2020 Archives

Marriott's CEO has joined us on stage at Skift Global Forum in years past, but for 2020 the message is more immediate, even if he is promoting a long-term perspective on the industry.

SAP has pared back its own business travel. It probably had those cuts in mind when it lowered forecasts for its Concur unit, which offers travel expense management software.

Region by region, travel will reemerge in phases. Travel advertisers can reconnect with customers through targeted messaging that acknowledges health and safety concerns and empathizes with the pent-up desire to venture out from local to regional travel experiences.

Homestays and guest houses are still a small market in India, but it's mainly a problem of supply and not demand now. Investing in the country's alternative accommodations is a long-term bet, but the potential is large.

Desperation is the new mother of invention and all eyes are on Singapore to see if the slew of measures it is taking will go down in history as forerunners of safe travel reopening — or just despairing moves.

Some hoteliers may welcome the opportunity to work with Tripadvisor on improving their rankings, but Tripadvisor will be challenged to show that its reputation management service will pay as much attention to reviews on Google and Facebook.

It's nearly time for opportunistic investors like Starwood Capital's Barry Sternlicht to swoop in on distressed hotel assets, but they'd better have the pockets to stomach at least another year of no returns on investment.

Oyo and its founder have long been accused of being heavy on spin even though all acknowledge that the hotel chain has been a category creator. This interview is excellent because Agarwal faced tough questioning. We know a politician who would have walked out.

The pandemic rapidly sped up a trend in livestreams. But the early success of Trip.com Group's and Alibaba Group's Fliggy webcasts marketing travel suggests that the phenomenon is here to stay.

Athletes go for gold at the Olympic Games, but hoteliers don't typically walk away with many prizes in the form of long-term revenue gains from the global mega-event.