Skift Take
This week we look at Google’s travel-friendly earnings, Fairmount’s brand revamp, and more stories from travel brands around the world.
Week in Review
Fairmont Revamps the Luxury Hotel Brand’s Strategy for New Era
Fairmont is a luxury brand that has been underperforming its potential in its development pipeline. Can a new CEO and management team with a new strategy improve things?
Controversial Mexico Railway Is Uncertain Factor in Yucatán Tourism
The Mexican government aims to steer travelers toward less explored areas on the Yucatán Peninsula via a tourist train. But those efforts could backfire if it doesn’t improve infrastructure where it’s needed.
Hilton Taps HotelKey for Property Management Tech at All Its Hotels
This move by Hilton is significant and shows that the hotel industry is, finally, modernizing its core systems. For HotelKey, it’s a remarkable win by a small tech vendor in a competitive space.
After Sonder, Vacasa Receives Notice of Delisting from Nasdaq
Like Sonder, Vacasa is another example of a company that went public way too early via a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, merger.
Hyatt Is Buying Hotel Booking Site Mr and Mrs Smith for $66 Million
This all about the luxury sector, as Hyatt gains the UK-based agency’s 1 million higher-spending members and could double the number of boutique and luxury properties it offers.
Chart of the Week: ChatGPT’s Rapid Growth
Learn more about the rapid growth of generative AI in travel and elsewhere from our LinkedIn Live event recap, The Opportunities and Challenges of Adopting AI in Travel.
Google Travel Helped Nudge Advertising and Search Revenue Into Positive Territory
Alphabet officials didn’t mention ChatGPT, Bing or Microsoft during the company’s first quarter earnings call. But like modern-day bards, they gave an impassioned defense of their abilities to meet the artificial intelligence challenge.
American Airlines Gets a Huge Boost From Blended Travel
Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks closer at American Air’s blended travel insights, Fiji’s new tourism campaign, and Wyndham’s optimism.
A New Kind of Walking Tour in NYC
Scaling a walking tour experience in a famous city like New York isn’t only about competing for the masses. It might sound counterintuitive, but five entrepreneurs chosen by the Alliance for Downtown New York will have to do the exact opposite to stand out.
Travelzoo Looks to Licensing Agreements in Additional Geographies
Travelzoo is looking to maintain fixed costs at a relatively low level as it pursues increasing the brand’s presence in regional markets in Asia Pacific and elsewhere through licensing deals.
Saudi Arabia Nearly Doubles UAE in Hotel Room Construction
Destinations in the Middle East understand that to realize their very ambitious tourism goals, they need to create enough infrastructure. Little wonder then that Saudi Arabia is now racing ahead of United Arab Emirates to build more hotel rooms.
The Daily Newsletter
Our daily coverage of the global travel industry. Written by editors and analysts from across Skift’s brands.
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Photo credit: Three tourists with a selfie stick at Rome’s Trevi Fountain Skift