Certares Founder and Senior Managing Director Greg O’Hara spoke with Skift CEO Rafat Ali at Skift Global Forum 2021. The two discussed the theme “Investor Predictions on the Future of Travel.” You can watch a full video of their discussion as well as read a transcript of it, below. Rafat Ali: Hey Greg, how are you? Well, thank you for coming virtually. I know you really wanted to come here, but...
Skift Take Pilots at American Airlines and Southwest Airlines claim special status in seeking exemptions from President Biden’s Covid-19 vaccine mandates. The move pits the administration’s drive to boost vaccination rates against a potentially bumpy holiday travel season. Edward Russell The debate over Covid-19 vaccine mandates has reached a new fever pitch with the unions...
Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms still have not improved the transactional tools to make it simple to buy the journeys that social networks influencers show off online. But a couple of start-ups, such as TrovaTrip, High-end Travel Hackers, and Thatch, are focusing on the e-commerce difficulty– and this summertime have received investor backing. The start-ups aren’t...
Skift Take Vrbo is reiterating the message that the traveler’s experience is essential to developing demand and a strong organization. Srividya Kalyanaraman Vrbo wishes to protect customers better by levying penalties on hosts who cancel reservations and raising eligibility requirements for “premier hosts.” Starting in October, Vrbo stated, hosts in the U.S. will face...
Skift Take While tourists can run hot and cold in their choices, the Nordic medspa trend seems going full-steam ahead. Maine is the most recent play area. Leslie Barrie When bros Tony and Nate DeLois opened The Francis, a shop hotel in Portland, Maine, back in 2017, they understood something was missing in the market.“There has been a lot of hotel development in the previous ten years in...
Skift Take The boost in Covid cases– including an outbreak amongst popular U.S. politicians– comes at an unfavorable time for those calling for the transit mask mandate to be lifted. It also makes it hard for the Biden Administration to validate ending the mandate so soon when the country is dealing with another rise. Rashaad Jorden The Biden administration deals with an April 18 due...
Skift Take Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks more detailed at travel’s coronavirus recovery, Airbnb’s optimism, and Hilton’s extended-stay moves. Rashaad Jorden Great early morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, May 24. Here’s what you need to understand about the business of travel today. Listen Now Subscribe Apple...
Skift Take Listen to Peter Kern, CEO and vice chairman of Expedia Group, in discussion with Skift’s Rafat Ali. Jason Clampet The vice chairman and CEO of Expedia Group, Peter Kern, covered a lot of ground during his session at Skift Global Online Forum in New York City in September. Kern provided his viewpoint on mergers and acquisitions, innovation, and micro-services. He also laid out why...
Skift Take If and when outbound Chinese travelers return, they will be a post-pandemic variation of their previous selves with altered likes and dislikes. Old-school marketing may fail. Dennis Schaal Marketers beware: Prior methods of marketing to Chinese customers, consisting of tourists, will not work as well today since their choices altered throughout the pandemic. Trip.com Chief Operating...
Skift Take a & o is part of the hospitality market that honors refuse, repurpose, reduce as the new motto in attaining its net-zero goal. And providing brand-new life to old buildings en route. Srividya Kalyanaraman One was an old dairy factory in Stuttgart. Another, an old bread factory in Salzburg. In Perfume, there’s likewise a previous headquarters of German federal intelligence...