Stories To Start Your Week Right
For our Resetting Transatlantic Travel series, Europe Editor Patrick Whyte has explored issues including the impact of terror, the role of the European Union, and the business of flying across the ocean. The final story today looks at whether a public official's verbal misstep could prove prophetic: Will nationalist policies in Britain and the U.S. end up preventing tourism?
On a lighter note, what happens when you ask a room full of Skift staffers what travel startups they want to see? Hospitality editor Deanna Ting did just that; read on to see what we came up with. (Hint: Someone should jump on the steampunk cruise train.)
And even though Friday is a whole weekend ago, it was an exceptionally busy day in news land. We rounded up the stories you might have missed while ushering in the weekend. — Hannah Sampson, News Editor
We're offering a limited number of travel's youngest seedlings the opportunity to attend Skift Global Forum NYC at our exclusive startup rate. If you're a pre-seed or seed level startup, apply for our $895 tickets before they run out!
Trump and Brexit both have the potential to damage their respective country's tourism industries. Open, inclusive countries are always more attractive to outsiders than closed ones.
TripAdvisor hasn't abandoned letting customers book on TripAdvisor but it has dramatically downplayed the feature in favor of the more lucrative metasearch option. With Trivago and Google making gains in a hyper-competitive sector, TripAdvisor couldn't stick with a strategy that wasn't working.
Who says you can't dream big — or small? Just don't ask us to pitch on Shark Tank, please. Also, this is why we're writers and not entrepreneurs.
After years of talking up the importance of attracting millennials and families to cruising, it appears cruise lines are leaving them with a positive impression of their time onboard when they do choose a cruise vacation.
Solomons is correct in pointing out the diverging strategies of the big hotel companies and over the next couple of years we will be able to find out which one was right.
More than 20,000 Southwest workers have been trained on the new system, which will let the airline fly red-eyes and make other schedule changes. Meanwhile, if the switch goes smoothly, Amadeus will find it easier to sell systems to other carriers.
Friday's Late-Breaking News
Something not mentioned much during Hyatt's first quarter earnings call that we wish were discussed more? Reaction to the new World of Hyatt loyalty program.
No one disputes that China is a promising market for the cruise industry. But new players can use as much help as they can get reaching customers.
It'll be interesting to see Barr lead IHG into a new era and there's no doubt his expertise in China will help the company grow even more in that region. Another key thing to note will be how he chooses to integrate Kimpton more into IHG's portfolio.
The hotel lobby has tried and failed for decades to limit the influence of online booking sites. Why will this time be any different?
Signs of HNA’s influence are pretty apparent here. Now that it owns all of Carlson Hotels, will it attempt to buy the rest of the remaining shares of Rezidor that it doesn’t own?
Choice Hotels seems confident that its strategies to push more direct bookings, as well as grow in secondary and tertiary urban markets with upscale brands, is a formula for success. First quarter results seem to agree but it's still early in the year.