Airbnb Hires New Transportation Head and 5 Other Hospitality Trends This Week

Airbnb Hires Aviation Industry Veteran to Lead New Transportation Division: Did Airbnb just hire the Chip Conley of aviation?

Oyo Enters the U.S. Budget Hotel Market: Oyo has a seductive model of renovating budget hotels, running them efficiently through technology, and marketing them directly to consumers. But the startup risks imperial overreach by entering markets like the U.S. that differ significantly from its core markets in India and China.

Hilton CEO: ‘We’re Not Trying to Compete With Google, Amazon and Apple’ Can a single brand ever really own a customer? We think Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta is onto something here, but that won’t necessarily stop his travel peers from trying to do that in their own ways.

What Oyo’s Latest Results Say About the Business of Budget Hotels: The business of budget hotels is hard, looking at Oyo’s latest financial report. But the startup, now five years in operation and bankrolled by SoftBank, appears to have the stamina to reach the breakeven point in the next few years.

Dining Gets More Expensive for Business Travelers: Meals and hotel stays are becoming a bigger cost for business travelers. Airfares have dropped, although this doesn’t help companies that dispatch their workers in cars for meetings in nearby cities.

Government Shutdown Caused Serious Pain for Meeting Planners: It’s nearly impossible to get a final tally of the shutdown’s impact but it’s safe to say the meeting industry was harmed. Now, experts advise planners to take caution.