Skift Daily Briefing

Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes The U.S. hotel industry’s performance has had mixed fortunes so far this year. The luxury sector has experienced robust growth in demand and room rates while economy hotels have struggled, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.  Luxury hotel occupancy was up 1.8% in the first five months of 2024, according to CoStar. However, economy hotel occupancy wa...

Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes Travelers heading to New York City for the Fourth of July weekend aren’t booking as many short-term rentals as they did last year. Bookings are instead surging at destinations along the Atlantic coast, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam.  AirDNA revealed that New York City is no longer a top 10 market for the holiday and has been replaced by coast...

Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes Venture capital investment in the travel industry hit its lowest level in a decade in 2023, one finding from a new Skift Research report examining the state of venture capital investment in travel.  The travel industry had only $2.9 billion of venture capital investment in 2023, compared to nearly $9 billion in 2019. Senior Research Analyst Pravani Agarwal also...

Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes Destinations across Europe are grappling with extreme heat, with soaring temperatures contributing to the deaths of five tourists in Greece. Authorities on the continent are struggling to develop strategies to combat the heat, writes Travel Experiences Reporter Jesse Chase-Lubitz.  Chase-Lubitz notes policy experts in the European Union believe governments are...

Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes New York City has cracked down on short-term rentals by requiring hosts to register since last September. Since then, the city has only approved a little less than 2,300 applications, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. Schaal writes the figure is a sign of the lack of short-term rentals in New York City. Christian Klossner, the Office of Special Enforcemen...

Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes The use of artificial intelligence in the travel industry has grown significantly in recent years. However, the industry still has a lot of work to do to get the most out of AI. Vivek Bhogaraju, advisory partner of data and AI at Skift, provides travel companies with ideas on how to develop AI strategies. Bhogaraju writes that this is just the beginning of the...

Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes Activist fund Elliott Investment Management has called for a major shakeup at the top of Southwest Airlines after recently taking a $2 billion stake in the carrier. However, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan has no plans to resign, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi.   Jordan said at a Politico event on Wednesday that he would consider Elliott’s feedback, adding...

Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes IAG Loyalty has big plans to expand its frequent flyer currency Avios. IAG Loyalty CEO Adam Daniels discussed those ambitions and more in an interview with Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi.  Daniels said one of IAG Loyalty’s goals is to make Avios a global currency. Avios has already entered into partnerships with Qatar Airways and Finnair, carriers outside o...

Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes Apple unveiled new travel-related features for several of its products on Monday at the 2024 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes provides details about Apple’s updates.  Dawes notes the Apple Watch will have a new translation app, live update features for flights and Uber, and a setting to alert users before it rains....

Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes Authorities in Venice believe the roughly $5 entry fee it charges visitors has benefited the city. And a top tourism official told Skift Venice could raise the amount, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam.  Simone Venturini, the city’s deputy mayor for tourism, said the fee is part of Venice’s strategy to preserve its beauty and pivot away from bein...

Episode Notes Booking.com is targeting U.S. travelers to tap into the increasing demand for short-term rentals, writes Reporter Christiana Sciaudone.  Eric Bergaglia, Booking.com’s vice president of Homes & Growth Segments, said at the Skift Short-Term Rental Summit that the company needs to be more U.S.-centric in how it develops products. Sciaudone reports Booking.com is focusing on in particula...

Episode Notes Hotel tech has a long way to go before it can satisfy travelers’ demands, two executives said at the Skift Data + AI Summit in New York on Tuesday, writes Reporter Christiana Sciaudone. Chris Hemmeter, managing director at Thayer Ventures, and Kurien Jacob, partner and managing director of Highgate Technology Ventures, explained how hotel tech needs to evolve. Jacob noted how the tra...

Presented by Brand USA Episode Notes Wyndham wants to shed its reputation for focusing on economy hotels in the U.S. The hotel group is looking to increase the number of upscale properties in its portfolio, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.   Wyndham CEO Geoffrey Ballotti said at a conference in New York on Monday that while the company loves the economy sector, it’s increasingly mov...

Presented by BrandUSA Episode Notes The market for unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity is set to boom as airlines look to make it easier for travelers to stay connected in the skies. Reporter Ajay Awtaney provides background into the history of in-flight Wi-Fi. Awtaney writes in-flight internet connectivity has come a long way since what he calls painfully slow service more than 20 years ago. A...

Presented by BrandUSA Episode Notes American Airlines CEO Robert Isom has paid tribute to outgoing Chief Commercial Officer Vasu Raja. But Isom has indicated it was time for Raja to go amid American’s struggles, reports Airlines Editor Gordon Smith. Isom admitted at a conference on Wednesday that American has dug itself a hole during the second quarter, with the company’s financial outlook having...

Presented by BrandUSA Episode Notes Google has made further inroads in the travel industry in recent months with several AI-powered products it’s launched. Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes delves into four of them. Dawes notes that Google has incorporated new AI features into software for physical products, including mobile phones. A new feature on Android devices enables users to translate...

Presented by BrandUSA Episode Notes OpenAI, Google and Meta have big plans for AI chatbots that can serve as personal assistants for travelers. Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes provides takeaways after reviewing the latest updates. OpenAI is releasing new voice translation capabilities in the near future that can understand non-verbal cues and recognize different voices in group conversatio...

Presented by BrandUSA Episode Notes Airbnb recently said its average daily rates can be cheaper than those of hotels. But there are lot of factors to consider, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. The company said the average daily rate in March of a one-bedroom Airbnb worldwide was $114 while data firm CoStar reported the equivalent rate for a hotel room was $140. But Schaal notes there is a l...

The World Economic Forum recently released its 2024 Travel & Tourism Index. Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam and Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill profile five countries the organization named as among the most-improved economies for enabling travel and tourism development since 2019.  Habtemariam and O’Neill highlight Albania, Indonesia, Egypt, Tanzania and El Salvador. In particula...

Episode Notes Marriott and Hilton are in fierce competition regarding the growth of their portfolios and loyalty programs. But Marriott is the clear winner in terms of fees earned from services for hotel owners, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill in this week’s Early Check-In.  Hotel groups charge owners fees for managing or franchising hotels. Marriott generated $1.24 billion in gross...

Episode Notes Airlines have recently gotten a big boost from a segment many airlines thought would continue to struggle — business travel, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi.  Delta Air Lines said corporate bookings were up 14% in the first quarter. Delta President Glen Hauenstein said 90% of the companies it surveyed said they plan to increase travel in the second quarter. United Airlines...

Episode Notes This year’s Summer Olympics are boosting short-term rental bookings in Paris, writes Reporter Elizabeth Casolo.  Short-term rental bookings in Paris between July 26 through August 11 are up 46% compared to the prior two weeks, according to data analytics firm AirDNA. Bookings in Paris’ suburbs for the Olympics are up 112%. However, AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane said short-term re...

Episode Notes Google is going deeper into the AI-powered trip planning world. The tech giant is adding itinerary-building capabilities on Gemini Advanced, its paid generative AI chatbot, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes. Google Vice President Sissie Hsiao said Gemini Advanced can create a personalized vacation plan using multiple sources of information. The trip-planning capability i...

Episode Notes Travelers could have easy access to a robotic voice translator thanks to updates to ChatGPT. An OpenAI presentation explained how ChatGPT could serve as a human speech translator, the most significant travel-related feature in several updates unveiled on Monday, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes.  Dawes reports the upgraded translation capabilities are part of the new fl...

Episode Notes The U.S. government is investigating whether airlines have devalued frequent flyer miles, which would make booking reward tickets more difficult for customers, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi.  Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Rohit Chopra said at a hearing his agency has found some evidence of airlines and credit card companies devaluing points and miles. Chopra added...