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Skift Originals

Skift Originals

WorldMate iPhone app debuts sales pitches disguised as hotel alerts

The notifications are a clever move by WorldMate, although perhaps they should be called Book WorldMate Alerts instead hotel price alerts.

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 12 years ago

Online Travel

Kayak steps beyond metasearch and into direct bookings

Kayak is increasingly a hybrid as its direct-booking option gathers momentum. It's a competitive advantage over other travel metasearch companies, and it shouldn't be long before some of them follow along.

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 12 years ago

Kayak steps beyond metasearch and into direct bookings

Media and PR

Kayak struts its mobile stuff with first earnings reports since IPO

Kayak doesn't have to disclose mobile revenue and wouldn't unless it paints an upbeat picture, which it does.

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 12 years ago

Hotels

Travel industry to lobby the lobbyists and pols at GOP and Democratic conventions

Vote Travel, yes, but don't do it blindly. It's great the U.S. Travel Association is out there trying to influence the influencers, but the industry needs to be candid when federal agencies act as if they don't have any spending caps on their meetings.

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 12 years ago

Online Travel

Skype gets into vacation mode with iOS photo-sharing feature

Skype definitely deserves a spot on your "packing list" because in addition to calling features, the latest updates make photo-sharing a lot easier for business or leisure travelers on the go.

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 12 years ago

Hotels

Investors bet $15 million more on CouchSurfing’s sharing economy

If Airbnb- and CouchSurfing-type accommodations cause concern about their legalities and risks, these issues are not dissuading important investors.

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 12 years ago

Investors bet $15 million more on CouchSurfing’s sharing economy

Media and PR

More redditors reunite: Hipmunk hires away former Reddit buyer Karimkhany

Hipmunk has a lot of funding in the kitty. With Kourosh Karimkhany's hiring, perhaps a little M&A activity is in the cards?

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 12 years ago

SkiftX

6 upcoming luxury travel trends from Virtuoso Travel Week

There's apparently no discussion of a global recession inside this convention, where suppliers and travel agents debate which river cruises and space travel options are best for the young and affluent clientele.

Skift | 12 years ago

Airlines

El Al narrows losses and expands Economy Class Plus seating

El Al has some hard work in front of it in order to turn the red ink into black. With crowded long-haul flights, there could indeed be some demand for Economy Class Plus, and the El Al Upgrade bidding option is a nice twist.

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 12 years ago

Airlines

JetBlue rebuffs American Airlines with merger aversion

JetBlue will stick with its grow-it-alone strategy, which is a smart move given American's challenges and poor track record when it comes to mergers and acquisitions.

Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg | 12 years ago