Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes IAG Loyalty has big plans to expand its frequent flyer currency Avios. IAG Loyalty CEO Adam Daniels discussed those ambitions and more in an interview with Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. Daniels said one of IAG Loyalty’s goals is to make Avios a global currency. Avios has already entered into partnerships with Qatar Airways and Finnair, carriers outside of the IAG family. IAG’s airline brands include British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus. Daniels added ...
Jun 12, 2024•4 min
Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes Apple unveiled new travel-related features for several of its products on Monday at the 2024 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes provides details about Apple’s updates. Dawes notes the Apple Watch will have a new translation app, live update features for flights and Uber, and a setting to alert users before it rains. In addition, Siri is getting a connection to OpenAI, which will enable users to ask Siri anything the...
Jun 11, 2024•4 min
Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes Authorities in Venice believe the roughly $5 entry fee it charges visitors has benefited the city. And a top tourism official told Skift Venice could raise the amount, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Simone Venturini, the city’s deputy mayor for tourism, said the fee is part of Venice’s strategy to preserve its beauty and pivot away from being “a cheap tourism capital.” Venturini added that everything has gone smoothly since the entry fee wa...
Jun 07, 2024•4 min
Episode Notes Booking.com is targeting U.S. travelers to tap into the increasing demand for short-term rentals, writes Reporter Christiana Sciaudone. Eric Bergaglia, Booking.com’s vice president of Homes & Growth Segments, said at the Skift Short-Term Rental Summit that the company needs to be more U.S.-centric in how it develops products. Sciaudone reports Booking.com is focusing on in particular payments, liability insurance, damage policy to appeal to American consumers. Bergaglia said th...
Jun 06, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Hotel tech has a long way to go before it can satisfy travelers’ demands, two executives said at the Skift Data + AI Summit in New York on Tuesday, writes Reporter Christiana Sciaudone. Chris Hemmeter, managing director at Thayer Ventures, and Kurien Jacob, partner and managing director of Highgate Technology Ventures, explained how hotel tech needs to evolve. Jacob noted how the travel industry is behind tech-wise – “room assignment can be automated,” he said. Hemmeter said the ho...
Jun 05, 2024•3 min
Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes Wyndham wants to shed its reputation for focusing on economy hotels in the U.S. The hotel group is looking to increase the number of upscale properties in its portfolio, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. Wyndham CEO Geoffrey Ballotti said at a conference in New York on Monday that while the company loves the economy sector, it’s increasingly moving upscale. Ballotti added that Wyndham has added properties in Montreux, Switzerland and Detroit to ...
Jun 04, 2024•3 min
Presented by BrandUSA Episode Notes The market for unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity is set to boom as airlines look to make it easier for travelers to stay connected in the skies. Reporter Ajay Awtaney provides background into the history of in-flight Wi-Fi. Awtaney writes in-flight internet connectivity has come a long way since what he calls painfully slow service more than 20 years ago. As technology has improved over the past two decades, airlines have used advertising or sponsorship d...
May 31, 2024•3 min
Presented by BrandUSA Episode Notes American Airlines CEO Robert Isom has paid tribute to outgoing Chief Commercial Officer Vasu Raja. But Isom has indicated it was time for Raja to go amid American’s struggles, reports Airlines Editor Gordon Smith. Isom admitted at a conference on Wednesday that American has dug itself a hole during the second quarter, with the company’s financial outlook having been downgraded. While praising Raja’s creative thinking and passion, Isom acknowledged that America...
May 30, 2024•3 min
Presented by BrandUSA Episode Notes Google has made further inroads in the travel industry in recent months with several AI-powered products it’s launched. Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes delves into four of them. Dawes notes that Google has incorporated new AI features into software for physical products, including mobile phones. A new feature on Android devices enables users to translate content on the screen without having to switch apps. Travel technology firm Sabre recently unveiled...
May 29, 2024•4 min
Presented by BrandUSA Episode Notes OpenAI, Google and Meta have big plans for AI chatbots that can serve as personal assistants for travelers. Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes provides takeaways after reviewing the latest updates. OpenAI is releasing new voice translation capabilities in the near future that can understand non-verbal cues and recognize different voices in group conversations. Dawes notes OpenAI’s voicebot could break down language barriers that could keep travelers from ...
May 24, 2024•4 min
Presented by BrandUSA Episode Notes Airbnb recently said its average daily rates can be cheaper than those of hotels. But there are lot of factors to consider, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. The company said the average daily rate in March of a one-bedroom Airbnb worldwide was $114 while data firm CoStar reported the equivalent rate for a hotel room was $140. But Schaal notes there is a lot of nuance in those numbers, adding they don’t include Airbnb cleaning fees, hotel resort fees or ...
May 23, 2024•3 min
The World Economic Forum recently released its 2024 Travel & Tourism Index. Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam and Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill profile five countries the organization named as among the most-improved economies for enabling travel and tourism development since 2019. Habtemariam and O’Neill highlight Albania, Indonesia, Egypt, Tanzania and El Salvador. In particular, Albania has seen a 141% increase in daily flight traffic since 2019. Meanwhile, Indonesian aut...
May 22, 2024•4 min
Episode Notes Marriott and Hilton are in fierce competition regarding the growth of their portfolios and loyalty programs. But Marriott is the clear winner in terms of fees earned from services for hotel owners, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill in this week’s Early Check-In. Hotel groups charge owners fees for managing or franchising hotels. Marriott generated $1.24 billion in gross fee revenue last year while Hilton generated $773 million. While Hilton’s fee revenue is growing fast...
May 21, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Airlines have recently gotten a big boost from a segment many airlines thought would continue to struggle — business travel, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. Delta Air Lines said corporate bookings were up 14% in the first quarter. Delta President Glen Hauenstein said 90% of the companies it surveyed said they plan to increase travel in the second quarter. United Airlines and Alaska Airlines both recorded significant increases in corporate bookings during the first quarte...
May 17, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes This year’s Summer Olympics are boosting short-term rental bookings in Paris, writes Reporter Elizabeth Casolo. Short-term rental bookings in Paris between July 26 through August 11 are up 46% compared to the prior two weeks, according to data analytics firm AirDNA. Bookings in Paris’ suburbs for the Olympics are up 112%. However, AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane said short-term rental rates during the Olympics are beginning to drop. Lane added AirDNA expects rates to continue fal...
May 16, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Google is going deeper into the AI-powered trip planning world. The tech giant is adding itinerary-building capabilities on Gemini Advanced, its paid generative AI chatbot, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes. Google Vice President Sissie Hsiao said Gemini Advanced can create a personalized vacation plan using multiple sources of information. The trip-planning capability is coming to Gemini Advanced this summer. In addition, Google is also boosting trip-planning options ...
May 15, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Travelers could have easy access to a robotic voice translator thanks to updates to ChatGPT. An OpenAI presentation explained how ChatGPT could serve as a human speech translator, the most significant travel-related feature in several updates unveiled on Monday, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes. Dawes reports the upgraded translation capabilities are part of the new flagship GPT-4o model for ChatGPT. OpenAI said the new model is better at interacting with voice, photo...
May 14, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes The U.S. government is investigating whether airlines have devalued frequent flyer miles, which would make booking reward tickets more difficult for customers, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Rohit Chopra said at a hearing his agency has found some evidence of airlines and credit card companies devaluing points and miles. Chopra added the bureau found that airlines have sold inflated points to consumers while credit card issuers recei...
May 10, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Airbnb is ramping up its plans for international expansion. The short-term rental giant is looking to grow significantly beyond its five biggest markets, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. CEO Brian Chesky said during its first-quarter earnings call that Airbnb is ready to step on the gas regarding international expansion. He cited Mexico, Brazil, China and Japan, among other countries, as markets the company is focusing on. Chesky said Airbnb recently updated its app in China,...
May 09, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes The 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, is shaping up to be a very corporate event. Several travel executives believe a lot of visitors for the tournament will be business travelers, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Lena Ross, chairwoman of the International Inbound Travel Association, said at the IPW travel trade show that big corporations would buy up ticket blocks and give them to clients. In addition, Oswaldo Freitas, CEO of...
May 08, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Skift has unveiled its list of the U.S.’s highest-paid tourism marketing CEOs. Visit California CEO Caroline Beteta took the top spot, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Beteta collected more than $1.5 million in compensation during the 2022 fiscal year. Former San Francisco Travel Association CEO Joseph D’ Alessandro came in second at just under $965,000. Skift used the 2022 fiscal year because it contains the most recent comprehensive up-to-date records. Habtemaria...
May 07, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Expedia Group has trimmed its 2024 outlook for growth due to its vacation rental brand Vrbo’s slower-than-expected recovery, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. O’Neill reports Expedia Group’s first-quarter profit margins were mostly in line with last year. But the company acknowledged that the struggles of Vrbo and Hotels.com drove it to lower its full-year guidance. A tech migration that brought together all of Expedia Group’s major brands hasn’t yet paid off. In addi...
May 03, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Airbnb is looking to make waves with the launch of nearly a dozen experience-based homes the company is calling “Icons.” CEO Brian Chesky discussed the new product, as well as AI, loyalty programs and other subjects in a wide-ranging interview with Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit. Chesky described Icons as a “gateway” into the experiences category, which Airbnb has been eager to break into. He acknowledged Icons won’t be a classic revenue generator for Airbnb as the houses will e...
May 02, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes The U.S. travel industry will likely see a full recovery in Chinese and Japanese tourism by 2026 — a year earlier than expected, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. The latest report from the U.S. National and Travel Tourism Office projects that international travel to the U.S. will fully recover in 2025. However, the office expects China and Japan to be behind the U.S.’ other source markets. An executive at the organization cited China’s weak economy and flight restr...
May 01, 2024•4 min
Episode Notes One of China’s largest airlines, China Southern, is buying 100 domestically-built planes – the C919, produced by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). The plane is considered an emerging competitor to Airbus’ A320 and the Boeing 737. And Airlines Editor Gordon Smith examines if other airlines will look to buy these Chinese-built aircraft. Just last week, Air China signed a similar agreement with COMAC for 100 C919 jets. The bigger question is if internat...
Apr 30, 2024•4 min
Episode Notes India’s largest airline IndiGo has taken a step in its quest to make a mark globally. IndiGo has ordered a large number of widebody aircraft that will enable it to operate more international flights, reports Contributor Ajay Awtaney. IndiGo announced the order of 30 A350-900 jets on Thursday. The company has also retained the purchase rights for another 70 aircraft. Awtaney notes IndiGo expects to start incorporating the aircraft into its fleet from 2027 onwards, adding the airline...
Apr 26, 2024•3 min
Skift Research recently examined more than 20,000 hotel listings on Google to discover which online travel agencies and direct sites compete for bookings. Senior Research Analyst Pranavi Agarwal explains the major findings from Skift Research’s report. Agarwal notes that Booking.com is the dominant brand across Google’s sponsored results, paying to appear the most often in every region. However, Skift Research found Expedia.com is investing heavily in ad dollars to be the top-of-the list option ...
Apr 25, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Atlanta recently reached a three-year, $1 million deal with the Michelin Guide. Discover Atlanta CEO William Pate discussed that topic and more in an interview with Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Pate said having Atlanta’s restaurants appear in the Michelin Guide has boosted the city’s culinary scene. He noted restaurants that have already been selected for the guide have seen a 30% increase in business. Atlanta is the seventh U.S. city to be selected for the Michelin G...
Apr 24, 2024•4 min
Episode Notes The Great Barrier Reef is currently experiencing its worst-ever mass bleaching event, during which warmer-than-usual water causes corals to expel their algae and turn white. Tour operators have been doing their part in helping preserve the popular tourist landmark, writes Travel Experiences Reporter Jesse Chase-Lubitz. Chase-Lubitz cites Reef Magic as one tour operator that offers travelers the opportunity to help revive corals. At least six tour operators are a part of the Coral N...
Apr 23, 2024•4 min
Episode Notes Amsterdam is banning hotel developments as part of its strategy to fight mass tourism, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Amsterdam’s municipal government announced the Dutch capital will no longer issue permits for new hotels. The only exception would be if another hotel in the city closes and the number of beds doesn’t increase. Habtemariam notes Amsterdam officials are looking to limit annual overnight stays in the city to 20 million. The new hotel restriction is ...
Apr 19, 2024•3 min
