Skift Take

This week in hospitality, we analyzed second-quarter earnings from IHG and Marriott among others, including an exploration of Amazon's potential impact on hotels.

Hotel News Weekly Roundup

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 hotels.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

>>IHG CEO Keith Barr’s take on how we’ll be using technology now and in the future is both contrarian and perhaps more pragmatic than the views of some of his travel industry peers: IHG CEO: Amazon Is a Threat to Online Travel Agencies, Not Hotels

>>Can Marriott hold onto hotel owners and SPG elites? That was the underlying question on many analysts’ minds during Marriott’s second-quarter earnings call. After all, the bigger you are, the harder you have to fall, right? But the world’s largest hotel company, not surprisingly, doesn’t see things that way: Marriott Still Working Through Starwood Integration Two Years After Deal

>>Now the question is: Who will buy it, and does the company name happen to end with “riot”? Luxury Hotelier Belmond Considers Putting Itself Up for Sale

>>Shareholders are no doubt elated, but luxury travelers are concerned. They don’t want Belmond to become another Ritz-Carlton, and get folded into another mega-hospitality giant: What You Need to Know About the Possible Sale of Luxury Hotelier Belmond

>>In online travel, Google always gets a cut: RedAwning Deal With Google Gives Vacation Rental Managers Tools for Paid Search

>>That corporate tax rate has helped companies with their balance sheets, but will those extra dollars actually translate to increased travel? Choice Hotels Not Yet Seeing Tax Cuts Spur More Travel

>>Meliá has followed the path of Disney and Carnival to introduce wearable tech. But it has taken the concept further, enabling nearby merchants like Starbucks to also accept payments made by guests via its new smart wristbands: Meliá Tests Oracle’s Wearable Tech at Its Resorts and Nearby Merchants

>>What appear to be simple marketing schemes are in fact thoughtful curations that have the double effect of attracting new customers and, if executed correctly, their return. Happy children mean happy parents and there’s no better way to secure another booking: Why Luxury Hotels Are Investing in Family-Friendly Programs

>>The third party commission cuts by a growing number of hotel companies are emerging as planners’ biggest challenge in 2018. That’s followed by the current sellers’ market but, somehow, the cuts feel personal: Meeting Planners Face Challenges Amid Commission Cuts in Sellers’ Market

>>Planners are figuring out ways to lessen the impact of commission cuts, while many hoteliers in competitive markets have explored other ways to incentivize planners to book at their property. Creativity is necessary for planners to avoid a major financial hit with the industry now stacked against them: Planners Grapple With Pressure From Hotel Chains

>>Hilton knows that while technology can be a great problem-solver, the company can’t ever forget that it’s rooted in the hospitality industry, where, oftentimes, service and true hospitality simply can’t be automated: Video: Hilton Pledges to Keep Innovating for the Next 100 Years

>>Hyatt just extended its loyalty program to reach a whole new market of luxury properties around the world. Boutique enthusiasts will be thrilled with both Hyatt and its reach: Hyatt Expands Loyalty Program to New Luxury Hotel Partners

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Tags: hospitality, Travel Trends, trends roundups

Photo credit: IHG's CEO Keith Barr says Amazon is more a threat to online travel agencies than hotels. InterContinental Hotels Group

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