When Airbnb started to negotiate with Ireland’s CarTrawler as a car rental partner many months ago, there was likely no hint that Expedia would eventually acquire CarTrawler. Airbnb’s car rentals, supplied by CarTrawler, went live earlier this month, and Expedia’s acquisition of CarTrawler is expected to close later in 2026.
Skift exclusively broke the news about Airbnb’s CarTrawler deal.
CarTrawler handles the car rentals for Airbnb, does the customer support, and can use that information for its own marketing purposes. But once it becomes an Expedia company, will CarTrawler pass that data to Airbnb’s competitor, Expedia?
That’s blasphemy, some whisper, and Expedia says it doesn’t play like that. Still, will the CarTrawler-Airbnb partnership survive for long?
Skift Global Forum
When a partner becomes a rival's asset, the contest moves to what sits underneath the booking: the customer, and the data trail behind them.
The CEOs of Uber, Expedia, Booking Holdings, and Hilton take the stage at Skift Global Forum, September 22–24 in New York, where one session asks it directly: when the agent books the trip, who owns the customer?
LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS + SKIFT
Affluent travelers increasingly define luxury through authentic, transformative experiences. Lindblad shows what that shift looks like in practice.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Expedia’s AI Timeline Runs Through Its Talent Strategy
July 20, 2026
Expedia is betting its product roadmap on replicating the outsized AI productivity of its elite engineers. According to its CTO, the strategy hinges on a race to hire and retain that talent — making the company's product timeline as much of a recruiting challenge as a technological one.
Airbnb Partners With CarTrawler for Car Rentals in 5 Countries: Scoop
July 17, 2026
Airbnb's partnership with CarTrawler on car rentals is Airbnb's latest step toward becoming a traditional online travel agency. CarTrawler is poised to become an Expedia company, which will compete with Airbnb on car rentals.
Allegiant, Long an OTA Holdout, Signs an Exclusive Deal With Expedia
July 17, 2026
A shrinking number of airlines shun online travel agency distribution. Allegiant's deal with Expedia Group means it abandoned its direct-distribution-only strategy — one that it touted as advantageous as late as February 2026.
Omio to Buy Rail Europe, Consolidating Ground Transport — Exclusive
July 16, 2026
By absorbing Rail Europe, a 5-million-ticket rail seller with 90-plus years of operator ties, Omio is consolidating one of travel's most fragmented, hard-to-book corners — and laying groundwork for when AI agents book trips, not just suggest them.
SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK
The collapse of Vacasa is one of the most dramatic valuation drops in short-term rental history.
In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Brandreth Canaley, and Michael Goldin break down who bought the pieces, what 32,000 units at pennies on the dollar actually means, and why the Vacasa brand and its direct booking traffic might be worth more than anyone is giving it credit for right now.
SKIFT TRAVEL 200
How are public travel tech companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to know to understand the market. Paid subscribers get full access here.
