Redefining the Hostel and 10 Other Hospitality Trends This Week

>>Does it really matter whether you call a place to stay a hostel or a hotel anymore? Generator Doesn’t Want to Be Known as a Hostel Brand Anymore

>>There have been a number of big changes at Hostelworld in 2018 and we should expect further shifts in strategy under new CEO Gary Morrison: Hostelworld Counts Cost of European Heat Wave

>>The revenue management industry picked an odd time to have an identity crisis, given the opportunity for additional profit that new rate-setting and distribution software could bring: Why Hotels Envy Airlines When It Comes to Managing Revenue

>>There is something to be said for the will to survive through hardship. Other hospitality groups should take note of the Oberoi Group story. India's luxury hotel group is one of the subjects in Skift’s recent sixth anniversary book, For the Long Haul, Lessons on Business Longevity, whose chapters we are excerpting for you here: Luxury Hotelier Oberoi Group Stays the Course by Focusing on One Brand

>>The Oberoi Group is a good example of a hospitality company that has eschewed aggressive expansion in favor of thoughtful growth: Oberoi’s Focused Approach to Luxury

>>The planned integration of Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards did not go entirely smoothly. Some members were not shy about expressing their unhappiness: Marriott and Starwood Face Speed Bumps in Loyalty Merger

>>Instead of selling their platform to hotels, Conichi is now relying on corporate partners to help push through their technology from the other end. This can only be good news for business travelers as more efficient check-in processes and simpler expensing move into the mainstream: How Streamlining Hotel Technology Will Help Business Travelers

>>Vacation rental management is becoming professionalized, and the gold rush is on: Evolve Raises $80 Million for Vacation Rental Management Tech

>>If you thought hotels had a lot of soft brands, wait until you see what's emerging in the vacation rental sector. The early success of the 25-year-old co-founder of Sonder is inspiring others: Rental Brand Sonder Raises $85 Million on Soft Brand Boom

>>The market for long-term serviced apartments is being dragged, thankfully, into the digital era by companies like Homelike. Plus: Funding news for Roomex, FunNow, Vntrip, and Roto Travel: Homelike Raises $14 Million for Rental Search: Travel Startup Funding This Week

>>Sometimes I have a vision of a cohesive mobile experience for hotels, where everything from booking to room entry and billing can be accomplished through one app. We're not anywhere close to that at scale, but steps are being taken to fix what's broken: Refining the Hotel Experience With Technology