In Skift's top stories this week, TUI Group's largest shareholder is a prominent supporter of Vladimir Putin, Expedia stops offering travel to and from Russia, and hotels and hostels set aside beds for Ukrainian refugees.
February was a surprisingly strong month for hotel job gains. Companies need to continue the momentum leading into the busy summer travel season, which is only a few months away.
Major hotel companies are recognizing that trust issues lingering from pandemic furloughs and layoffs play a major part in the industry’s labor shortage crisis.
Marriott, Hilton, Choice Hotels, and Wyndham all swung to profitability last year, per earnings reports this week. Even if Hyatt didn't, the other reports mostly amounted to a strong sign of recovery well under way for hotel companies with a significant presence in the U.S.
Global hotel companies like Hilton are quick to say China’s stretched-out lockdown measures aren’t deterring them from developing new projects there. Too much money is riding on these potentially lucrative deals to happen.
Omicron soured hotel recovery momentum at the end of last year, but high daily rates for U.S. hotels and groundbreakings in China offer two growth narratives amid the pandemic setback.
Just as China was beginning to show signs of strong momentum for hotels heading into the Lunar New Year, another report came out showing Omicron is too much of a headwind for hotels to overcome.