Skift Podcast: The Amazon Factor in Travel

Skift Take

Tune in for an expert take on how Amazon has already dabbled in travel and how the retail giant might return.

Amazon has completely changed the retail landscape, and its purchase of Whole Foods last year is disrupting the grocery business. The company tried offering discounted hotel deals and hotel booking, but ended the service in 2015.

So when will the $850 billion behemoth tiptoe back into travel? And if that were to happen, how would it upend the industry? On the one hand, Amazon has a huge customer base built in with its Prime membership program; on the other, our poll shows consumers might still not be ready to trust the company with its travel purchases.

This episode of the Skift podcast dives into the Amazon factor in travel: the history, the opportunity and the potential fallout.

Our conversation took the form of a recent Skift Call, featuring the expertise of Skift Executive Editor Dennis Schaal and Senior Research Analyst Seth Borko.

Hannah Sampson

July 20th, 2018 at 2:30 AM EDT

Tags: amazon skift podcast

Photo Credit: Skift experts explore the potential impact of Amazon on the travel industry. Pictured is an Amazon Echo at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott. Skift / Deanna Ting

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