New Webinar: Innovative Revenue Strategies for Uncertain Times

This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner.

New research from Skift and ZS Associates found that nearly 90% of travel executives see revenue diversification as essential for future resilience. But many struggle to turn innovative ideas into action. It’s with this challenge in mind that Skift and ZS hosted a new webinar, “Beyond the Core: Travel’s Blueprint for Diversified Growth.” Along with senior leaders from Marriott International and AWS for Travel and Hospitality, the panel explored how travel brands can evolve beyond their foundational business models to create revenue innovation.

In this webinar:

• Redefining growth beyond the core business: Companies must look beyond traditional offerings — e.g., hotel rooms, airline seats, cruise berths — to unlock revenue innovation and diversified growth. Forward-thinking travel brands are thinking holistically about connecting the customer journey, not simply expanding product lines.
• Discovering non-core assets that deliver and scale: Companies are leveraging existing assets — such as loyalty ecosystems, content platforms, and brand recognition — to build new ventures that resonate with guests. To maximize the potential of these non-core assets, companies must also identify partnerships, integrated data solutions, and new technology (like generative and agentic AI) to make success possible.
• Enabling organizational alignment and cultural change: Even the best strategies and technologies falter if the internal organization isn’t aligned. Balancing innovation amidst core-business pressures depends on integrated roadmaps, cross-functional leadership, and a culture that fosters testing and scaling. Ultimately, diversification is as much about internal cohesion and long-term leadership vision as it is about bold ideas.

Customer passions — from sports and music to culinary and outdoor adventure — are reshaping the travel experience. Marriott’s Lucy Werner shared how the company is leveraging its loyalty ecosystem and new ventures to meet travelers in more personalized, experiential ways.

“It’s about understanding the purpose of the trip and then how to connect the dots in a seamless way,” Werner said. “People don’t want to just make a trip and stay in a hotel. They really want to experience the destination in an authentic way. If it’s done right, it’s a huge driver of loyalty.”

AWS’s Steven Elinson described how emerging technologies and partnerships enable brands to deliver these experiences seamlessly, but each organization has to be moving in step internally to make them happen.

“When you’re extending your revenue capabilities, it can’t be a side project or a special initiative,” he said. “The entire executive suite has to be aligned on the desired outcome.”

Meanwhile, ZS’s Kunal Shah emphasized the importance of cross-functional collaboration and engagement to ensure consistent execution.

“Change management is about getting people to behave differently,” Shah said. “It takes time, it takes patience. And so the first time an experiment ‘fails’ isn’t really a failure, it’s more of a step along the journey.” 

Ultimately, building organizational and technological agility is the critical linchpin to translate insight into innovation. By testing small-scale pilots, aligning leadership goals, and embracing frameworks for smart experimentation, travel companies can diversify revenue while deepening loyalty. As the industry faces constant change, the blueprint for sustainable growth lies in combining human creativity, data intelligence, and the courage to look beyond the core.

For additional data, analysis, and detailed examples of ZS’ 5As Framework, please download the recent report from ZS Associates and Skift.

This content was created collaboratively by ZS Associates and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.