2B travel platform,” Alfonso Paredes, Expedia's president for B2B and chief commercial officer, said in a news release Wednesday (May 20).
Hotel hopping boom: travellers double up stays to chase live events and make the most of bleisure escapes this summer
Kick Off or Take Off? Football fever sends fans to host cities as savvy travellers head elsewhere for deals
Lights, camera… getaway: film and TV hits spark a summer surge in screen‑inspired travel
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Expedia Group has released its Unpack ’26 Summer: The Trends in Travel, the latest edition of its industry-leading report, revealing how travel behaviour is shaping summer travel decisions.
Demand for domestic travel is dominating summer holiday planning. Social conversation about domestic holidays has increased by 77% year-over-year globally, while 45% of Britons are more interested in UK breaks than they were last summer.* From major sporting events and concerts to screen-inspired travel, Unpack ’26 Summer builds on insights from the flagship Unpack ’26: The Trends in Travel™ report to highlight where travellers are headed this summer. Each trend is backed by first-party data from Expedia® and Hotels.com®, as well as insights from travellers and social listening.
“This summer, travel isn’t slowing down - it’s being reshaped,” said Melanie Fish, Travel Expert and Spokesperson at Expedia Group. “As major global events and rising costs influence decisions, travellers are either staying closer to home or seeking out destinations where they can get more for their money.”
Expedia - Destinations of the Summer
Domestic travel is shaping up to be the season’s unexpected but understandable travel trend. Rather than far-flung destinations, more travellers are gravitating towards nearby escapes, from beach towns to walking trails just a short drive or quick flight away. Searches for coastal towns like Scarborough and Tenby are up 40% this summer, and interest in rural destinations or hotspots with easy access to national parks have spiked too.
2026 Destinations of the Summer – The Stay-Here Summer
Destination
% Search
Increase
Key Draw(s)
Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire
90%
Historic market town, access to rural walking routes
Sudbury, Suffolk
60%
Scenic countryside, arts and antiques, gateway to Constable Country
Reading, Berkshire
60%
Riverside walks, dining and easy London access
Nottinghamshire
40%
Castles, stately homes and Sherwood Forest
Scarborough, North Yorkshire
40%
Classic British seaside resort
Harrogate, North Yorkshire
40%
Elegant spa town and Yorkshire Dales gateway
Tenby, Pembrokeshire
35%
Tenby Harbour, Caldey Island (accessible by boat) and Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Glasgow
30%
Live music, nightlife and museums
Paisley, Renfrewshire
30%
Paisley Abbey and cultural / textile heritage
Canterbury, Kent
30%
UNESCO-listed cathedral city with historic charm
Explore the Destinations of the Summer.
Hotels.com - Hotel Hop Summer
Hotel Hopping - booking multiple hotels on a single trip - is gaining momentum as travellers look to experience more of the destination and make the most of their stays, with demand increasing during the summer season.
This summer, key motivations for hotel hopping include:
Event Hopping — Hotel hoppers are planning their summer hotel stays around events to see their favourite musical artist or cheer on their favourite sports teams. Pairing a hotel near the concert venue or stadium with a second stay in a different part of the city means travellers can experience more of the destination in one trip. Sing along to Harry Styles in London (12 June – 4 July): Stay at Abbey Point Hotel for the show, then hop to Leonardo Royal London St Paul’s to be right where the London action is. Indulge in strawberries and cream at Wimbledon (29 June – 12 July): Stay at the Pelican London Hotel & Residence for the matches, then hop to the boutique St Paul’s Hotel in Hammersmith for its lively mix of entertainment and cultural venues. Feel the thrill at the British Grand Prix (2-5 July): Stay at The Greyhound Coaching Inn in the charming town of Lutterworth for the race weekend, then hop to Stanbrook Abbey near Worcester for a quintessentially romantic countryside retreat.
Bleisure Hopping — There’s no better time to add a leisure stay onto a business trip than summer. Bleisure travel is trending online with over 165k mentions, and the hottest destinations dominating social conversations for bleisure hotel hopping include*: Helsinki (+71%): Stay at the Solo Sokos Hotel near Stockmann, then hop to Espoo to stay at Noli Otaniemi and explore Nuuksio National Park. London (+47%): Stay at The Ned near Borough Market, then hop to Brighton to stay at the Sea Spray to enjoy the coast. Oslo (+46%): Stay at the Karl Johan Hotel just steps from Norwegian Parliament, and then hop to the Sundvolden Hotel near King’s View to enjoy golf and the on-site spa. Paris (+24%): Stay at Le Cinq Codet near Rue Cler, then hop to the French countryside and stay at Château de Courcelles near Reims. Other trending summer bleisure destinations: Cape Cod (+97%), Lake Michigan (+88%), Seoul (+36%), Chicago (+35%), Sao Paulo (+28%), and Boston (+23%). Check out Hotel Hop Summer combinations.
Kick Off or Take Off?
With the world gearing up for the major football moment in North America this summer, traveller behaviour is diverging. Sports fans are booking last-minute trips to host cities to be part of the excitement, while others are heading elsewhere to take advantage of lighter crowds and lower prices in popular destinations across Europe, Asia, and South America.
As football anticipation builds, interest is surging across North American host cities in June and July. Kansas City, US; Philadelphia, US; and Monterrey, Mexico, are topping the list of destinations for fans eager to watch a match in person.
2026’s Kick-Off Destinations*
Destination
% Search
Increase
Destination
% Search
Increase
Kansas City, U.S.
+700%
Boston, U.S.
+80%
Philadelphia, U.S.
+210%
Los Angeles, U.S.
+60%
Monterrey, Mexico
+210%
Seattle, U.S.
+55%
Atlanta, U.S.
+200%
Miami, U.S.
+45%
Houston, U.S.
+120%
Vancouver, Canada
+40%
Dallas, U.S.
+115%
Toronto, Canada
+25%
Guadalajara, Mexico
+95%
San Francisco, U.S.
+25%
Mexico City, Mexico
+85%
New Jersey, U.S.
+20%
While match-day crowds are concentrating in North America, deal-seekers are travelling elsewhere. Average daily rates for hotels in some popular European, Asian, and South American holiday spots are down nearly 25% this summer even as interest has climbed over 35% year-over-year on average, making these destinations a compelling alternative for travellers looking to escape the games and find better value.
2026’s Take-Off Destinations*
Destination
% Decrease in
Average Daily
Rate
Destination
% Decrease in
Average Daily
Rate
Fukuoka, Japan
-35%
Courchevel, France
-20%
Buenos Aires, Argentina
-35%
Krabi, Thailand
-20%
Nara, Japan
-30%
Manchester, U.K.
-15%
Thasos, Greece
-30%
São Sebastião, Brazil
-15%
Shenzhen, China
-25%
Kyoto, Japan
-15%
Read more about Kicking Off or Taking Off this summer.
The 2026 Set-Jetting Summer Forecast
From streaming hits to blockbuster films, Set-Jetting - travel inspired by TV shows and movies - continues to shape summer demand. Expedia first spotted the Set-Jetting trend in 2022 and predicted a surge in interest in 2026 for destinations like Yorkshire, inspired by Wuthering Heights; Samoa (Polynesia) and Hawaii inspired by the soon-to-be-released Moana (Live Action); and Peloponnese, Greece, inspired by the upcoming The Odyssey as part of the Unpack ’26 forecast.
Several destinations, both expected contenders and surprise breakouts, have since emerged as Set-Jetting standouts this year:
Yorkshire — Search interest spiked by 60% in the first six weeks after the release of the Emily Brontë adaptation, and searches for this summer are up 35% year-over-year. Muskoka, Canada — Interest climbed by 110% after the debut of Heated Rivalry, alongside strong interest in other featured cities including Boston (+85%), Montreal (+65%), and Toronto (+55%). Rome — As Emily in Paris expanded its storyline in season 5, so did interest from fans of the show, with searches for the city increasing by 35% in the two months after the season dropped. With an influx of films and shows planned for summer releases, the 2026 Summer Set-Jetting Forecast highlights a fresh slate of screen-inspired destinations poised to transform on-screen scenes into warm-weather travel plans, from the vibrant, cultural streets of Glasgow, to the dramatic peaks of Italy’s Dolomites.
The 2026 Summer Set-Jetting Forecast
Destination
Film/Series Inspiration
Rhode Island, U.S.
The Real Housewives of Rhode Island
Devon
Sense and Sensibility
The Dolomites, Italy
Cliffhanger
Glasgow
Mint and Half Man
Australia
Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad
Read more about Set-Jetting.
###
Notes to Editor
Find imagery here.
*Methodology
Online mentions of domestic destinations based on global social media mentions about summer domestic holidays between 1 February – 29 April, 2026 vs. 1 February – 29 April, 2025.
Third-party research was conducted by market research partner OnePoll in accordance with the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct. The Study was conducted online among 11,000 adult respondents who travel and have stayed in a hotel, across nine countries.
Expedia — Destinations of the Summer
Destinations of the Summer list based on increases in accommodation searches on Expedia for travel between May 23-August 31, 2025 vs. May 22-August 31, 2026.
Hotels.com — Hotel Hop Summer
Hotel Hop Summer data supported by increase in attach (hotel + hotel) demand on Hotels.com globally in 2024 and 2025 for summer vs. other seasons.
Online mentions based on news, broadcast, and social media mentions of classic road trips and bleisure travel from March 16, 2025 to March 8, 2026, vs. March 17, 2024 to March 7, 2025.
Kick Off or Take Off:
Kick-Off Destinations based on increases in accommodation searches on Expedia and Hotels.com for travel between June 10-July 20, 2026 vs. June 10-July 20, 2025.
Take-Off Destinations data based on Average Daily Rates and accommodation searches on Expedia and Hotels.com from August 4, 2025 to February 1, 2026, for stays between May 22-September 30, 2026.
2026 Summer Set-Jetting Forecast
Set-Jetting data based on increases in accommodation searches on Expedia and Hotels.com for travel between May 22-August 31, 2026 vs May 23-August 31, 2025, during specific periods following the release of a film or TV series.
Heated Rivalry data based on accommodation searches made on Expedia.co.uk from 12 January to 1 February, 2026, for travel between January 12 December – 31 December, 2026 vs. the same period in 2025.
About Unpack ’26 Summer
Q: What is Unpack ’26 Summer?
A: Unpack ‘26 Summer highlights summer travel trends and is a seasonal update on the Unpack ’26: The Trends in Travel™ report released in October 2025. The Unpack ‘26 Summer report draws on first-party data from Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo and social listening, and builds on first-party and traveller insight data from Unpack ’26 to forecast traveller behaviour this summer.
Q: What makes Unpack ’26 Summer a credible source for travel trends?
A: The report combines real-time platform data from millions of users and builds on third-party research conducted by OnePoll, following the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct, first shared in the Unpack ’26 report. Findings are backed by behavioural insights, booking patterns, and cultural signals, making it a trusted resource for media, industry leaders, and travellers alike.
Q: What are the key travel trends identified in Unpack ’26 Summer?
A: The report spotlights several major trends shaping summer travel in 2026:
Destinations of the Summer: Trending summer hotspots Hotel Hop: Multi-hotel itineraries motivated by road trips, bleisure travel, and event travel Kick Off or Take Off: Diverging travel behaviour during this summer’s international soccer tournament in North America Set-Jetting: Screen-inspired travel Q: Where can I access the full Unpack ’26 Summer report and assets?
A: Visit www.expedia.co.uk/newsroom for the full Unpack ’26 Summer report, downloadable assets, and brand-specific insights from Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the global travel marketplace with one purpose: to help travellers explore the world, one journey at a time. Expedia Group™ connects travellers, partners, and advertisers through its trusted brands, leading technology, and rich first-party data, delivering predictive, personalized experiences that shape the future of travel.
Expedia Group’s ecosystem includes three flagship consumer brands — Expedia®, Hotels.com®, and Vrbo® — the largest B2B travel businesses, and a premier advertising network. Guided by an experienced and passionate global team, Expedia Group helps millions of travellers in more than 70 countries explore the world with confidence and ease.
Today,Expedia Group has released its [url="]Unpack '26 Summer: The Trends in Travel[/url], the latest edition of its industry-leading report, revealing how tra
Expedia Group NASDAQ: EXPE used a company event marking 30 years of Expedia to outline new partnerships, artificial intelligence initiatives and partner tools aimed at increasing traveler demand and simplifying travel operations.
Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) will participate in Evercore's 2026 Global TMT Conference. Ariane Gorin, Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a fireside c
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) will participate in Evercore’s 2026 Global TMT Conference. Ariane Gorin, Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a fireside chat on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET.
A live webcast of the session will be available at ir.expediagroup.com. A replay of the webcast will be accessible for 3 months.
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the global travel marketplace with one purpose: to help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. Expedia Group™ connects travelers, partners, and advertisers through its trusted brands, leading technology, and rich first-party data, delivering predictive, personalized experiences that shape the future of travel.
Expedia Group’s ecosystem includes three flagship consumer brands – Expedia®, Hotels.com®, and Vrbo® – the largest B2B travel business, and a premier advertising network. Guided by an experienced and passionate global team, Expedia Group helps millions of travelers in more than 70 countries explore the world with confidence and ease.
Expedia has declined ~25% YTD, creating an attractive entry point amid resilient bookings and industry headwinds. EXPE's integrated One Key Rewards program and recent IT overhaul drive customer loyalty and operational efficiency versus fragmented peers. EXPE targets higher-income consumers, evidenced by rising ADRs, potentially insulating it from macro shocks.
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Momentum ScoreMomentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates.
VGM ScoreWhat if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.
How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank A proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings outlook, to help investors create a successful portfolio.
It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.7% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.
But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from.
That's where the Style Scores come in.
To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.
As mentioned above, the Scores are designed to work with the Zacks Rank, so any change to a company's earnings outlook should be a deciding factor when picking which stocks to buy.
A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too.
Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.
Stock to Watch: Expedia (EXPE - Free Report) Bellevue, Washington-based Expedia Group, Inc. is one of the largest online travel companies in the world. The company’s web portals focus on travel planning, travel purchases and travel experience sharing thus bringing suppliers and consumers of travel-related services together.
EXPE is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.
It also boasts a Value Style Score of A thanks to attractive valuation metrics like a forward P/E ratio of 11.44; value investors should take notice.
Eight analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.04 to $19.80 per share. EXPE boasts an average earnings surprise of +13.9%.
With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Value and VGM Style Scores, EXPE should be on investors' short list.
Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both.
The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor.
Zacks Premium also includes the Zacks Style Scores.
What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.
Each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics. Just like in school, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on -- that means the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.
The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:
Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.
Growth ScoreWhile good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.
Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.
VGM ScoreWhat if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.
How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.
#1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +23.7% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.
But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from.
That's where the Style Scores come in.
You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.
The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank.
Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too.
Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.
Stock to Watch: Expedia (EXPE - Free Report) Bellevue, Washington-based Expedia Group, Inc. is one of the largest online travel companies in the world. The company’s web portals focus on travel planning, travel purchases and travel experience sharing thus bringing suppliers and consumers of travel-related services together.
EXPE is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.
Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. EXPE has a Growth Style Score of A, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 24.8% for the current fiscal year.
Eight analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.04 to $19.80 per share. EXPE also boasts an average earnings surprise of +13.9%.
With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, EXPE should be on investors' short list.
Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE | EXPE Price Prediction) is back in the spotlight after a 42.34% Q1 adjusted EPS beat and a freshly minted $5 billion buyback authorization that has the travel-rebound crowd piling back in.
