Nearly two years after he assumed the top role at InterContinental Hotels Group, CEO Keith Barr's vision for a nimbler and more risk-taking hospitality company is becoming a reality.

It's tough for travel brands to compete against the Googles, Bookings, and Expedias of the industry. Integrating deep learning technology into existing marketing solutions can allow brands to make the most of their first-party data to better understand the patterns of their customers and make smarter, action-oriented decisions.

It is relatively rare that contract disputes between online travel agencies and airlines reach the public domain unless they are at a breaking point. We'll undoubtedly hear more about this soon.

Skift has covered every angle of the overtourism debate for the past three years and the more we've reported on destinations at capacity, the more we've realized those places are outnumbered by many others that understand tourism is about quality rather than quantity.

Many recognize the importance of marketing technology, but organizations still struggle with how to implement these technologies the right way and to find the right talent to lead their initiatives.

If it's tough for Ryanair, you can imagine how difficult it is for other smaller airlines. With a new group structure, it will be interesting to see how big a part the Irish carrier plays in any consolidation over the course of 2019.

Traditional airlines don't ever want to be caught unprepared again, as they were when low-cost carriers disrupted their gig. And Asia is where they look to for a head start on travel tech innovations. Never see legacies as geriatric ever again.

Between credit card pitches and requests for tips, the process of monetizing the airline cabin is starting to wear on frequent flyers.

Can a single brand ever really own a customer? We think Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta is onto something here, but that won't necessarily stop his travel peers from trying to do that in their own ways.

Travel companies have long tried to woo their current customers into buying more, but their promotional tactics have tended to be generic and blunt. Not anymore. Brands are now adopting sophisticated technology to make their sales pitches relevant and effective.

Airbnb's acquisition of Gaest makes a ton of sense for the homeshare giant, but doesn't represent any major shift in the overall meetings and events space.