Skift Daily Briefing

Episode Notes Hilton’s third-quarter earnings call suggested that U.S. hotel demand is returning to pre-pandemic norms. However, the company is seeing bookings surge at its overseas hotels, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. Hilton’s revenue per available room — an important industry metric — rose only 3% in the U.S. in the third quarter. But it jumped 39% in the Asia-Pacific region....

Episode Notes Taylor Swift wasn’t the only major pop star responsible for a tourism boom this summer. Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour helped lift hotel bookings across the U.S. and Europe, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill. O’Neill cites Cardiff, Wales, Cologne, Germany and Houston, Texas, as cities where hotel bookings surged during stops on Beyonce’s tour. Hotels in her hometown of Housto...

Episode Notes Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker, one of most influential executives in the global airline industry, announced on Monday he’s stepping down, effective November 5, writes Reporter Ajay Awtaney.  Under his leadership, the airline has grown from five aircraft in 1996 to 258 aircraft today. Al Baker also played a critical role in the opening of Hamad International Airport, which has serv...

Episode Notes First, the U.S. Department of State has issued a message urging all Americans traveling abroad to “exercise increased caution” due to heightened tensions in various locations and potential terrorist attacks and violent actions against U.S. citizens. The alert is in response to the global consequences of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, writes tourism reporter Dawit Habtemari...

Episode Notes Google is constantly tweaking its hotels platform, and the latest iteration contributes directly to the democratization of the online travel industry, writes Skift Research analyst Pranavi Agarwal. Skift Research conducted a study of Google Hotels platform. Here are three insights from the analysis: paid sponsored listings are dominated by the largest online travel agencies; the intr...

Episode Notes Choice Hotels has made a public bid to acquire Wyndham Hotels in what would be a hostile takeover. Valued at nearly $8 billion, the deal would combine the companies to create the largest franchisor of budget hotels in North America, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neil. Wyndham’s board of directors, however, publicly rejected the deal, citing regulatory and execution risks an...

Episode Notes Hilton will simplify how small-and medium-sized businesses book and manage billings for its small-group meetings and events and has opened a waitlist for Hilton for Business, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neil. To encourage sign ups, Hilton will run a loyalty program that rewards business owners with points that can go toward their businesses or their personal travel. Hilt...

Episode Notes Airbnb has been blamed in recent years for helping average rents in some cities increase. But Taylor Marr, Airbnb’s first senior housing economist, downplays its impact, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.   Marr said, in an exclusive news interview with Skift, that Airbnb is launching a housing research program. Although Marr acknowledged Airbnb could have negative impacts on so...

Ask Skift Is the AI Chatbot for the Travel Industry: Go deeper into the business of travel with Skift’s new AI chatbot. Ask Skift Your Questions Episode Notes The Biden administration has taken another step to combat so-called junk fees. The Federal Trade Commission unveiled a proposed rule on Wednesday that would stop businesses — including those in the travel industry — from charging misleading...

Episode Notes New York City’s recently enacted stringent host registration rules for short-term rentals has led to a substantial reduction in Airbnb’s listings in the city. They’ve also helped create an underground market for Airbnb alternatives, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal in his weekly Online Travel Briefing. A recent article in Wired described New York City’s short-term rental regula...

Episode Notes Israel had high hopes this year for its tourism sector this year as it sought to surpass 2019 visitor numbers. But Hamas’ surprise attack on the country, which has led to at least 1,000 deaths, has completely halted Israel’s tourism industry, writes Middle East Reporter Josh Corder and Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia.  Corder and Bhutia report that major airlines worldwide, including A...

Episode Notes Saudi Arabia has just announced it will bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034. A big question is, if chosen as the host, will the kingdom stage the first entirely alcohol-free World Cup, writes Middle East Reporter Josh Corder. Corder reports Saudi Arabia would have all the event spaces it needs as well as some of the world’s luxurious hotels by 2034. However, Saudi authorities woul...

Episode Notes Hilton has just released its annual whitepaper documenting major travel trends. So what did it reveal? Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill documents the three trends he found most noteworthy. O’Neill reports that only a small percentage of Hilton’s guests are checking in via the company’s app despite its efforts to upgrade the platform. He adds that other hotel groups may see even...

Episode Notes The U.S. tourism industry has made progress in its recovery from the pandemic, but two major issues are hurting its ability to attract international travelers. What are they? Long wait times for visitor visas and outdated air infrastructure, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam.  Executives speaking at the recent Skift Global Forum said the U.S. is facing fierce competiti...

Episode Notes Executives speaking at the recent Skift Global Forum said hotel operators and short-term rental managers are not fighting for the same customers. However, hotel owners and Airbnb both have growth ambitions that could lead to more competition, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.   The heads of both Hilton and Airbnb said at the Forum that lodging isn’t a winner-take-all ma...

Episode Notes Travel executives from some of the industry’s most important companies will be speaking at the 10th annual Skift Global Forum this week in New York City and they’ll address a wide range of topics.  When it comes to the future of travel, Skift CEO and founder Rafat Ali has outlined four major themes that will impact travel the most: demographic shifts, the widespread loneliness crisis...

Episode Notes Hilton told hotel owners on Thursday it would move quickly to disclose mandatory fees upfront on all of its platforms, according to information Skift obtained, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.  O’Neill writes that Hilton’s support of fee transparency comes after it received legal pressure earlier this year. Texas’ Attorney General sued Hilton in May, alleging the compa...

Episode Notes The travel industry now – for the first time – has an index to track public travel stocks. Skift unveiled on Wednesday the Skift Travel 200, the first benchmark for measuring the $1 trillion-plus market for public travel companies.  Senior Research Analyst Seth Borko reports the Skift Travel 200 will track travel company stock performance as well as analyze metrics such as revenue gr...

Episode Notes A European parliament group has issued proposals to regulate short-term rentals that it believes will help make housing more affordable, writes Short-Term Rental Reporter Srividya Kalyanaraman. The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats has proposed, among other measures, requiring online platforms to share host information with authorities and display host registration num...

Episode Notes California is looking to crack down on so-called junk fees at hotel and short-term rentals. The state’s legislators have passed two bills that could impact how California’s hotels and short-term rentals inform consumers about those fees, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.    Senate Bill 537 would prohibit businesses that sell lodging for up to 30 days in California from...

Episode Notes Maui faces a long road to a full tourism recovery after wildfires decimated the western part of the island last month. Travelers have largely been slow to return to Maui out of sensitivity to local residents, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. Although Hawaii tourism officials have said most of Maui is ready to welcome tourists, Habtemariam reports some travel business...

Episode Notes Airnbnb’s New York City listings for short-term stays dropped 77% over a three-month period during which the city enacted stringent host registration rules. A major New York City hotel operator believes that decrease will contribute to a significant tailwind for hotels next year, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.  An New York City-based hotel executive, who declined to be ident...

Episode Notes The rise of artificial intelligence has been a major topic of discussion in the travel industry over the past year. So as the theme of this month’s Skift Global Forum is Connection in the Age of AI, what do major travel executives think about booming technology? Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes provides some of their opinions about it. Dawes cites Airbnb’s Brian Chesky and Ube...

Episode Notes Hyatt has seen signs that more workers in big cities are returning to their offices. That could result in the company eventually seeing more business travelers, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.  CEO Mark Hoplamazian said at a recent conference that some of its New York hotels are seeing increased levels of local traffic, a sign of more people back in their offices. Hop...

Episode Notes Travel companies have just finished reporting their second quarter results. So what did we learn about the state of the industry? Senior Research Analyst Seth Borko outlines four major trends Skift Research discovered after studying more than 200 publicly traded companies.   Borko writes that second quarter revenue growth was still far higher than other sectors – but that it’s beginn...