Travel

Skift Take Today’s podcast looks at the impact of Choice Hotels on Wyndham’s fourth quarter, Expedia Group’s controversial ad, and Bali’s overtourism prevention tactics. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, February 16. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts Episode Notes

Skift Take A potential buyer could decide to break up Tripadvisor’s parts, including Viator, TheFork, and metasearch, under the theory that the parts are worth more than the whole. Dennis Schaal The prospect of a deal to acquire Tripadvisor hung over the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call Thursday and executives didn’t offer any further details. Tripadvisor

Skift Take Today’s podcast looks at Marriott and Hilton’s top annual report takeaways, Airbnb’s artificial intelligence pathway to new verticals, and American Express’ new largest Centurion Lounge. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, February 15. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Podcasts | Amazon

Skift Take No, Brian Chesky isn’t necessarily talking about launching flights on Airbnb when he refers to becoming a “cross-vertical company.” Google Flights, relax. Dennis Schaal On the back of its November acquisition of GamePlanner.AI, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said his company can create a new AI interface, and that it will help transform Airbnb

Skift Take Ayodhya is at the center of hospitality development in India. IHCL, Radisson, and ITC are rapidly establishing their presence in the city to benefit from the tourist influx post the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple. Bulbul Dhawan EaseMyTrip.com has entered the hospitality market with the announcement of a five-star hotel in Ayodhya. The

Skift Take Icahn’s stake in JetBlue now makes him the third-largest investor in the airline. Meghna Maharishi JetBlue’s stock fell by nearly 50% in the past year as it reeled from the loss of its merger with Spirit Airlines and declining revenues.  Enter Carl Icahn.  The activist investor reported a 9.1% stake in JetBlue, saying

Skift Take As the travel industry grows in India, backed by investments in infrastructure and increased disposable income, MakeMyTrip is expanding its offerings. Bulbul Dhawan Online travel agency MakeMyTrip has announced the launch of ‘Business Class Funnel’ for international flights, with the aim of enhancing the booking experience of first- and business-class travelers. According to

Skift Take This collection and remittance is separate from Airbnb’s tax settlement of $620 million with Italy in December 2023. Srividya Kalyanaraman A new Italian law requires platforms like Airbnb to collect and remit tourist taxes in Italy. It starts Thursday, February 15, and Airbnb said it will comply beginning with more than 1,200 towns

Skift Take North Korea just might become a popular location for Russian travelers, with many destinations still having closed their doors to the group. Rashaad Jorden About 100 Russians flew to North Korea on Friday for a private tour, becoming the first foreign group to visit the reclusive state following the Covid-19 pandemic in a

Skift Take In May 2022, Marriott said it would let non-hotel marketers place ads on its site, lobby TVs, and guest-room Wi-Fi portals. But it’s been largely quiet since then. Here’s an update. Sean O’Neill In May 2022, Marriott launched the Marriott Media Network: The goal had been to let non-hotel marketers place ads on

It was another busy week for travel startup funding, and this time it was all early rounds with lower amounts. Eight industry startups from a variety of sectors and geographies announced fundraises of more than $30 million over the last week. Cosmic Aerospace: $4.5 million Cosmic Aerospace, which is developing an electric aircraft for flights

Skift Take Xīn nián kuài lè! (Happy Chinese Lunar New Year, to those who celebrate.) Sean O’Neill Yuwei Zhangzou represents a new type of Chinese tourist. Last month, the Shanghai-based fashion influencer had close encounters with reindeer, visited Santa’s village and stayed in a glass-enclosed treehouse during a trip that she organised herself to Finland.

Skift Take Big travel companies had higher priorities than to share data among one another. That’s one of the reasons Journera didn’t succeed. Dennis Schaal Seven-year-old travel tech startup Journera, which aimed to provide data to hotels and airlines to enable seamless customer trips, announced Thursday that it ceased operations. The company said it didn’t

Skift Take In what might be a record-breaking Super Bowl, airlines are preparing to fly tens of thousands of passengers to Las Vegas this weekend. Meghna Maharishi This year’s Super Bowl may break multiple records.  As the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers square off on Sunday, there’s been a sharp uptick in demand

Skift Take Today’s podcast looks at the new CEO of Expedia Group, a strong signal from Spirit Airlines, and the environmental emissions of Taylor Swift. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, February 9. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts

Skift Take Spirit CEO Ted Christie described speculation about Spirit’s ability to survive as “a misguided narrative.” Meghna Maharishi It’s been a rough few years for Spirit Airlines.  There hasn’t been much demand for the airline’s product. Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engine issues have grounded several of its planes. It has had years of

Skift Take Post Covid, India has been witnessing a rise in corporate travel, driven by face-to-face meetings and conventions. New business hotels and convention centers are being developed to cater to the rising demand. Bulbul Dhawan Flipkart-owned online travel company Cleartrip has launched ‘Out of Office’, a corporate travel management product. The product launch comes

Skift Take Hilton signaled that hotel sector circumstances have shifted in a way that makes it more likely it would pivot from its 16-year strategy of creating brands and instead consider buying them. Sean O’Neill Hilton executives said Wednesday that acquisitions are possible – a shift from the past 16 years when it has focused