Expedia's Strong Quarter, Hilton's Optimism and Sustainability’s Price

Skift Daily Briefing Podcast

Listen to the day’s top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, February 7, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Expedia Group had a strong fourth quarter, with all three of the company’s core consumer brands registering bookings growth. Executive Editor Dennis Schaal provides notable takeaways from Expedia’s earnings call.

CEO Ariane Gorin said Expedia would be open to artificial intelligence partnerships for B2B business, adding the company would continue to release AI-generated features to further personalize travelers’ experiences. However, Gorin noted Expedia hasn’t decided whether to expand its One Key loyalty program beyond the U.S. and UK. 

Meanwhile, Chief Financial Officer Scott Schenkel said Expedia would look closely at merger and acquisition opportunities, with Gorin adding that the company has a team focused on deals. 

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Next, Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta is optimistic about a post-election boom in corporate travel and China’s continued recovery, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. 

Nassetta cited the U.S. election results as a potential tailwind for business travel, especially in corporate-heavy markets, during an earnings call on Thursday. He said greater clarity around the likely direction of tax and regulatory policies would give corporations the confidence to increase business travel. 

Nassetta also said the rise of visa-free zones across Asia is helping increase Chinese outbound travel, which has been a boon for Hilton’s properties in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Finally, although travelers have generally expressed a desire for their trips to be sustainable, Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel believes they’re not willing to pay extra for green trips, writes Climate Reporter Darin Graham.

Fogel said at the Destination Europe event in Brussels on Thursday that governments need to enact the right policies to encourage greener choices. Fogel also raised concerns about a lack of emission reduction efforts in some parts of the world, especially as some countries seem to be rolling back their climate targets.