Accor’s Big Plans, Hotel Tech Woes and Airbnb’s Resilience

It was a hotel-heavy week at Skift, with stories of Accor’s big investor day as well as reporting from the annual HITEC conference in Toronto. Travel tech reporter Justin Dawes was there to explain the current state of hotel technology, as well as question some of the future ideas.

And speaking of future ideas, don’t forget to sign up for Skift’s new AI in Travel newsletter – or any one of 13 free newsletters – on our newsletter hub.

The Week’s Top Travel News Stories

Accor’s Investor Day: 7 Top Slides From the Hotel Group’s Presentation
Accor’s six-hour event for investors included a 172-slide presentation. Here are 7 that stood out to us, including new financial insights into its buzzy Ennismore joint venture. More: Accor Says It Will Add 1,200 Hotels in 5 Years

United’s New York Distress Shows How Weather Can Mess Up an Airline’s Operations
It doesn’t take much weather to throw an airline’s operations into chaos. Add in an air traffic controller shortage, and some internal challenges, and you have the mess that is United this week.

Carnival is On the ‘Sidelines’ in China and Says Onboard Spending is ‘Off the Charts’
Carnival seems to be sailing on high demand, but rising costs are proving to be rough waters for the company.

They’re Top Players in Boutique Hotels. They See Power in Brands – and Hostels.
Investor Stephen Chan has co-created numerous stand-alone boutique hotels, including a high-end hostel. But crafting a new playbook for each property is time-consuming. Can his team master the art of master-branding?

Booking.com Chooses OpenAI – Not Google Bard – for Generative AI Rollout
The tit-for-tat in generative AI one-upmanship has begun with both Booking.com and Expedia having ChatGPT apps. This will go on for many years. More: Priceline Releases New AI Platform and ‘Penny’ the Chatbot

Delta Pins New Hopes on Gen Z and Millennials, Not Business Travelers
With business travel still recovering, Delta is looking at a new audience for its premium services.

The Airbnb Collapse That Wasn’t
If you’ve seen a tweetstorm about the alleged “Airbnb collapse” and are wondering if the data seems too dramatic – you’re not alone, or even wrong. Exclusive story for Skift STR Report and Skift Pro Subscribers.

Hotels are Way Behind on Tech. These Brands Are Trying to Change That.
Hotel executives admit they’re late to the party when it comes to adopting technology. Now, they’re trying to figure out the basics and adopt innovations all at the same time. More: New Hotel Tech: Room Service Robots and Holograms

Selina Gets Investment as It Still Struggles With Losses
The pledged capital injection from Global University Systems, a long-time player in for-profit education, is tiny. But its for-profit discipline is what Selina needs. In that vein, Selina will cut up to 350 jobs.

The True Risks of Using Facial Recognition for Events
Why taking a privacy-first approach to using facial recognition for event check-in can keep event organizers safe from hefty GDPR fines.

Listen Up

In this episode of the Skift Ideas podcast, Colin Nagy sits down with renowned hotelier Liz Lambert for a candid conversation around creating unparalleled guest experiences.

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Skift Short-Term Rental Top 250 Brands

Skift Research took a deep dive into the current state of short-term rentals. Here are the top 250 companies that are at the forefront of shaping the short-term rental industry.