Kerzner International plans to expand its ultra-luxury hotel portfolio by adding at least 10 new properties under both the One&Only and Atlantis brands, while also accelerating the growth of its newer lifestyle brands, Siro and Rare Finds. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines is ending its eight-year partnership with Lyft and making Uber its exclusive rideshare and delivery partner, allowing SkyMiles members to earn miles on qualifying Uber trips. Finally, the UK government is standing firm on a polic...
Jan 09, 2025•4 min
At Skift’s Megatrends event, travel executives discussed the rising impact of AI on the industry, with Thomas Reiner of Altimeter Capital warning that AI-driven personal assistants could disrupt online travel agencies, metasearch engines, and traditional SEO. Meanwhile, Kayak CEO Steve Hafner anticipates that a commercial agreement between an AI engine and a major travel brand could arrive by 2025, potentially reshaping consumer booking habits. Finally, British Airways’ controversial switch to a...
Jan 08, 2025•4 min
The U.S. hotel transaction market is flourishing for properties valued under $50 million or over $250 million, but mid-size full-service hotels have essentially frozen due to owners clinging to 2019 prices and increased renovation costs. Meanwhile, a severe winter storm caused over 1,400 flight cancellations in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, most notably at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport, with airlines waiving rebooking fees. Lastly, Indian budget hotel operator Oyo has barred unmarri...
Jan 07, 2025•4 min
The travel industry is poised for growth in 2025, with Skift Research predicting a 9% increase in global travel spending, led by a 14% surge in India. However, challenges such as rising labor costs and slow economic growth in Europe and China could temper progress. Meanwhile, Accor is expanding its luxury offerings, including launching the ultra-luxury Orient Express brand, and Casago's acquisition of Vacasa signals shifts in the vacation rental market, with plans to sell local operations and es...
Jan 03, 2025•4 min
Hyatt is in talks to acquire Playa Hotels & Resorts, expanding its all-inclusive resort footprint in the Caribbean and Mexico, while Despegar has agreed to a $1.7 billion cash buyout by Prosus slated to close in 2025. Additionally, a Skift Research report suggests hotel websites could overtake online travel agencies (OTAs) by 2030, though there’s debate about whether major brands’ direct booking growth will offset independent hotels’ continued reliance on OTAs. Hyatt Hotels said on Monday it...
Dec 24, 2024•5 min
Hyatt has partnered with The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, allowing guests to book through Hyatt’s platforms and participate in its loyalty program, marking a major expansion in Las Vegas with 7,000 rooms as leisure and group travel surges. Meanwhile, Lark Hospitality and Life House Hotels announced a joint venture creating one of North America’s largest operators of boutique hotels, encompassing a $1 billion portfolio of 97 properties across 27 states. Lastly, the TSA anticipates screening nearly ...
Dec 19, 2024•5 min
Hilton plans to grow its luxury hotel portfolio in Asia-Pacific by leveraging long-term owner relationships and a tailored regional approach rather than acquisitions, despite strong local competition. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has introduced a rule banning junk fees in travel, requiring upfront disclosure of total costs for hotels, short-term rentals, and online travel agencies. Lastly, new OAG data highlights Asia-Pacific’s dominance in both international and domestic air rou...
Dec 18, 2024•5 min
Belmond, a luxury brand under LVMH, is expanding its portfolio with new high-end trains, private villas, and Michelin-starred experiences to meet the growing demand for immersive travel. Meanwhile, family-run hotels are winning over travelers who prefer understated, personal experiences over ostentatious, cookie-cutter luxury. Finally, the debate over sustainable aviation fuel continues, with ambitious targets and strong industry resistance highlighting the challenges of going green in the aviat...
Dec 17, 2024•5 min
Marriott is expanding into outdoor travel by acquiring Postcard Cabins and partnering with Trailborn, integrating them into its booking systems and loyalty program. Amadeus CEO Luis Maroto highlights the importance of continued investment and M&A opportunities to maintain relevance, particularly in modern airline retail technology like NDC. FAA chief Mike Whitaker announced his resignation, leaving challenges like air traffic modernization and Boeing oversight for the next administration. St...
Dec 13, 2024•5 min
Travel industry insiders anticipate that another Trump term could impact their business, though reactions range from neutral to positive – and personal concerns linger. New regulatory obstacles complicate the future of the FTC’s junk fee rule, and state-level actions are stepping in. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup plans may boost tourism but face ongoing human rights scrutiny, despite promising accommodations across five host cities. Story Links What the Trump administration could mean...
Dec 12, 2024•5 min
Skift's annual Megatrends highlight key shifts in the travel industry. The rise of “quiet luxury” reflects affluent travelers' preference for personal and understated experiences, prompting owner-operated hotels to cater to this demand with curated stays. Meanwhile, hotels are enhancing their direct booking platforms with AI, predictive analytics, and immersive tools to compete with online travel agencies. Lastly, cool destinations like Norway and Greenland are gaining popularity, driven by soci...
Dec 11, 2024•5 min
Cruise lines are investing in private destinations to reduce overcrowding, ensure tailored port experiences, and mitigate regional instabilities, with major players like Royal Caribbean and Carnival planning expansions through 2027. In tourism, Skift CEO Rafat Ali highlights the oversimplification of local cuisines for travelers, suggesting farm-to-table initiatives and promoting authentic food experiences as solutions. Meanwhile, Hilton has reached 1,000 hotels in Asia Pacific, driven by boomin...
Dec 10, 2024•4 min
Skift highlights the rise of "Live Tourism," where major events like concerts and sports championships drive economic growth for destinations, benefiting local businesses and boosting travel demand. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines raises its revenue guidance for Q4, citing strong travel demand and efficiency measures. Lastly, a federal judge rejected Boeing's plea deal regarding the 737 Max crashes over diversity concerns, giving the company and the Justice Department 30 days to revise their agree...
Dec 06, 2024•4 min
Booking Holdings has laid off around 60 employees at Rocket Travel by Agoda to streamline operations, while reaffirming its overall business-to-business strategy. Meanwhile, U.S. Senators criticized airline executives over excessive fees, with executives defending practices like unbundling fares to make travel more accessible. Lastly, Hyatt is expanding its luxury and lifestyle portfolio by courting independent hotel owners, offering operational support while allowing them to maintain their uniq...
Dec 05, 2024•4 min
Marriott is expanding its luxury property portfolio, with over 260 developments in the pipeline, to appeal to affluent millennials and Gen Z travelers who prioritize experiences over traditional luxury. Airbnb is growing its Airbnb-friendly Apartments program to the UK, despite modest participation in the U.S., aiming to unlock income opportunities for renters. Meanwhile, Amtrak reported record ridership in 2024 and plans significant network expansions, including a new Gulf Coast route, as it ai...
Dec 04, 2024•4 min
Travel tech leaders are optimistic about the incoming Trump administration, expecting reduced AI regulation, potential federal privacy standards, and extended tax cuts to benefit startups, while the TSA reported record-breaking passenger screenings during Thanksgiving. Additionally, Saudi Arabia is leveraging cricket's popularity to attract Indian tourists as part of its broader strategy to increase international visitors. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ X: h...
Dec 03, 2024•4 min
Episode Notes Wyndham Hotels says it’s still seeing strong demand for leisure and business travel despite economic uncertainty, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. CEO Geoff Ballotti said on Thursday that the company believes it won’t see a decline in leisure travel demand during the fourth quarter and throughout 2025. Ballotti added a continued drop in interest rates would help boost leisure travel. Next, Southwest Airlines reported it’s seeing strong bookings for the holiday travel ...
Oct 25, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Anthropic, a generative AI startup, has unveiled new tech that indicates how an AI-powered travel agent would look, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes. Anthropic recently released three demonstrations of the tech, one of which was for making travel plans. A more advanced version of the tech could eliminate the friction of manually navigating options, comparing prices and making reservations. In addition, Dawes notes users might bypass online travel agencies like Booking...
Oct 24, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes NYC Tourism + Conventions, the city’s destination marketing organization, announced on Tuesday it named Julie Coker as its next president and CEO, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Coker, who has held the same roles at the San Diego Tourism Authority since 2020, will assume her new position on December 9. She succeeds Fred Dixon, who served as NYC Tourism’s CEO for close to a decade before stepping down earlier this year to lead Brand USA Coker will take the helm as...
Oct 23, 2024•4 min
Episode Notes The growth of U.S. vacation rental and short-term rental supply has been slowing down, a trend that will likely continue next year, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. Vacation rental and short-term rental supply in the U.S. has grown 10% in 2024 from last year, according to analytics firm Key Data. However, that’s down from 20% two years ago. Key Data said one factor for the supply deceleration is a shortage of housing. Analysts at Truist Securities said that supply gr...
Oct 22, 2024•4 min
Episode Notes Uber has explored buying the Expedia Group, according to a report this week in the Financial Times. It’s all speculation at this point, but the deal, if it were to happen, would bring about the biggest shakeup the travel industry has seen in years. Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes answers 10 questions about it. Dawes notes there are currently no active discussions between the two companies. But an acquisition would bring Uber closer to becoming a superapp, a single app with ...
Oct 18, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Hotel executives gathered at The Lodging Conference recently to discuss emerging trends in the industry. Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill listed five key takeaways from the event as executives look forward to 2025. O’Neill notes hotel leaders are cautiously optimistic about the economic outlook for next year. Executives generally believe that the Fed’s recent interest rate cut will boost enthusiasm for U.S. hotel development in 2025. Luxury hotels will likely see a boom in gu...
Oct 17, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Visit Florida launched a new campaign this week to inform tourists much of the state is ready to welcome visitors after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Visit Florida will share images and videos of destinations largely unaffected by the hurricanes via social media over the next two weeks. The tourism board has also recently launched social media campaigns with the messaging “Stronger Than the Storm” for in-state audiences and “Florida...
Oct 16, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Thousands of Barcelona residents took to the streets this past Sunday to demand the city stop hosting the America’s Cup sailing competition and other huge tourism events. It’s the latest of large-scale protests in Spain against mass tourism, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Habtemariam notes protestors burned a replica of the America’s Cup trophy at the end of the demonstration. The group, “No to the America’s Cup,” which organized the protest, alleges the city cou...
Oct 15, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes United Airlines is adding eight new, off-the-beaten-path destinations to its summer 2025 schedule, betting that travelers will fly to less popular locations, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. United’s new destinations for summer 2025 include the capitals of Mongolia, Senegal and Greenland. Maharishi notes many of its new destinations are in contrast to American and Delta, two carriers with summer schedules that typically revolve around more popular routes. However, United ...
Oct 11, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Marriott has reached an agreement with 49 states and Washington, D.C., to pay $52 million to settle charges related to data security, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. O’Neill notes the settlement with the states relates to a database security incident in 2018 in the guest reservations system of Starwood, a hotel group Marriott had just acquired. And the Federal Trade Commission is requiring Marriott to put in place a new data security program following three breaches ...
Oct 10, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Marriott International announced on Tuesday that it’s expanding its City Express by Marriott brand into the U.S. and Canada, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. O’Neill reports the expansion represents Marriott’s foray into the “affordable midscale” category in the two countries. Marriott bought the City Express brand in Mexico in May 2023, and has run properties under the City Express by Marriott brand in the Caribbean and Latin America. The company hasn’t yet revealed...
Oct 09, 2024•4 min
Airlines and airports are getting ready for Hurricane Milton, a “potentially catastrophic” storm expected to hit southwest Florida on Wednesday, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. Tampa International Airport and Orlando International have announced they plan to suspend operations in anticipation of Hurricane Milton. Several airlines — including American, Delta and United — have issued travel waivers in Florida. Citi analyst Stephen Trent said cancellations from the storm could cause Sout...
Oct 08, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes Accor CEO Sebastien Bazin said the Paris-based hotel group has 47 brands in its portfolio. And the company has plans to add more, writes Middle East Reporter Josh Corder. Bazin said at the Future Hospitality Summit in Dubai that Accor doesn’t have too many brands. He noted in the era of technology, customers have enough resources to discover them all. Bazin also said it’s important that no two brands are the same and that all of them are relevant. As for global growth, Bazin thinks...
Oct 04, 2024•3 min
Episode Notes The global hotel industry has seen some markets thrive this year while some others have struggled, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. A recent report by CBRE Hotels Research revealed U.S. revenue per available room would grow roughly 1% for the full year. That’s close to a 2 percentage point drop from its forecast in February. O’Neill notes that U.S. urban and airport hotels are set to overperform while those in resort locations will likely underperform relative to the...
Oct 03, 2024•3 min
