Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, August 1. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. Listen Now Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Episode Notes Marriott executives are optimistic they’ll see growth throughout the year despite emerging headwinds, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. CEO Anthony Capuano said the company saw strong travel...
Airlines
Southwest Airlines Flights to Be on Expedia
The move marks another major shift for Southwest, which had long resisted online travel agencies and encouraged direct bookings as a way to boost customer loyalty.
Meghna Maharishi | 15 hours ago
British birdwatcher Harriet Babeo arrived at Cuba’s Bay of Pigs earlier this week and promptly racked up 80 species for her list including the world’s smallest hummingbird and the elusive red, white and blue Cuban trogon, rarities found only the island. Far more challenging, she told Reuters, was hunting down a few liters of gasoline for her group’s rental car...
After finishing up a strong third quarter, Booking Holdings upped its outlook for the full year, pointing to strength in room nights, alternative accommodations, flights, AI, Europe and Asia. Its share price was up more than 6% in after-hours trading Wednesday evening. The company’s alternative accommodations’ room nights outpaced Booking’s core hotel business – 14% growth for...
Skift Take In this video from Skift Global Forum 2024, Daniel Hostettler of Boca Raton discusses the transformation of luxury hospitality, highlighting the shift towards personalized experiences, the integration of technology to enhance guest interactions, and the strategic rebranding efforts of the Boca Raton resort. — The Boca Raton This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a...
This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner. The UAE and much of the Middle East have set their sights on significant tourism growth. The country aims to increase hotel guest numbers from the 14.3 million who stayed in 2022 to 40 million by 2031, with construction surging ahead to create 235,000 rooms by that date. A major driver of this momentum is the unified...
Dubai Tourism CEO Issam Kazim joked that Dubai is an Indian city. Speaking at Skift India Summit 2024 on Wednesday in Gurugram, India, Kazim had a point. Dubai and India are closely linked when it comes to Indians living in Dubai, as well as cultural and travel ties. Much of Dubai’s modern success as a tourism hub grows out the many Indians choosing to stay there. Since 2015, India has...
Airlines
Spirit Airlines Cleared to Exit Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
A U.S. bankruptcy judge approved Spirit’s restructuring plan to emerge from bankruptcy as a private company, just a week after the ultra-low-cost carrier rejected Frontier’s proposal for a merger.
Meghna Maharishi | 4 hours ago
This year has thrown 12 long and often challenging months at the travel industry. To recap the year, Skift Research has pulled together 12 charts that explain how the travel industry was impacted by, and responded to, the Covid pandemic. Most of the charts in this overview are taken from our report Skift Research Global Travel Outlook 2022, with a sprinkling of additional insights we produced...
First Things It was a big week for hotel and short-term rental earnings, with a few record quarters from Marriott, Hyatt, Airbnb, Choice, and Wyndham. Overall, the outlook for 2023 is better now than the already positive forecasts from late last year. Which is a good segue into mentioning our London event in late March. Skift Future of Lodging Forum takes place on March 29 at the Londoner Hotel...