Sean O'Neill

Sean O’Neill is Skift’s Senior Hospitality Editor. Sean’s forte is reporting, and he’s broken multiple hotel industry scoops. He has also conducted 1:1 interviews on stage with the CEOs of Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Hyatt, and Wyndham.

Hotel Normandie in Los Angeles source hotel Hotel Normandie

Online Travel

Tripadvisor Bets Subscriptions Will Foster Resilience in the Travel Industry

Access, curation, and creating value for both consumers and suppliers are critical to the success of Tripadvisor's new subscription product, says a top executive. The company's still working out the kinks with Tripadvisor Plus, but the early word is promising.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Online Travel

Startup BlaBlaCar Raises $115 Million for Long-Distance Carpooling and Bus Travel

Despite the pandemic, BlaBlaCar served 50 million passengers in carpools or buses in 2020, which shows remarkable resilience. The French startup has aggressive plans to create a rail service, debut a travel booking app for travelers, and expand its bus network much farther outside of Europe.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

traveler in madrid using global blue help to get a refund for value added tax VAT in europe source global blue

Online Travel

Tax-Free Airport Shopping Evaluated by EU Over Antitrust Claims

Global Blue helps international travelers handle refund claims for value-added tax (VAT) on purchases in the European Union. It now faces allegations that it doesn't play fair. We hope the regulators' review takes less time than it does to stand in line for a VAT refund at an airport.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Online Travel

Apple’s Privacy Update May Cripple Some Travel Ad Campaigns

Travel marketers need to fine-tune their digital advertising tactics in response to Apple's imminent privacy move. New data from adtech firm Criteo underscores the opportunities as well as the challenges.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Grand Rapids Public Museum 272 Pearl Street NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Online Travel

Bandwango Raises $3 Million for Destination Marketing Tech: Travel Startup Funding This Week

It's good to see startups focusing on destination marketers' needs. Marketers will need all the help they can get to grab their share of the travel recovery.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Online Travel

Loyalty Tech Vendor Points.com Anticipates a Travel Rewards Boom

Full-priced travel may be the new black, and loyalty programs can be an effective way to encourage people to pay full price. A dynamic like that theoretically could be good news for loyalty tech vendors such as Points International.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Online Travel

Travelport Streamlines Technology and Marketing Message

Travelport's changed approach to its tech stack will be invisible to the typical traveler. But if the changes deliver on their promise, they will help travel agencies be more efficient. Travelport's new marketing effort is also notably rare for an enterprise technology company in any industry.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Bob W Tallinn Telliskivi studio apartment hotel travel startup source Bob W

Online Travel

Bob W Raises $11 Million for Apartment Hotels: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Let's be real. How could you not be curious about an apartment hotel that's branded Bob W? Plus, other travel startup funding news.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

nord collection apartment hotel source nord collection

Online Travel

Short-Term Rental Sector Sees More Consolidation as Tech Startup Guesty Buys Rival MyVR

Venture capitalists see compelling prospects in startups that serve property rental businesses. The latest merger among these startups underscores the broader boom in short-term rentals and vacation rentals.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Coronavirus

90 Percent of Global Travelers Would Embrace Health Passports to Jumpstart Travel: Amadeus Study

It's interesting to hear that travelers are open to digital health passports, once the right safeguards are in place to protect their data. But it still remains unclear who will pay for and manage the vaccination certifications.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago