The highly anticipated Skift Global Forum is back in New York City this week, kicking off on Tuesday evening. Whether you’re a travel industry professional, enthusiast, or investor, this event is a can’t-miss opportunity to gain exclusive insights from some of the top minds shaping the future of travel. How to Join: In-Person or Virtual Options Attending the Skift Global Forum in...
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Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, February 29. 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 Gilda Perez-Alvarado surprised some hotel industry insiders when she left JLL to become Accor’s chief strategy officer last October. Perez-Alvarado outlined her plans for Accor in...
Skift reported recently that Saudi’s Vision 2030 is too expensive for tourists: If it eventually wants 70 million international visitors, it’s going to need more supply of hotels that don’t cost thousands of dollars a day. The Saudi Tourism Authority was quick to acknowledge the issue: The STA pointed to developments beyond the most high-profile projects and said it needs to do a better job...
Mid September to early October was the most active time period for travel funding of the year: 13 startups raised $600 million, and then another six startups raised $500 million. The past two weeks have been a bit quieter. Eight travel startups announced fundraises totaling nearly $40 million. Beacon AI: $15 Million Beacon AI, which is developing AI systems meant to boost the performance airline...
This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner. Driven by a collective yearning for activities that combine excitement, personal challenge, and a connection to nature, travelers of varying fitness levels are increasingly shifting from traditional sightseeing to immersive adventure travel. According to Skift Research, travelers now spend more than $250 billion annually on...
The travel industry has been targeted with complaints about junk fees for years. There have been countless op-eds and massive lawsuits by states against the biggest hotel companies. President Biden called out the airlines in his 2023 State of the Union speech: “Americans are tired of being played for suckers,” he said. And yet, it’s 2024 and the industry still advertises a hotel room for $200 –...
Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday, just months after its merger with JetBlue collapsed. The filing comes after The Wall Street Journal reported that talks with Frontier Airlines about reviving a merger broke down. This is the first time a major U.S. airline has filed for bankruptcy since 2011, when American Airlines entered Chapter 11 after facing high fuel and labor...
IHG Hotels & Resorts recently rolled out a function that allows guests to find and book rooms based on certain attributes, a project it says has been years in the making. Through the IHG app, guests can search for rooms at most hotels based on features, such as it being on a higher floor or having a certain view. The new feature allows hotels to sell individual room attributes — not just the...
Skift Take It’s a nice step for Google to provide more information about hotels’ sustainability practices in search results. But will the company have the guts to get “political,” in the eyes of some, and push hotel listings higher or lower based on environmental practices? Online Travel This Week In a sign of the times regarding the climate crisis, Google this week will...