The Skift Travel Podcast

As travel brands head deeper into 2026, cracks are starting to show in some of the industry’s most trusted strategies. In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko unpack a wide-ranging week in travel, starting with Hilton’s launch of its 26th brand and the growing question of brand fatigue in hospitality. They explore whether having dozens of brands actually helps in an...

The travel industry is entering 2026 with more uncertainty than confidence. In this first episode back of the year, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down the forces quietly reshaping travel right now and why many of the industry’s assumptions may already be outdated. From shifting demand patterns and loyalty fatigue to AI hype, border friction, and the growing divide between luxury and mass travel...

As the year comes to a close, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko unpack Skift Megatrends 2026 and what the next phase of global travel could look like. The conversation spans some of the industry’s most consequential shifts, from declining alcohol consumption and its surprising upside for hospitality, to the growing dominance of luxury travel and whether it represents a lasting structural change or a frag...

In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit and Head of Research Seth Borko sit down with Warren Fields, CEO of Pyramid Global Hospitality, one of the largest hotel management companies in the world. Fields offers a rare inside look at how hotel operators really think, from the economics of rising costs and stagnant revenues to the ongoing talent challenges reshaping h...

On this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, hosts Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko sit down with Ken Cruse, CEO and Co-Founder of Soul Community Planet, one of hospitality’s most unconventional emerging brands. Cruse, whose background spans Marriott, Host Hotels, and Sunstone Hotel Investors, walks us through why he left the traditional hotel playbook behind to build a vertically integrated company cen...

In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko unpack one of the biggest stories in global tourism right now: Saudi Arabia’s explosive push to become a world travel hub. Fresh off a reporting trip to Riyadh, Sarah shares on-the-ground insights from Tourise—including the scale of development, the country’s prestige mega-projects, and the challenges of turning early momentum...

In this airline-deep-dive edition of the Skift Travel Podcast, Head of Research Seth Borko teams up with Airline Editor Gordon Smith to unpack one of the most puzzling trends in global aviation: why ultra-low-cost carriers soar in Europe while their U.S. counterparts continue to stumble. Drawing on fresh analysis and industry reporting, they break down the cost pressures reshaping the American mar...

In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit and Head of Research Seth Borko unpack a big week in travel and politics. Fresh off Skift Global Forum East in Abu Dhabi, they discuss how the center of gravity in global tourism is moving eastward and what it means for destinations across the Middle East and Asia. Then, they share exclusive insights from Skift’s interview wi...

In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit and Head of Research Seth Borko are joined by aviation attorney Jennifer Trock, a partner at Morgan Lewis and one of the leading legal minds in global aviation. Together, they unpack what the latest U.S. aviation legislation means for travelers — from a $12.5 billion overhaul of air traffic control to the slow path toward air...

In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit and Head of Research Seth Borko unpack the transatlantic slowdown — why over a million European tourists are skipping the U.S. and what it means for global travel. Fresh off Skift’s first-ever Transatlantic Summit, they dive into the data behind the world’s most important travel corridor, exploring how politics, sustainabilit...

In this Skift Travel Podcast live session from Skift Global Forum, Skift’s Founding Editor Dennis Schaal sits down with Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking.com and Booking Holdings, for a wide-ranging discussion on how technology is reshaping online travel. Fogel reflects on Booking’s evolution from the dot-com era to the dawn of agentic AI, sharing how the company is using new tools to enhance customer e...

In this special Skift Travel Podcast live session from Skift Global Forum, Skift CEO and Founder Rafat Ali sits down with Brian Chesky, CEO and Founder of Airbnb, for an in-depth conversation about the company’s evolution and what’s next for one of the world’s most influential travel brands. Chesky discusses Airbnb’s bold expansion beyond stays into services and experiences, its renewed focus on h...

Luxury hospitality veteran Anna Nash, now President of Explora Journeys, joins Skift’s Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko to unpack how the brand is reframing the cruise experience as “ocean travel.” From positioning ships as floating boutique hotels to balancing wellness, cuisine, and destination immersion, Nash shares how Explora Journeys is targeting both longtime cruisers and first-time travelers. The...

This week on the Skift Travel Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit and Head of Research Seth Borko return from the Skift Global Forum in New York City with their biggest takeaways from the industry’s “Super Bowl.” They break down Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky’s remarks about the company “getting serious” about hotels, examine Expedia’s latest moves in artificial intelligence under Ariane Gorin, and refl...

In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta joins Skift CEO/Founder Rafat Ali for a candid conversation about leadership, culture, and navigating nearly two decades at the top of one of the world’s largest hotel companies. Nassetta reflects on how his personal approach to hospitality — from cooking dinner for large groups of family and friends to leading a company of mor...

As Skift gears up for Global Forum in New York, this week’s podcast features a replay of our recent webinar, Online Travel in Flux. Seth Borko and Sarah Kopit join founding editor Dennis Schaal to explore the forces transforming online travel. From the rise of AI in trip planning to the latest OTA strategies, loyalty innovations, and regulatory pressures, the conversation provides a timely look at...

The countdown to the FIFA World Cup 2026 is on, and New York–New Jersey is set to host the world’s biggest stage — including the final at MetLife Stadium. Seth Borko and Sarah Kopit sit down with Bettina Garibaldi, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the NYNJ Host Committee, to unpack how the region is preparing for an event expected to bring $3.3 billion in economic impact. From transi...

Throughout the summer, Skift CEO Rafat Ali has been sitting down with travel leaders around the world for wide-ranging conversations about real estate, artificial intelligence, emerging destinations, independent hotels, and more.  For the last episode in this series, Ali sits down with Agoda CEO Omri Morgenshtern to talk about the evolution of Agoda over the last 20 years, with a particular focus...

On this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, co-hosts Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko return from their summer break with a high-speed conversation featuring Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl. Scholl shares how Boom is working to make three-hour transatlantic flights a reality by the end of the decade, why Concorde failed to scale, and how Boom’s technology could silence the dreaded sonic bo...

In this rare first-ever podcast appearance, Shai Zelering, Global Head of Hospitality Investments at Brookfield Real Estate, sits down with Skift CEO Rafat Ali to discuss how one of the world’s largest real estate investors is shaping the future of travel and hospitality. From billion-dollar acquisitions in Europe to long-term plays in India, Shai shares how Brookfield balances real estate fundame...

While Seth Borko and Sarah Kopit are taking a short summer break, we’re sharing another episode from our show, Good Morning Hospitality. If you caught the first crossover episode earlier this month, you heard from the Monday short-term rental crew. Today, we’re featuring the Wednesday hotel crew—⁠Sarah Dandashy and ⁠Steve Turk⁠—who cover hotels, travel, airlines, and the broader shifts shaping the...

In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Skift CEO Rafat Ali talks with Euan McGlashan, Global Co-Founder, CEO, and Owner of Valor Hospitality Partners, about what’s broken—and what’s still worth rebuilding—in U.S. hospitality. With a presence in 20 countries and nearly 100 properties, Valor is redefining what hotel management looks like, from talent pipelines to franchise relationships to fro...

Wil Slickers here again, and I’m closing out our summer break by sharing one of my favorite episodes from Slick Talk — a deep, future-focused conversation with Richard Valtr, founder of Mews. Richard and I go beyond operations to explore what it means to think theologically about hospitality: why the real competition isn’t other hotels but the hours outside of a guest’s sleep, how technology shoul...

Join industry leaders Rafat Ali, CEO & Co-Founder of Skift, and Siradej "Champ" Donavanik, Vice President Development (Global), of Dusit International, as they explore how Asian hospitality brands are carving out a unique identity amid global competition. From managing villas across continents to expanding beyond Thailand, they discuss the importance of cultural authenticity, personalized guest ex...

While Sarah and Seth are on a summer break, we are taking the opportunity to introduce listeners to new shows. Today that is a Suite Success episode. Host Katie Cline sits down with Top Chef judge and culinary storyteller Gail Simmons to talk travel, taste, and the unexpected power of a good meal. From her early days in food media to two decades on Top Chef, Gail reflects on how curiosity—and a fe...