Travel's Reopening and Coronavirus Recovery

The latest news about coronavirus recovery around the world and the reopening of travel and tourism in destinations around the world.

Skift Research subscribers can view the latest data about country-by-country recovery at the Skift Recovery Index. Data about public companies can be viewed at the Skift Health Score.

Coronavirus

Hotels Could Face $9 Billion in New Costs to Stay Squeaky Clean

Hotel owners face rising operational costs to keep up with new coronavirus cleaning standards. While some technology platforms could trim labor costs, these offsets aren't expected to hit until tech-savvy business travel returns.

Cameron Sperance | 5 years ago

exterior of Choice Hotels' headquarters in Phoenix.

Coronavirus

A Choice Hotels Partnership With Colleges Could Lift It Out of Survival Mode

Partnering with colleges and universities to turn hotel rooms into temporary student housing is a viable short-term revenue stream for Choice Hotels, but it still won't be enough to snap the company back to 2019 performance levels anytime soon.

Cameron Sperance | 5 years ago

Coronavirus

Convention Plateau: The Hotel Recovery Can Only Go So Far Without Group Bookings

Unless a vaccine or widespread coronavirus treatment becomes available this year, a W-shaped hotel industry recovery seems likely. But that doesn't mean hoteliers should accept that fate — alternative revenue streams are out there.

Cameron Sperance | 5 years ago

iProov eurostar facial recognition source iproov

Online Travel

Airports and Rail Operators Prioritize Some Touchless Technologies Over Others

Vendors are getting creative with pandemic-related services, like the following: Passport control via facial recognition. Contactless elevators. Food-ordering without needing an app. Luggage disinfection via ultraviolet light. Mask-detecting robots.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Coronavirus

Dormant U.S. Hotels Will Cost Cities and States Nearly $17 Billion in Tax Revenue in 2020

States and cities are going to lose a lot of tax revenues from hotels due to the pandemic. The question is how long will the drought last?

Korey Matthews | 5 years ago

Coronavirus

Hospitality Company at Root of Loan Controversy Pivots to Survival Mode Sans Federal Help

Ashford Inc. wants to tout the strength of its smaller businesses that could benefit from changing guest expectations around health and safety, but it can't ignore the billions of dollars in hotel debt held by two of its associated real estate companies.

Cameron Sperance | 5 years ago

Coronavirus

Hilton Cuts Nearly a Quarter of Its Corporate Workforce: Will It Regret the Deep Layoffs?

There is always the potential of going too far with layoffs during an economic downturn. But coronavirus has upended the travel industry with so much uncertainty that Hilton's sizable layoffs reflect a narrowed corporate focus on near-term health, survival, and reopening.

Cameron Sperance | 5 years ago

Hotels

2 Hospitality CEOs Who See Very Different But Sweet Opportunities in Soured Year of Travel

Many hotels won't come back from coronavirus shutdowns, but the downturn in travel won't last forever. It is a shrewd business strategy to plan for future growth, if you can stomach the short-term occupancy meltdown.

Cameron Sperance | 5 years ago

Coronavirus

What To Make of Marriott’s Post-Pandemic Playbook

There is still a long road to a full economic recovery from coronavirus, but a short-term debt buyback offer and loyalty deals signal Marriott is designing a path to rebound from the worst of the pandemic.

Cameron Sperance | 5 years ago

SkiftX

The Travel Deals That Have Fallen Victim to the Pandemic

Don't count your deals before they've hatched. Coronavirus has killed valuations of many companies, and deals along with them. On the other hand, some companies, such as Grubhub, are in the right place at the right time.

Sean O'Neill and Dennis Schaal | 5 years ago