The Airbnb Threat and 10 Other Hospitality Trends This Week

Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines hospitality.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

>>In which we try to make some sense out of what we know Airbnb is doing now — and what it hopes to be doing over the next 10 years: Airbnb Struggles to Balance Its Past and Future

>>Can such a thing as a boutique or lifestyle casino resort with nearly 3,000 rooms actually work? We’ll find out soon: CEO Interview: The Future of Boutique Hotels Is to Go Big

>>A new loyalty program coming from Airbnb may be the final straw that gets business travelers to switch to the service: Airbnb Is Finally Taking Business Travelers Seriously

>>Oh, how times have changed. Instead of feeling threatened by Airbnb, some hotels are being wooed by the company. Online travel agencies, on the other hand, are about to get a taste of what it feels like to be disrupted by the likes of Airbnb: This Is How Airbnb Plans to Win Over Hotels

>>The Wyndham Hotel Group CEO recognizes that Airbnb captures the attention of travelers in unique ways — and he wants to do what he can to create a similar experience: Wyndham CEO Believes Hotels Should Learn From Airbnb

>>Growing the luxury side of the business is clearly a priority for newish CEO Keith Barr, and IHG does need another high-end offering to truly compete with the likes of Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons. We’re wondering which brands IHG is looking at buying: IHG Wants a Better High-End Offering

>>When we asked then-Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in 2016 whether Airbnb was going to eat his lunch, he responded that he was very well-nourished. But it now appears as though Airbnb has an insatiable appetite. Join us on a Skift Call March 13 to assess the Airbnb threat to hotels and online travel agencies: Skift Call March 13: The Airbnb Threat

>>For the hotel industry, shopping for new brands and other companies to buy up is always in season: The Big Deals Hotel CEOs Are Chasing in 2018

>>When will the other big hotel companies like Marriott and Hilton begin to take the sharing economy more seriously? Hyatt Extends Loyalty Program to Include Oasis Rentals

>>While Mandarin Oriental’s loyalty program doesn’t offer the same lucrative points that many competing programs have, it does have some valuable perks. Best of all, the program is free and accessible to everyone: Mandarin Oriental’s New Loyalty Program Has Tons of Perks But No Free Nights

>>NH Hotels has been on a corporate rollercoaster ride over the past couple of years with HNA Group’s minority shareholding being the principle catalyst. Things have quieted down recently but harmony likely depends on the identity of the new investor: NH Hotels Fears a Rival May Buy Chinese Investor HNA’s Stake