Articles tagged “standard international”

Incoming Standard International CEO Amber Asher is taking over a company rapidly expanding. But this is more than a growth story: Her rise to the top job is a major step forward for advancing female leadership in hospitality.

Major hotel companies like Marriott and Hilton want franchisees to think bigger is better in terms of signing a branding deal. Standard International wants to show you can stay independent and punch above your weight — but having cool factor and financial backup still helps.

The biggest hotel companies in the world are knocking on the doors of cool, independent brands for takeover talks. Not everyone is answering.

Profitability is possible, but there won’t be massive financial windfalls to report this week. Investors will still expect at least some sign the leisure-led recovery is benefitting these global hotel companies — especially amid the rise of new variants.

Watch a full session from our recent online event devoted to hotels and hospitality, and post-pandemic marketing strategy and planning.

Summer travel demand is a much-needed boost to struggling hotels, but we want to hear recovery strategies beyond the next three months. Leisure travel demand doesn’t benefit everyone, so how does the entire industry advance? Find out at next week’s Skift Hospitality & Marketing Summit.

In Skift's top travel stories this week, we looked at changes in Air France-KLM's pricing strategies, Vrbo's attempt to woo disgruntled Airbnb hosts, Nashville's tourism strategy, and the Delta's reversal and the state of Georgia's new voter suppression law.

Hotel labor groups have justifiably been concerned over the industry push in the last year to offer contactless features like mobile check-in that reduce staffing needs. The Standard’s chat function replacing calls to the front desk may be the rare tech innovation that actually helps the worker.

Standard Hotels buying into Bunkhouse Group seemed like a perfect match, one boutique hotel innovator investing in another. The goodwill seems to have soured since then, and it's difficult to know exactly what happens to the Bunkhouse brand without its founder.

Crowdsourcing the booking process, if you will, is a smart strategy to make guests feel involved in the business.