Good Morning Hospitality

On Monday’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, and Jamie Lane break down the latest headlines shaping travel and lodging. They cover concerns that the U.S. is missing a major opportunity for international tourism growth, a new lawsuit targeting major booking platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com, and Expedia Group’s latest round of layoffs. The episode wr...

On this episode of Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down the latest moves and disruptions in travel and hospitality. They start with Capital One Travel’s decision to open its platform to Discover cardholders in a bid to challenge Chase and American Express on points, perks, and travel spend. Then they discuss iconic hotelier Ian Schrager’s partnership...

We’re sharing a preview of a new podcast from Skift called Skift Take Sessions. Skift Take Sessions is a weekly, journalist-led podcast built from the most important conversations shaping the global travel industry. Each episode features candid interviews with CEOs and senior leaders across airlines, hotels, and travel platforms, recorded live at Skift events and expanded with context around why t...

On this morning’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers is joined by Michael Goldin and Jamie Lane for a quick-hit look at the stories shaping travel and hospitality to start the week. The team covers WeatherPromise’s latest funding round, the massive winter storm disrupting U.S. flights, and what it could mean for short-term rental demand, and Airbnb’s newest services push with...

Mews just raised $300 million in a Series D, valuing the company at $2.5 billion — one of the largest hotel tech raises ever. But this conversation isn’t about hype. In this GMH exclusive, Wil Slickers sits down for a third time with Richard Valtr, Founder of Mews, to unpack what this funding actually unlocks and why Richard believes much of hospitality technology has been built on the wrong assum...

On this episode of GMH Hotels with Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk, as they break down four major developments shaping where lodging and travel are headed in 2026. They start with Outsite’s new private-equity backing, a big vote of confidence in social extended stays and flexible work-travel lifestyles. Then they explore Google’s latest push into AI-powered travel planning and how big tech continues...

On this episode of Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Brandreth Canaley, Michael Goldin, and Jamie Lane unpack the idea that the thrill is gone for Airbnb and short-term rentals, a growing conversation about innovation, product fatigue, and where the sector goes from here. Then they look at Hilton’s latest strategic move with the launch of Apartment Collection by Hilton, its...

Kasa has acquired Mint House at a moment when much of the urban apart-hotel sector has collapsed. In this GMH special, Wil Slickers sits down with Kasa Founder and CEO Roman Pedan to break down how the deal came together, why Mint House chose Kasa, and what this acquisition signals about the future of urban short-term rentals and apart-hotels. With Sonder now gone and capital having pulled back fr...

On today’s GMH Hotels, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk cover the latest shifts shaping travel and hospitality in early 2026. They break down continued weakness in overseas travel to the U.S., the Sun Country Airlines–Allegiant airline merger, Google’s move toward agentic AI checkout, and Marriott International’s expanding loyalty strategy tied to global cricket events. The episode wraps with this we...

In this GMH Special, Wil Slickers sits down with Skift Founding Editor Dennis Schaal to unpack one of the most surprising travel tech stories of the year: Kayak’s CEO quietly attempted to take the company private. They walk through what actually happened, why the move was explored, and what it reveals about the pressure facing travel platforms in a world being reshaped by AI, Google, and shifting...

On this episode of Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, and Jamie Lane dig into three stories shaping travel and lodging as 2026 gets underway. They start with how credit card rewards are now rivaling traditional airline and hotel loyalty programs, reshaping how travelers earn, redeem, and choose where to stay. The team discusses a major devel...

On January 7th, GMH Hotels returns with one of the show’s annual traditions 🔮Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk share their predictions for 2026, breaking down what they expect to shape the hotel industry in the year ahead. From demand and pricing to labor, loyalty, technology, and guest experience, they lay out the trends they believe will matter most — and the assumptions worth questioning as the ye...

Welcome back to Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, and the first episode of 2026! Wil Slickers, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, and Jamie Lane kick off the year by sharing their predictions for what lies ahead across travel and hospitality. From demand and pricing to distribution, technology, and guest behavior, the crew lays out the trends they believe will define 2026, along with the...

On the final GMH Hotels episode of 2025, Sarah Dandashy is joined by Katie Cline to break down the forces closing out the year in hospitality and travel. They explore the “ugly new math” pressuring hotel margins, a wave of airline CEO changes signaling deeper industry shifts, and how luxury travel is being redefined beyond passports and borders. The episode also looks at New York City’s newly appr...

On this episode of Good Morning Hospitality, Wil Slickers, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, and Jamie Lane revisit the predictions they made at the beginning of 2025 to see how the year actually played out. With a full year of data, headlines, and hindsight behind them, the crew breaks down what they got right, where they missed the mark, and which trends caught them completely off guard. From d...

On this episode of GMH Hotels, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk bring back one of the show’s favorite traditions: the annual predictions review. At the start of the year, they each made bold calls about the trends, challenges, and opportunities that would shape hotels and travel in 2025. Now, with December here, they’re revisiting every forecast to see what actually happened, what completely surprise...

On today’s Good Morning Hospitality, Wil Slickers, Jamie Lane, Brandreth Canaley, and Michael Goldin dig into the trends shaping the start of the week across travel and lodging. Jamie brings fresh World Cup host-city data with early demand and pricing signals, along with his top takeaways from the DARM conference. The team then looks at the slowdown in travel startup funding and how tighter capita...

On this episode of GMH Hotels, Wil Slickers and Steve Turk cover a busy week in travel! Expedia Group taps former Google AI leader Xavier (Xavi) Amatriain as its first Chief AI and Data Officer, TSA introduces a new $45 fee for travelers without a Real ID or passport, hotel loyalty programs undergo a major reinvention, and Marriott International expands into branded residences with its Ambar Orlan...

On this episode of Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Jamie Lane, Brandreth Canaley, and Michael Goldin dive into some of the biggest moves in short-term rentals and travel. First, they unpack the recent deal where Evolve acquired 1,000 owner contracts from Casago, a bold consolidation that could reshape supply and operator models. Then they explore why Luxury Escapes is doub...

On this episode of GMH Hotels, Wil Slickers and Sarah Dandashy are joined by guest-host Dennis Schaal, Founding Editor at Skift, for an exclusive 10-minute segment on the newly announced deal: Capital One’s planned acquisition of Hopper. They’ll dive into the implications for hotel tech, travel finance, and how key engineering and hotel talent will shift with the deal. Then, Sarah and Wil break do...

On today’s Good Morning Hospitality, Wil Slickers, Jamie Lane, Brandreth Canaley, and Michael Goldin break down Google’s latest step into agentic travel planning. This system can build, price, and coordinate full itineraries, yet insists it has "no intention" of becoming an OTA. The crew explores what this means for hotels, short-term rentals, platforms, and anyone competing for consumer discovery...

On this episode of GMH, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down a lineup of stories shaping the hotel and travel landscape. 🎙️ They start with Hilton’s major loyalty overhaul, a new top-tier status, and lowered thresholds that could reshape how travelers climb the elite ladder. They then look at how both Hilton and Marriott International are responding to the hotel industry’s ongoing talent crisi...

Today on Good Morning Hospitality, Brandreth Canaley, Michael Goldin, and Jamie Lane break down the latest earnings results from Airbnb and Expedia Group. A quarter defined by discounting, flexible payment options, and a surge in “reserve now, pay later” bookings. They examine how these strategies helped drive strong performance for both platforms and raise the big question hanging over the indust...

This week on GMH Hotels, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk explore four stories that capture the shifting landscape of hospitality and travel. They begin with Accor’s newest luxury soft brand, created to attract independent hotel owners seeking the reach of a global chain while maintaining local character. Next, they look at how hotels are turning to AI tools and smaller-plate strategies to cut food w...

Update: This episode was recorded just an hour before Sonder published its official notice of shutting down operations. Read more here. On this episode of Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Michael Goldin, and Brandreth Canaley are joined by Skift Senior Hospitality Reporter Sean O'Neill to unpack the breaking story of Marriott Bonvoy ending its licensing agreement with Sonde...