2020 › February › 11

Hilton and many other major hotel companies have had to close hundreds of hotels in China in response to the coronavirus. The outbreak could have long-lasting effects on the hotel industry, which has already been grappling with a slowing global economy and other geopolitical issues.

Sporting some red ink in its financial results doesn't spell doom and gloom for Airbnb's prospects of going public in 2020. On the other hand, the question for employees and investors becomes — at what valuation?

Mondee's acquisition of fast-growing CTS (Cosmopolitan Travel Service) makes the group North America's largest airfare wholesaler by market size. Notably, Mondee could afford the deal thanks to fresh backing by TCW Group, a giant asset management firm. Lots of institutional money is seeking opportunities in travel this year.

Eric Breon grew Vacasa from a business run off his dining room table to North America’s largest full-service vacation rental management business. Few startups have the awareness to know when they need different leadership to get to an initial public offering, and Vacasa may be a rare exception.

Another European airline bows out. Alitalia has once again outlasted one of its purported challengers — now it desperately needs to find a buyer.

No matter where in the travel industry you turn, one company seems to be on everyone’s lips: Google.

Longtime leader and co-founder Deep Kalra will remain critical at the company in a newly created role of executive chairman. The change in job titles is a reward for co-founder Rajesh Magow's years of work leading the India business. Both executives have pushed hard on a subscription model, one of Skift's Megatrends for 2020.

TUI CEO Fritz Joussen sounded much more upbeat than he did last December. While the Max grounding continues to cause problems for the company, holiday bookings for summer 2020 have grown. For now, it thinks it has the edge on its remaining competitors.

The growing number of coronavirus cases in Singapore has heightened worries about human-to-human transmission among travelers, but the government’s swift and clear response so far shows its ability to manage a crisis.