Wouter Geerts and Sean O'Neill, Skift
Short-term rental tech vendors are increasingly forced to pick a side: Focus on professional property managers or focus on the long tail of independent hosts. There's business in both, but understanding customer needs is paramount.
8 mins ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
It isn't easy being in the airline business, but airlines have one advantage over a traditional company. Their assets are mobile. If a carrier like JetBlue discovers softness in one region, it can move its airplanes elsewhere.
3 hours ago
Patrick Whyte, Skift
While most economic forecasts think that leaving the European Union will be bad for the United Kingdom, uncertainty over how, when, or even if, Brexit occurs is doing plenty of damage at the moment.
4 hours ago
Preferred Hotels & Resorts + Skift
Independent hotels are well-positioned to capitalize on a growing consumer appetite for experiential destinations and one-of-a-kind moments. Enduring soft brands like Preferred Hotels & Resorts are now taking advantage of this shift by tapping their 50-plus years of experience delivering for consumers while boosting revenues and lowering costs for hotel owners.
7 hours ago
Patrick Whyte, Skift
Flight shaming as a concept is now well established, and airlines are certainly under much more pressure to showcase their green credentials. The impact on passenger numbers, however, is so far limited.
6 hours ago
Seth Borko, Skift Research
Oyo promises a new type of hotel company. It’s an asset-light brand that seeks to connect the global long tail of mom-and-pop hotels through its tech and distribution platform. But can it live up to the hype? Skift Research dives deep into Oyo’s business strategy and financial performance.
7 hours ago
Laura Powell, Skift
Within the travel industry, brands like Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons loom large. But according to a just-released study of brand valuation, in the real world, hospitality brand names don't carry as much weight as their high-end counterparts in other industry sectors. To address this, companies like Marriott and Hilton are focusing on establishing ironclad loyalty offerings.
7 hours ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Touring Bird gained no traction in the real world outside Area 120, and for all the inroads metasearch has made in hotels, flights, and cars, it has really struggled in emerging categories where the products aren't cookie-cutter such as in vacation rentals, and tours and activities. After all, when experiences are unique or varied, comparing them is hard.
7 hours ago
Allan Leibowitz, Skift
Traveling is tough when you’re transgender, but it can also be very risky for travel advisors who could unwittingly send their clients into some hostile environments if they don’t know what they’re doing.
7 hours ago
Abeer Abu Omar and Sarah Algethami, Bloomberg
Alongside its planned tourism boom, Saudi Arabia will need a new workforce. And for the first time, it's the Saudis themselves who seem to be warming to the idea of working in the service and hospitality sector.
9 hours ago
Tim Culpan, Bloomberg
In Southeast Asia, Indonesia President Joko Widodo is seen as a “tech star.” The country has birthed several decacorns, including Gojek and Traveloka. The appointment of Gojek’s CEO Nadiem Makarim to the Indonesian cabinet further shows Jokowi's zeal for tech transformation that has created more jobs rather than killed them.
10 hours ago
Sean O'Neill, Skift
Nowhere is the need for a more tech-driven, business-oriented model for setting rates more clear than with short-term rental property management companies. Several startups aim to supercharge rate-setting with data-powered insights. But there's probably too many of these young companies for them to all survive long-term.
15 hours ago
