Episode Notes Maui’s tourism industry faces an uncertain future as the island recovers from the massive devastation caused by recent wildfires. Maui’s hotels have suffered enormously in the aftermath of the destruction, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Habtemariam reports that nearly half of all hotel rooms in Maui were unfilled last week. The island’s hotel occupancy rates were 49% for the week ending August 19, according to commercial real estate information provider CoStar. A...
Aug 24, 2023•3 min
Episode Notes Europe is experiencing a major air traffic controller shortage. It’s not only delaying flights, it’s hurting the continent’s travel recovery, reports Edward Russell, editor of Skift publication Airline Weekly. European airspace manager Eurocontrol found flight delays have increased 6% from last year, attributing those disruptions in part to air traffic controller staffing shortages. Russell writes the staffing shortage appears the worst in France and Germany, the two countries at t...
Aug 23, 2023•3 min
Episode Notes Hospitality brand Selina has seen a dramatic swing in its stock price as it attempts to escape from its penny stock status, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. The company saw its shares fall 41% last Friday although they rebounded 9% on Monday. O’Neill writes the stock price drop happened after Selina said that 8.6 million shares could be hitting the market soon. Two other hospitality brands, Sonder and Vacasa, have also seen stock prices go to penny stock status recen...
Aug 22, 2023•3 min
Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry: Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes Paid ChatGPT Plus users are now able to plan virtually every aspect of a trip in one place using the travel plugins available on the platform. So what worked well and what didn’t on those travel plugins? Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes provides answers in his Travel Tech Briefing. Dawes reports ChatGPT Plus wasn’t created to be a travel platform, but with some improvements, he notes it could be a ...
Aug 18, 2023•3 min
Episode Notes IHG has launched its 19th brand, called Garner, an IHG hotel, as part of its strategy to target mid-market travelers, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. O’Neill writes Garner aims to be more affordable for travelers than IHG’s other brands targeting this segment. The company expects to open more than 1,000 hotels under the Garner brand over the next two decades. O’Neill adds that until the launch of Garner, IHG didn’t have a brand that fit this price range. An added at...
Aug 17, 2023•3 min
Episode Notes Airbnb and Booking.com have delivered strong cash flow over the past year, giving them the flexibility for acquisitions and other transactions, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal in his Online Travel Briefing. Schaal looked at the companies’ free cash flow conversion, which measures how efficiently companies convert revenue into free cash flow after interest payments. A key factor in their favor: They are all asset light businesses, meaning they don’t own the hotels or short-te...
Aug 16, 2023•4 min
Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry: Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes The Texas state government has filed a lawsuit against Booking Holdings, alleging the company violates state law by not including certain fees when it initially displays room prices, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. Schaal writes the Texas lawsuit comes as the Biden administration and Congress are increasingly taking aim at so-called junk fees, charges that aren’t disclosed to consumers upfront. Th...
Aug 15, 2023•3 min
Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry: Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes Tourism boards across the U.S. are increasingly supporting measures to get workers back into offices to help boost struggling downtowns, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Habtemariam notes the U.S. Travel Association strongly backs President Joe Biden’s push to have federal employees spend more time in the office. An executive at the organization said getting federal workers back into the ...
Aug 11, 2023•3 min
Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry: Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes U.S. tourism businesses were heavily dependent on Chinese visitors pre-pandemic and now are looking elsewhere to replace billions in tourist spending, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Brand USA CEO Chris Thompson said Chinese visitors spent $35 billion in 2019, making them the largest tourism market in the U.S. in terms of spend. So where are U.S. travel brands turning? NYC Tourism + Conv...
Aug 10, 2023•3 min
Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes Choice Hotels views its recent acquisition of Radisson Americas as an enormous success and it’s strongly considering making more deals, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. Choice CEO Patrick Pacious touted the benefits of the acquisition during Choice’s second quarter earnings call on Tuesday. As for future acquisition activity, Pacious said Choice is always looking for deals that could boost t...
Aug 09, 2023•4 min
Episode Notes The U.S. expects visitor numbers from some major markets such as Canada and India to exceed pre-Covid levels this year. However, Brand USA CEO Chris Thompson says that progress won’t be enough to make up for the large-scale absence of Chinese visitors, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Thompson said in an interview with Skift that the U.S. won’t experience a full tourism recovery unless it attracts more Chinese tourists. China represented the U.S.’ largest tourism m...
Aug 08, 2023•4 min
Episode Notes It’s still uncertain when business travel will make a full recovery. But Hyatt is optimistic that the sector is making substantial progress in its rebound from the pandemic, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian said on Thursday the company is seeing sustained corporate demand for group travel, which he added is showing no signs of slowing down. Hyatt booked roughly $500 million in future group business in the second quarter, and 42% of those gr...
Aug 04, 2023•4 min
Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry: Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes Trivago opted not to join the advertising unit that Google launched in May to attract hotel bookings. That decision contributed to the online travel agency’s disappointing second quarter performance, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. Schaal writes that Trivago’s absence in the new unit — unlike rivals such as Booking.com, Priceline and Expedia — negatively impacted its second quarter financial resul...
Aug 03, 2023•3 min
Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry: Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes The solid performance of Marriott’s premium hotels drove the world’s largest hotel company to a strong second quarter. And now, Marriott is looking to add midscale hotels to its portfolio, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. O’Neill writes one reason Marriott has raised its 2023 outlook for profitability was that its hotels are mostly premium or above. He adds that travelers able to afford Mar...
Aug 02, 2023•4 min
Episode Notes Soccer’s World Cup is coming to North America in 2026, but it’s uncertain where the final of the tournament will be held. Three U.S. cities are jockeying to host the event’s most prestigious match, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Habtemariam writes that Dallas, Los Angeles and MetLife Stadium in New York City’s New Jersey suburbs are prime contenders to host the final. FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, is expected to announce in September which city wil...
Aug 01, 2023•4 min
Episode Notes Wyndham Hotels & Resorts reported a drop in profitability during the second quarter. That’s partly because the hot demand for its budget hotels is cooling, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. Wydham saw its net income fall 18% in the second quarter from last year. O’Neill writes its portfolio skews toward affordable roadside hotels, which surged in popularity immediately after the pandemic eased. Now, Chief Financial Officer Michele Allen said things are returning t...
Jul 28, 2023•3 min
Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry: Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes Hilton is seeing no signs of a slowdown in travel demand. The company said the second quarter was the best booking quarter in its history, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. O’Neill reports Hilton’s second quarter revenue per available room — an important hotel industry performance metric — rose 12% from last year. CEO Christopher Nassetta expressed optimism on Wednesday that the good news wo...
Jul 27, 2023•3 min
Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry: Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes Hilton Worldwide launched a major international marketing campaign exactly a year ago on Tuesday that focused on its ability to provide travelers with reliable lodging experiences. So has it been a success? Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill finds out. O’Neill reports Hilton has seen an increase in sales and market share following its largest marketing push in six years. While it’s uncertain if the ad...
Jul 26, 2023•4 min
Episode Notes Travelers might be uncertain if Sonder is a short-term rental operator like Airbnb or a hotel operator. Now, the company is launching its first hotel collection, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. Schaal reports that Powered by Sonder includes 23 Sonder-operated properties in 13 markets. The company said those hotels are different from other hotels and multi-unit apartments in that they’re boutique hotel-oriented. In addition, Schaal notes the Powered by Sonder properties have ...
Jul 25, 2023•4 min
Episode Notes Hotel companies will report earnings over the next several weeks. So what will industry insiders be paying close attention to? Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill explains in this week’s Early Check-In column. O’Neill writes investors will look closely to estimate when sector revenues may return to pre-pandemic levels. The American Hotel and Lodging Association doesn’t expect U.S. hotels to hit their pre-Covid sales figures until 2024. O’Neill adds that analysts are eager to fin...
Jul 24, 2023•4 min
Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry: Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes Destinations across the U.S., Canada and Mexico are ramping up their preparations to welcome soccer’s World Cup in 2026. And they’ll need a substantial influx of money to make hosting the event a success, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Officials at this week’s Destinations International Annual Convention addressed the challenges of welcoming thousands of visitors for the World Cup. Each...
Jul 21, 2023•3 min
Episode Notes The travel industry is continuing to make substantial progress in its recovery from the pandemic, but what challenges is it still facing? Skift Research answers that question and more in its newly released State of Travel 2023 report. The report contains more than 250 data slides documenting the current state of travel and trends shaping the industry’s future. For example, Americans are increasingly looking to vacation abroad as international travel has become easier. Skift Researc...
Jul 20, 2023•3 min
Episode Notes Singapore has overtaken Japan as the country with the world’s most powerful passport while the U.S. dropped two spots in recently released rankings, writes Travel Experiences Reporter Selene Brophy. Citizens of Singapore have visa-free access to 190 destinations, according to the Henley Passport Index. The Index ranks the world’s passports by the number of destinations their holders can travel to without needing a visa. The U.S. passport is now tied with Lithuania for the world’s 8...
Jul 19, 2023•4 min
Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry: Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes Twitter has increasingly lost its relevance as a tourism marketing tool in recent months. And now, a growing number of destination marketing organizations are turning to its new rival Threads, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Habtemariam cites Destination Toronto, Visit Orlando and Visit Utah as some of the destination marketing organizations that have signed up for the direct competitor ...
Jul 18, 2023•4 min
Episode Notes Some hotel executives have expressed concerns about the security and reliability of today’s generative artificial intelligence. However, industry experts are confident that AI will make room pricing more profitable, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. Former IHG executive Jeff Edwards said revenue management would be the perfect use for the technology because it is too complex for humans to manage in real-time. Future tech could also enable dynamic pricing for individua...
Jul 17, 2023•4 min
Episode Notes Delta Air Lines saw a significant revenue bump during the second quarter thanks to a major surge in international travel to Europe and Latin America, reports Edward Russell, editor of Skift publication Airline Weekly. Delta President Glen Hauenstein said the company’s international revenue recorded a 61% increase while domestic revenue was only up 8%. Hauenstein added that Europe and Latin America were Delta’s strongest regions, with Russell noting the return of international trave...
Jul 14, 2023•3 min
Episode Notes Expedia Group terminated its relationship on Wednesday with online travel agency Hopper over practices that Expedia considers anti-consumer, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. Expedia had supplied rival Hopper with hotel and short-term rental inventory for several years. An Expedia spokesperson said the company cut ties with Hopper because it believes Hopper’s content confuses customers, leading them to purchase services they neither need nor completely understand. Schaal note...
Jul 13, 2023•3 min
Episode Notes Delta Air Lines is launching two routes this fall that will serve Austin. But that expansion may come too late for Delta to overtake the market share of rivals American and Southwest in the city, reports Edward Russell, editor of Skift Airline Weekly. Delta will connect Austin, one of the U.S.’ fastest-growing cities, to Las Vegas and Orlando daily beginning on October 9. Russell notes those routes follow frequency additions on seven existing Delta routes from Austin. The Atlanta-b...
Jul 12, 2023•4 min
Episode Notes U.S. destination marketing organizations are eager to increase their marketing activities in China later this year. So how successful will those efforts be? Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam writes that any success depends on flights between the countries returning to pre-pandemic levels. Gloria Lan, CEO of tour operator Tour America, said a lot of destination marketing organizations are planning to travel to China to start soliciting business. Habtemariam cites Visit Calif...
Jul 11, 2023•3 min
Episode Notes Accor executives have been hard at work to boost the Paris-based hotel company’s digital operations, but what does that entail exactly? Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill provides answers in this week’s Early Check-In column. O’Neill delves into what he considers the most notable findings from presentations Accor recently held for investors. The company runs a “digital factory,” which brings together roughly 800 developers, product managers and others to tackle the problems of ...
Jul 10, 2023•4 min
