Southwest’s Tech Failures and Other Top Stories This Week

Southwest’s Meltdown Should Be a Technology Warning for Airlines: Instead of heeding employee concerns, Southwest focused primarily on tech for customers, leading to a worst-case example of what can happen when modernizing operations is not a priority. May other airlines learn from Southwest’s mistake.

Bold Travel Industry Predictions for 2023: We know the travel industry will surprise us in 2023. That’s one thing that’s certain. These envelope-pushing prognostications are just our way of getting ready for the unexpected. We had fun coming up with these, and hope you read them in that same spirit.

RateGain Acquires Travel Martech Firm Adara for Mere $16 Million: With three of its four recent acquisitions based in the U.S., RateGain is making gains to acquire scale and dominance in that critical market.

Hyatt House Rebrands to Compete Against Short-Term Rental Platforms: Hyatt is wise to rebrand its Hyatt House brand, with travel trends reflecting a growing demand for extended stay properties that feel like a house with the amenities of a hotel.

5 Travel Tech Trends Worth Watching in 2023: Travel technology has been turned on its head over the past couple of years. Just about every major trend listed was caused, directly or indirectly, by issues related to the pandemic.

Sonesta Hotel Brand Expansion Will Focus on Larger Name Recognition: Sonesta is relatively unknown, so adding more sub-brands will require more than a little marketing.

European Airlines Could Face Steep Operational Challenges in 2023: Only four days into 2023 and European Airlines are already being warned of another potentially chaotic summer.

Travel Resolutions for 2023: Top Picks From the Skift Staff: The Skift team last year wasted no time in making up for the pandemic pause, zig-zagging across the globe — for work and play. Can we top that? You bet. Check out our travel aspirations for the new year, and know that we never stop living the brand.

New Covid Restrictions on Chinese Travelers Will Hurt Corporate Travel Recovery: An ever-growing roster of countries placing new testing requirements on Chinese travelers is sparking an outcry, particularly across Europe, but any calls to scale back pre-departure requirements will likely fall on deaf ears.

Airbnb Feels Google Gets a Pass on New Short-Term Rental Data Rules in Europe: What’s good for the goose is good for the Google. Or so Airbnb thinks.