Vivian Nereim, Bloomberg
Saudi Arabia, hungry for tourism dollars, has several mega-projects underway. Diriyah Gate, a UNESCO site that’s the ancestral home of the Saudi ruling family and will feature 20 hotels, eight museums and a golf course, is one of them. Global chains are taking a close look.
56 mins ago
Isaac Carey, Skift
It's tough to provide event housing when the financial risks are so high. New platform Stayker aims to give planners a bit of security.
6 hours ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
From the wishful thinking and hype of years ago, the connected trip is beginning to draw real investment and to become a thing. It will take a very extended period of time to make it a more meaningful development. In that faraway horizon, will there indeed be any differentiation among the leading providers?
13 hours ago
American Airlines + Skift
The conversation around business traveler satisfaction is growing. American Airlines’ refreshed corporate benefits show that the airline is listening.
2 days ago
Yixin Ng, Skift
Self check-in by facial recognition at hotels is unlikely to be an industrywide reality anytime soon in Singapore — and that’s not exactly bad news.
13 hours ago
Isaac Carey, Skift
Now that Zeno is well-established in Serko's home market, the next step is to bring that same popularity abroad. The travel management company is forming partnerships with major players to help it gain traction in the U.S. and Europe.
17 hours ago
Patrick Whyte, Skift
EDreams is certainly putting a lot of effort into its Prime subscription offering. The test will be how it goes down in other markets and how it performs over a number of years. Do the numbers stack up over the long term and will people keep renewing?
18 hours ago
Isaac Carey, Skift
Event planners are putting their money on the line when signing a room block contract, and often the gamble is just not worth it. If Stayker catches on, the group booking rate may start to pick up again.
21 hours ago
Souhail Karam, Bloomberg
Morocco's rising social needs, debt burden, and position in an unstable region means it cannot rely on tourism alone for its economic future.
23 hours ago
Patrick Whyte, Skift
Interestingly, new Norwegian Air chief Jacob Schram has plenty of experience dealing with takeovers and mergers from his time in the retail trade. Might Norwegian want to tap this experience as part of future plans?
24 hours ago
Robert Williams, Bloomberg
Can luxury travel help revive bricks-and-mortar retailing? LVMH is counting on it with its restored Paris department store opening next April, which will also see a new Cheval Blanc Hotel, restaurants, Christian Dior spa, and duty-free shopping.
1 day ago
Sean O'Neill and Brian Sumers, Skift
After years of being stuck in the past, new "smart" airports are embracing technology and data to improve the experience for both passengers and vendors. But progress is still slow, widening the gap between cutting-edge and archaic facilities. What's needed? More vision, less bureaucracy.
1 day ago
