Skift Daily Briefing

The Riyadh airport closure freezes Saudi corporate travel and pushes a flagship investment conference to 2027, United cuts its profit outlook as fuel costs eat into booming demand, and Airbnb tells hosts to stop handing guests a checkout chore list. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift’s Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why the longer Riyadh stays cut off, the harder it gets t...

Vrbo quietly exempts some listings from losing their legacy subscription plans while most hosts move to a 12% commission, Agoda makes its luxury pitch after doubling its premium hotel supply, and Europe’s push to spread tourists beyond its big cities runs into chatbots that keep recommending the obvious. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift’s Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down w...

France’s cost-of-living protests shut down the Louvre and disrupt Paris travel, Kempinski loses its CEO and most of its senior leadership in a sudden c-suite exodus, and Airbnb launches a rain guarantee that pays you automatically...no claim required. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift’s Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down what France’s protests mean for travelers heading to Pa...

Europe hints at flexibility on its brutal border lines but makes clear the queues aren’t going anywhere, American Airlines swaps out its network chief with a shift toward international likely on the way, and Airbnb’s dynamic pricing launch looks like the first step toward becoming a hotel-style franchisor, if hosts will let it. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate and...

Lufthansa wins the fight for TAP Air Portugal and its prized access to 14 Brazilian cities, Booking Holdings launches a second AI startup called Vayo that manages your whole trip before you even ask, and a Vietnamese island is racing to build 12,000 more hotel rooms for a summit that will leave town after a week. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate and Experiences Rep...

Spirit Airlines’ data sale to Google faces a growing list of challengers as lawmakers and unions raise alarms about AI privacy, Premier Inn’s owner fights off an activist investor while rising UK costs hammer its profit, and AI-generated fake hotel contest videos are spreading on social media while real front desks field the calls. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate...

A week of Houthi strikes on Saudi airports suspends flights, kills confidence, and threatens the kingdom’s broader aviation ambitions, Delta delays its landmark Riyadh launch as its entire Gulf strategy goes on hold, and India emerges as Skyscanner’s biggest market with travelers who want more trips but fewer extras. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate and Experiences...

Jet fuel hits a record high as airline earnings season kicks off with record revenue that fuel costs are eating alive, Houthi missile strikes knock out more than a quarter of Saudi Arabia's flights with little warning for travelers, and deadly Himalayan disasters are forcing tour operators to rethink routes in real time. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Report...

Alaska Airlines shifts its growth strategy away from a capacity-constrained Seattle toward Portland and San Diego, Vrbo faces host backlash after more than doubling commissions with just a month's notice, and Disney's latest price hikes leave base tickets alone and go straight for the extras. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Alaska's...

Airbnb quietly rebuilds its luxury homes program with in-person inspections and a tight bar, British Airways removes 52 seats from its biggest plane to turn nearly half of it into premium cabins, and a look inside Mews' $2.5 billion valuation reveals fast growth and a break-even target that keeps moving. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down w...

Brand USA welcomes back a familiar face as it fights for congressional reauthorization, a vacation rental roll-up flips the private equity script by letting founders keep control, and Delta is building a media network powered by what it already knows about every passenger who logs into Wi-Fi. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Caroline...

Choice Hotels Just Bought an RV Club and Now Has to Prove It Matters Choice Hotels acquires Harvest Hosts for $130 million in its first move outside of hotels, Airbnb launches a wave of AI features while playing catch-up to rivals who got there first, and Radisson proves that a hotel from 1973 can achieve net zero operations — with a catch. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's...

Booking Holdings launches Lola, an AI travel assistant from Kayak's founders that bets memberships can replace commissions, Alaska Airlines doubles down on premium cabins and a flagship lounge despite fuel costs wiping out its first-half profit, and Europe's new anti-greenwashing law just made vague eco-labels a legal liability. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and...

Bangkok floods snarl airports and threaten to redirect Golden Week travelers just as Chinese arrivals were tracking 78% ahead of last year, Expedia's latest layoffs zero in on data science as its efficiency push hits the org chart, and Carnival politely opts out of the premium arms race by doubling down on what actually works for its brand. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's...

Brian Chesky commits to launching Airbnb's AI travel agent in 2027 and bets the chat interface is the wrong format for travel, Barry Diller walks away from an $18 billion MGM deal but leaves the door open, and two of travel's biggest investors reveal they're putting their money into things AI can't copy. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Airbnb is building its own fro...

Vrbo and Airbnb go all in on paid placement just as AI booking agents signal they won't factor it in, IHG and Hyatt hand creators the keys and learn to let go of control, and the travel industry grapples with how to measure whether creator content actually drives bookings. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why sponsored listings may be a b...

Airbnb's Next Big Business Might Be Hotels Airbnb makes a serious push into hotels with 3,900 properties live and CEO Brian Chesky calling it a potential ten-times opportunity, a former Remington CEO raises $7.5 million to build an AI-native hotel management company that isn't shy about cutting jobs, and Brand USA's Covid-era funding cushion is nearly gone. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey...

Banks are splitting into two camps on travel — those who want to own your trip and those who use travel perks to own your financial life, Turo announces car delivery straight to your hotel as everyone races to own more of the trip, and Banyan Group makes a big move into African safari lodges at exactly the right moment. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what your choice o...

China's antitrust crackdown costs Trip.com $770 million and forces a full overhaul of how hotels compete on its platform, American Airlines puts the industry on notice that high fuel prices mean fewer flights, and Sam's Club makes a move into cruises targeting one of travel's last offline holdouts. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks d...

Gulf hoteliers at Arabian Travel Market align on a 2027 recovery timeline as pricing stays stuck despite rebounding occupancy, Lindblad makes its biggest acquisition yet with a $67 million bet on Antarctic luxury that has nothing to do with ships, and GetYourGuide recruits creators to solve tour operators' oldest problem — no reviews, no bookings. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood,...

Latvia's AirBaltic files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as fuel costs and a failed IPO take their toll, Starlink is becoming a must-have for airlines but somebody is going to have to pay for it, and Etihad's biggest problem right now is that it doesn't have enough planes to meet demand. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down wh...

The Iran war has quietly devastated Gulf tourism with Dubai hotel rates down 50% and recovery not expected before late 2027, Meta launches an AI agent called Muse that can actually book travel, and Marriott's CEO says AI's biggest impact on hotels won't be chatbots — it'll be distribution. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down just how bad Gulf tourism's numbers have gotten a...

The EU Just Gave Cities a Roadmap to Crack Down on Airbnb The EU hands cities a legal framework to justify short-term rental restrictions, Navan buys AI-powered events platform BoomPop to push deeper into corporate meetings, and Klook turns travel creators into full-on storefronts with one link to book the whole trip. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter,...

Google Is Stripping Travel Search in Europe to Avoid More Fines Google scales back hotel, flight, and restaurant search features across Europe to dodge further EU fines, the bloc's border safety valve expires just as airlines warn of more delays, and hurricane season is putting a real dollar figure on what extreme weather costs hospitality companies. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz,...

Southwest announces airport lounges and keeps reinventing itself into something almost unrecognizable, Uber cuts 3,300 jobs and pulls focus back to its core as travel ambitions take a back seat, and Emirates unveils a premium economy seat that signals where the real airline revenue war is being fought. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Southwest's lounge announcement...