Skift Podcast: Top Hotel CEOs and Executives Talk Direct Booking, Airbnb, and Cuba
Every day, Skift's hotel experts bring original reporting and analysis to their coverage. Today, they're sharing that insight with podcast listeners.
Marriott International News
The journey of the largest hotel chain in the world, Marriott International, Inc. – now with more than seven thousand hotel, residential, and timeshare properties – began with a root-beer stand in Washington, D.C. in 1927 started by J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott. Following its $13.3 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 2016, it became the largest global hotel company. It currently commands a mammoth portfolio of more than two dozen hotel brands such as JW Marriott Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection, Delta Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club, Le Méridien, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Courtyard, Fairfield, and W Hotels. Its properties contain nearly a million and a half rooms worldwide. Through its premier loyalty program Bonvoy, it is engaged in partnerships with the likes of United Airlines, Uber, American Express, Hertz, and others to optimize customer engagement.
The Current State of Keyless Entry at Big Hotel Brands
Last year marked a pivotal moment in terms of keyless room technology, as Starwood, Hilton, Marriott, and other brands announced investments in the mobile tech. And while there is consumer uptake, this still feels like a transitional technology that has us asking: What's next?
Marriott-Starwood Deal Gets Antitrust Clearance From the European Union
Starwood shareholders probably want Marriott's stock price to rebound following the Brexit vote if they want to get a better deal from the merger.
Following Marriott’s Lead, Starwood’s Aloft Pilots an In-Room Streaming Service
Consider this the eventual next evolution of making your hotel room a real home away from home.
For Hotel CEOs, Understanding the Magic Behind Branding Has Never Been More Crucial
The biggest news from last week’s hospitality conferences was that there wasn’t much news. But where there was, it all had to do with a single theme: branding. Here’s why.
Red Lion Hotels’ Contrarian Approach to Direct Bookings
Red Lion Hotels is bucking the direct bookings push adopted by the likes of Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental Hotel Group, Choice Hotels, Wyndham, and other big hotel players. Here's why.
Marriott CEO Interview: Speaking Up on Social Issues and Building a Huge Brand
Marriott is already one of the biggest players in the hospitality industry and in a few months, it'll be the biggest. Whatever the company decides to do — whether that's speaking up for LGBT rights and issues or pushing more direct bookings — is having a larger impact on the industry as a whole, and we spoke with CEO Arne Sorenson for his take on those issues, and other big challenges facing hospitality.
CEOs of 5 Leading Hotel Brands on Their Hopes and Fears in 2016
The hotel industry has never had a more promising future, but terrorism, disease, and the rise of nationalism worldwide pose varying threats.
Marriott Tries Storytelling to Sell Renaissance Hotels to Business Travelers
Renaissance Hotels' approach to telling the story of the modern business traveler is refreshing and relatable, appealing to the types of universal interests all travelers share, whether that's food, music, or simply a desire to get to know the place they're in.
Branded Experiences Are Everything for Today’s Hospitality Brands
What's the most overused travel marketing buzzword out there? Our vote goes to "experience" (although "authentic" isn't too far behind.) Love it, or love to hate it, "experience" isn't not going away anytime soon. Here's why.