Selling off the business that helped subsidize editorial content was certainly a brave move, but if — and it's a big if — Andrew Harper can work out how to make money purely from publishing, then it might just turn out to be a masterstroke.
There is a striking difference in editorial styles between the two titles, with the U.S. edition hyper-focused on luxury and fashion and the UK one focused on a broader swath of readers. We're interested in seeing what will emerge as the singular voice.
Lonely Planet has weathered the death of the guidebook better than any of its peers, and its new leader will need to figure out a way to flourish rather than just survive as it builds on the pieces of its empire.
Mr & Mrs Smith has carved out a unique space in the market, and its evolution over the last decade speaks to the radical changes in the ways we discover, book, and return to hotels.
The 30-day period may produce radical changes in how Penguin runs its travel program, but it won't determine whether or not the publisher's travel business will survive the digital threats it has failed to address for so long.