Travel

Skift Take Yoshiharu Hoshino, the CEO of Hoshino Resorts, is one of the world’s most remarkable hotel executives. He’s built a group of brands now intimately associated with Japan’s tourism development and distinctive approach to hospitality. Sean O’Neill Hoshino Resorts is small but punches above its weight. It only has 68 hotels, but several of

Skift Take The expectation is for an increase in Sonder’s overall net loss for 2022 and 2023. Dennis Schaal It’s another setback for short-term rental firm Sonder: The company delayed the release of its fourth-quarter earnings report and said it will have to restate earnings for 2022 and 2023 because of accounting errors. “The Company

Skift Take Think Washington D.C. is all business suits and formal wear? Destination DC’s CEO wants you to think again. Peden Doma Bhutia Elliott Ferguson, CEO of Destination DC, knows what’s needed to boost Indian arrivals to the U.S. capital. Along with others in the travel industry, Ferguson calls out the U.S. visa process as

Seven travel startups from a variety of sectors have raised over $150 million in the past two weeks. The biggest was hotel tech company Mews at $110 million. And there were raises by three startups attempting to modernize the air travel industry. Below are the industry’s latest fundraises. NLX: $12 Million NLX, which provides customer

Skift Take Hilton seems to be taking a cue from its success in China and bringing a similar strategy to India. With the improving infrastructure, expanding airline services, and a large domestic market, the hotel company sees a perfect opportunity to expand its brand presence in India. Peden Doma Bhutia Hilton is gearing up for

Skift Take The prospect of an eight hour transatlantic flight without a hot meal may not receive a warm reception from everyone. Gordon Smith This week marked the start of two new transatlantic routes from JetBlue: Nonstop flights to Dublin from New York’s JFK and Boston. However, hungry passengers on their way to and from

Skift Take With nearly all airlines saying they want to implement biometrics at their airport service centers, there’s money in helping them make that happen. Justin Dawes Amadeus envisions a future where its facial-recognition technology could be used throughout a passenger’s journey at the airport: check-in, bag drop and tracking, boarding, border control, and more.

Skift Take While international travel has gotten easier in some regards coming out of the pandemic, far too many travelers are still dealing with lengthy visa processing delays that have hurt the industry’s recovery. Rashaad Jorden The percentage of people required to have a traditional visa for international travel is decreasing, according to a recently

Skift Take Till a decade ago, roads and railways were major means of transportation between places other than metros and tier 1 cities in India. The inauguration of these airports plays a key role in regional air connectivity. Bulbul Dhawan The annual passenger capacity at Indian airports is set to increase by 60 million. This

Skift Take In his first public comments since the merger was announced, Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci expressed confidence that the deal would pass regulatory hurdles. Meghna Maharishi Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci has called the decision to block the JetBlue-Spirit merger a “positive” — because it now sets the stage for its merger with Hawaiian Airlines. 

Skift Take Air travel in India is recovering rapidly, and as the demand is rising, the sector remains underserved. Efforts are being ramped up to improve aviation infrastructure in the country. Bulbul Dhawan The Adani Group is set to invest INR 600 billion in its airport business over the next five to 10 years. This

In Saudi Arabia’s latest tourism campaign, Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi aims to bust the stereotypes global travelers may have about the kingdom. The campaign emphasizes that Saudi Arabia has a lot to offer and is a welcoming destination, said Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority. Saudi has been hyperfocused on cutting its

Skift Take Even without a CEO, Jumeirah’s “2030 Mission” for growth remains on track. Josh Corder Jumeirah Group has appointed a chief brand officer to “spearhead the evolution of the brand,” the luxury Dubai hotel chain said Thursday. Michael Grieve will lead Jumeirah’s “2030 Mission” to reach 50 hotels globally, around double what it currently

Skift Take Hilton’s small LXR brand is enjoying a growth spurt this year as it aims to appeal to a new breed of luxury travelers. Sean O’Neill LXR is a Hilton brand with 14 luxury hotels and resorts. Last week, Hilton announced a deal for an LXR resort in Saudi Arabia, and it has seven

Skift Take A crazy twist in the world of travel and AI, here’s a tool that seems to actually work as intended. Justin Dawes Kayak this week released a tool that it says can read flight fare information from a screenshot and then search for a better price.  It sounds like a useful tool. But

Skift Take Nearly every other country has a tourism minister or tourism secretary. In a halfway fix, the U.S. Congress passed funding bills Friday that included money to hire an assistant secretary of commerce for travel and tourism. Sean O’Neill The U.S. Senate passed key government funding bills Friday evening — with one that included

Skift Take As the Indian traveler drives demand to lesser explored domestic destinations, major brands are finding opportunities to grow in the Indian hinterlands. Bulbul Dhawan The hospitality industry in India is undergoing a rapid expansion. According to data from real estate services firm JLL, a total of 131 hotels opened in the country between

Skift Take Solo travel has grown enormously in popularity in recent years, so here’s a look at the factors driving its boom as well as what solo travelers are interested in. Rashaad Jorden Travelers worldwide have increasingly expressed an interest in embarking on solo adventures in recent year. Skyscanner’s Travel Trends 2023 Report found that