Travel

Skift Take Federal agencies are currently investigating whether airlines have devalued frequent flyer miles to make it more difficult for consumers to redeem award tickets. Meghna Maharishi Have the loyalty programs of the biggest U.S. airlines grown so huge that smaller airlines can’t compete? That was one of the concerns during a hearing Thursday with

Skift Take Hilton Grand Vacations is also eyeing a sales boost by inheriting Bluegreen’s marketing deal with Bass Pro’s 200 stores after the timeshare giant fully digests its latest acquisition. Sean O’Neill Many Japanese have liked to buy timeshares in the U.S. — especially in Hawaii — as an alternative to investing in a Japanese

Skift Take Due to close proximity, the nations of Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan witness significant tourism from India. With preferences of Indian travelers changing, boutique properties are reaching out with diverse offerings to attract this tourism segment. Bulbul Dhawan India is a key source market for the neighboring countries of Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri

Skift Take Despite risks from regulation and competition, there is a huge opportunity for Airbnb to expand further around the world beyond its five core markets. It’s a big world out there. Dennis Schaal Airbnb execs have used the phrase “expanding beyond the core” to mean launching new products and services for guests and hosts,

Skift Take Tripadvisor apparently got an offer it was easy to refuse. Dennis Schaal Tripadvisor stated this morning that a merger is not in the works for now. “The Special Committee has determined that at this time, there is no transaction with a third party that is in the best interests of the Company and

Skift Take The visitor profile for World Cup 2026 is trending toward corporate group travelers. Individual tourists are being left out. Dawit Habtemariam Everyone at the IPW travel trade show in Los Angeles was banking on doing big business for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but several tour operators told us much of it would

Skift Take Jumeirah’s big announcement at Dubai’s biggest tourism trade show is a rebrand. Josh Corder Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts is now just “Jumeirah” as the state-owned hospitality brand undergoes a rebrand. Jumeirah announced this on Tuesday at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), Dubai’s biggest travel tradeshow. Jumeriah has had 3 CEOs in 8 years

Skift Take Expedia provided a different explanation as to the cause of its global outages after we presented the company with a different account. Dennis Schaal What caused the widespread outages at many of Expedia Group properties this weekend? The company initially attributed them to “maintenance” but provided a different explanation Monday: “Expedia Group performs

Skift Take The Emirates A350 is one of the year’s most hotly anticipated aircraft launches. We now know when it’ll make its debut and which cities will see it first. Gordon Smith Emirates is famed for its extravagant service onboard its current fleet of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s. It’s therefore little surprise that expectations

Skift Take Expedia Group websites from the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico, India and Dubai were experiencing outages. Dennis Schaal Many Expedia Group websites in the U.S. and other locations around the world were down Sunday afternoon Eastern Daylight Time for at least several hours. In a statement to Skift late Sunday afternoon, Expedia Group

Dubai, situated in one of the world’s driest regions, was hit with a second bout of heavy rains and strong winds this week — just two weeks after the desert metropolis was covered in a year’s worth of rain in the span of 12 hours.  Dubai’s extreme weather may lead to insured losses of up

Skift Take It’s not a good sign for the U.S. if Chinese tourists — the destination’s biggest spending market in 2019. Dawit Habtemariam Chinese tourists aren’t rushing to get a U.S. visitor visa like they did before the pandemic, according to a State Department official speaking Saturday at IPW, a travel trade conference focused on

Skift Take Travel startups raised $689 million over two weeks in mid-April, and then they raised only $29 million in the two weeks following that. Justin Dawes After an active couple of weeks for travel tech funding, it’s been a bit quieter lately. Only a handful of travel startups over the past two weeks have

Skift Take IHG saw U.S. hotel revenue normalize. Marriott plans to launch a new midscale brand. Hyatt aims to expand its all-inclusive resort portfolio. And more. Sean O’Neill Marriott, IHG, and Hyatt joined other hotel companies in releasing earnings or giving financial updates this week. Here are the highlights. Note: All numbers are for the

Skift Take Writing an award submission for the most coveted travel industry award is no mean feat. Luckily for you, I have the inside scoop to make sure your submission stands out from the crowd. Adam Stacey As someone who has been running award programs for the last decade, it’s safe to say I have

Skift Take There’s a newish metric for Booking.com, namely “connected transactions.” Given the state of competition and other obstacles, the so-called connected trip is light years away. Dennis Schaal Booking Holdings has been engaged in building a “connected trip” — where travelers might book a flight accommodation and attraction on Booking.com — over the past

Skift Take There’s nothing small scale about Minor Hotel’s ambitions for India as it plans to conquer the country’s hospitality scene, one grand property at a time. Peden Doma Bhutia Thailand-based hotel company, Minor Hotels, has set ambitious targets for its India expansion, aiming to open 50 properties over the next decade. “India is a

Skift Take MGM Resorts is riding high after a record-breaking first quarter. CEO Bill Hornbuckle’s bold bet on a Marriott partnership and on expansion in China and Japan appear to be paying off in spades. Sean O’Neill  MGM Resorts executives enthused Wednesday about the likely impact of their newly minted licensing deal with the Marriott Bonvoy