Why Hotel CEOs Are So Optimistic

The sold-out Skift Short-Term Rental Summit brought nearly 300 attendees to New York City this week to discuss the current state and the future of the industry. What was the best part? Hard to choose, honestly. As one attendee wrote on LinkedIn, “There were SO many great presentations and discussions at the Skift Short-Term Rental Summit in NYC yesterday.” You can watch all the sessions at on our event site here, and choose for yourself.

This Week’s Top Stories

Hotel CEOs Are Loving Limited Rooms and High Prices

The good times will keep rolling for the hotel sector, according to its CEOs. They make a compelling case.

U.S. in a ‘Business Recession,’ Says United CEO

The recovery in business travel has plateaued in the U.S.

Champions League Final Will Bring Thousands to Istanbul. It’s Worth More Than Just the Game.

When a city bids for a chance to host a major event, it’s always about more than the event itself. Istanbul has leveraged the attention to grow as a destination and add thousands of hotels over the last two decades.

Marriott to Launch Hotel Brand for Budget-Minded Extended-Stay Guests

Marriott’s move underscores how hot the extended-stay category is.

New Webinar: Join Skift and Uber for Business for a Discussion About Sustainable Corporate Travel

In this upcoming webinar, Christopher Hook, global head of sustainability at Uber, will join Skift to discuss how businesses can maintain transparency and accountability for sustainability goals, establish clear and measurable steps to reduce CO2 emissions, and balance new sustainability practices with cost, considering not only their company’s bottom line but also the brand and customer experiences. Register now to watch on June 13 at 11am ET. 

Marriott CEO on the ‘Resilience of Travel’ and New Paths for Growth

Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano has decentralized some decision-making to help the company move faster in its development growth goals. He’s also looking to add products adjacent to hotels, amplifying its loyalty program.

Emirates President Says First Class is Here to Stay

First class on long, intercontinental flights is slowly disappearing at most airlines. But not everywhere, with Emirates and Lufthansa keeping the posh offering.

Expedia Group and Vacasa Are Making These Short-Term Rental Tech Investments

Expedia and Vacasa see technology as key to improving both their businesses and the guest/owner experiences. They both face big challenges this year. 

Priceline Partnering with Google on New AI Tools

Considering Booking Holdings’ close relationship with Google historically, it’s no surprise that Priceline went with Google Cloud for its generative AI integrations. Now, who’s next?

Marriott Bonvoy Sees Experiences as Lure to Boost Hotel Loyalty Program

Points as a form of loyalty isn’t for everybody, as rewards are not always immediately accessible — but Marriott Bonvoy is looking to change that. 

Hopper’s ‘Rise in Travel’ Comes Without Playing the Search Engine Marketing Game

Unlike Booking and Expedia, which continue to spend to acquire customers from Google – not dare bite the hand that feeds them – Hopper doesn’t list on any search platform. It gets more of its customers through direct channels. 

Research Highlight

A Deep Dive Into Vacasa and the Future of Branded Short-Term Rentals

Vacasa, like the short-term rental sector writ large, is coming off of a pandemic-fueled growth spree and faces the question of what comes next. Can Vacasa tap into first-party growth while scaling back cash-intensive investments? With investor patience running thin, the clock is ticking.