The latest perk hotels are offering guests: flexible check-in and checkout. Some charge a fee. But some are granting it for free. It's an interesting play to attract more loyal customers who will book directly with the hotels and not with OTAs.

The conversation around business traveler satisfaction is growing. American Airlines' refreshed corporate benefits show that the airline is listening.

Employee engagement is a hot topic in both the business travel space and the events space. The problem is that no one has yet figured out how to accurately track it.

A new system that enables the sharing of guest data between hotels and the authorities is meant to increase productivity at hotels. Really? Better communication is needed.

It's low-risk for big brands like Gap and Express to launch digital-native wellness brands considering the unfit state of brick-and-mortar sales. If these companies find success, other retailers may follow suit.

At Skift Short-Term Rental Summit, you'll hear from the top industry executives as they discuss the short-term rental ecosystem. Don't miss our session with Vacasa Chief Legal Officer Lisa Jurinka as she shares her thoughts on regulators and the fast-evolving sector. Tickets are sold out, but you can still tune in via our livestream. Register today!

Airlines Reporting Corporation's expansion into providing services around direct bookings is intriguing. We'll be watching how it handles the challenge without vexing the travel agencies that will remain its core customer.

Is there anything that Trip.com Group (formerly Ctrip) won't do? LvYue Hotel Group is its upscale counterpart to Oyo, a set of hotel brands run in partnership with local operators in 10 Asian countries and run on cloud-based software.

From the wishful thinking and hype of years ago, the connected trip is beginning to draw real investment and to become a thing. It will take a very extended period of time to make it a more meaningful development. In that faraway horizon, will there indeed be any differentiation among the leading providers?

Self check-in by facial recognition at hotels is unlikely to be an industrywide reality anytime soon in Singapore — and that's not exactly bad news.

After years of being stuck in the past, new "smart" airports are embracing technology and data to improve the experience for both passengers and vendors. But progress is still slow, widening the gap between cutting-edge and archaic facilities. What's needed? More vision, less bureaucracy.