Ace Hotels Acquired by Sortis and Other Top Stories This Week

Ace Hotel Chain Acquired for $85 Million by Hospitality Firm Sortis: Ace only has about a dozen properties, but it has punched above its weight in brand impact. Here’s our analysis of whether Sortis is a good home and if $85 million is a good price.

United CEO Says U.S. Airline Industry Unprepared for Post-Pandemic Realities: United CEO Scott Kirby says woe to the airline that thinks it can operate like it did before the pandemic.

Zoom Doesn’t Cut It as Corporate Travelers Seek More Conference Networking: A new report from Deloitte singles out the power of networking as the main reason for a resurgence in travel, but the truth is the pendulum is swinging wildly because companies are rediscovering the merits of travel for a range of purposes — or at least they are until expenses get reined back in.

Why Hotel Companies Keep Adding Hotel Brands: What’s driving the recent wave of new hotel brands? Does the industry suffer from brand bloat? Here are some answers.

Canada’s Crowded Banff Confronts Its Overtourism Problem: Banff is cracking down on its “too-many-cars” problem. A 10-year plan identified core community values and strategies to inform a future vision for better stewardship. Another national park listens to its community. See where these new trails will lead.

Tripadvisor Takes the Guesswork Out of Personalization: Personalization efforts in the travel industry can be way off track. Tripadvisor is supplementing those efforts in a direct way — asking potential customers what they are looking for.

GetYourGuide CEO on Reimagining Search for Experiences: Personalization of search is developing at lighting speed. Watch GetYourGuide co-founder Johannes Reck unpack what searching for experiences could look like over the next couple years with Skift’s Sean O’Neill from Skift’s Megatrends event in New York.

Booking CEO Fogel on Why Making No Deal Is Better Than the Wrong Acquisition: Mergers and acquisitions are sexy for shareholders, analysts and the press. Booking CEO Fogel knows, though, that sometimes the best decision is not overpaying and walking away from that shiny object.

Marriott and Other Hotel Brands Start 2023 With New Tech Partnerships: You can’t even stream Netflix in most hotel rooms. That’s changing at some IHG Hotel and Resorts hotels, one of several industry upgrades announced in the last few weeks.

Tour Operators Up Offerings for Solo Travelers: Tour operators making a play for the growing solo travel market need to balance the flexibility of their tour offerings against the right amount of structured planning. While the traditional approach works for some, others are reinventing the solo-travel wheel.