Here are some excerpts from Daily Lodging Report from the past week. If you’re not a subscriber, you should be. Get news on hotel deals, development, stocks, and career moves. Sign up here, now. Sunday, March 12 In downtown St. Louis, Missouri, the dual-brand Home2 Suites/Tru by Hilton was placed under receivership last week, while the lender behind Hotel Indigo filed for receivership this … [Read more...]
Despegar Widens Reach But Still Reported a Fourth Quarter Loss
Skift Take Don't be surprised if Despegar makes and acquisition or two in 2023. That's baked into its plans. Dennis Schaal Despegar is increasing its product and geographic diversification but its net loss widened a tad in the fourth quarter because of weak travel demand and higher expenses. On the upside, the Argentina-based online travel agency, which has … [Read more...]
Q&A: How to Cultivate Human-Centric Innovation in Hospitality
From contactless check-in and payments to tools that employ artificial intelligence (AI) to address guest needs, technology has played an important role in helping the hospitality industry get back on track. But there’s a limit to technology’s ability to replace human interaction, which is still critical to maintaining an authentic connection with guests. For example, while AI chatbots can … [Read more...]
Hotel Brands and Environmental Performance
Skift Take Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at the environmental performance of hotel brands, the vacation rentals labor shortage, and South Africa’s energy crisis. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, March 16. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple … [Read more...]
Oyo Drops Brand Guidelines for Competitive Edge as It Expands in the U.S.
Skift Take Oyo's new focus on customer support could help, but its relaxation of brand standards in the budget sector could have big reputational risks. Dennis Schaal When hotels previously signed up with Oyo, they’d have to make significant renovations to comply with the budget hotel company’s brand standards, but Oyo is now easing those requirements. “Oyo has … [Read more...]
Hotel Companies Show Progress on Greener Emissions Accountability: New Skift Research
Skift Take We've covered the environmental performance of hotel companies before, but that research was due an update. Much has happened in the world, and — probably unrelated — hotel companies have become better at setting emission reduction targets and reporting of current performance. Let's continue that trend. Wouter Geerts Environmental sustainability is … [Read more...]
Accor Debuts Global Subscription Card
Skift Take Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at Accor's updated loyalty program, India's restored e-visas for Saudi travelers, and next-gen self-guided tours. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, March 14. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple … [Read more...]
Accor to Go Global With Subscription Cards to Boost Hotel Loyalty
Accor plans to broaden its subscription cards offering to be more global, granting members worldwide discounts and perks, the Paris-based hotel giant said Tuesday. Until now, Accor only offered subscription cards in a few regional markets: Asia Pacific, India, China, and Brazil. The new program, called All Plus, will give travelers worldwide access to discounts at hotels in selected brands at … [Read more...]
Bridgeton’s Boutique Hotels Embrace Quirks Rather Than Erase Them
One of the more interesting U.S. innovators of boutique hotels had humble origins. Atit Jariwala is today the founder and CEO of Bridgeton, a New York real estate development group managing $1 billion in assets, including hotels. But Jariwala got his first taste of the hospitality industry living in an EconoLodge motel that his parents managed in Bridgeton, Missouri. “Like a lot of folks who … [Read more...]
Best Western’s Parent Company Looks to Outflank Its Hotel Peers
Skift Take Best Western Hotels & Resorts lacks youth appeal. But recently installed CEO Larry Cuculic is bringing a military-like approach to strategizing. He appears to be boosting the group's metabolism. Sean O'Neill I wanted an update on BWH Hotel Group, the parent company of Best Western Hotels & Resorts. So I spoke with Larry Cuculic, president and CEO … [Read more...]
Aman Debuts Sister Hotel Brand Janu With a Wellness Theme
Here are some excerpts from Daily Lodging Report from the past week. If you’re not a subscriber, you should be. Get news on hotel deals, development, stocks, and career moves. Sign up here, now. Sunday, March 5 The long-vacant former Zahn’s Department store in downtown Racine, Wisconsin, will soon be the Hotel Verdant following months of renovations, reported Milwaukee’s Business Times. … [Read more...]
Middle East Heats Up in Luxury Hotel Pipeline Competition
Skift Take Saudi Arabia and the UAE are competing for what they hope is the top spot in international tourism destinations. The race only gets more luxurious as new projects debut in their hotel pipelines. But will all the speculative building result in a glut of rooms? Sherry Sun Hotel development in the Middle East is heating up as investors regain confidence in … [Read more...]
The Case for Luxury Hotels Coming Out on Top in 2023 Recession: New Skift Research
Skift Take A potential recession is on the horizon in the U.S., but we expect hotel performance to stay resilient in the face of economic uncertainty, buoyed by continued strength in the luxury segment - unlike what has been seen in prior downturns. Pranavi Agarwal Skift Research’s latest report looks at hotel performance by chain scale in times of crisis and … [Read more...]
Expedia Joins Companies Pushing Back on the ChatGPT Hype
Skift Take It is fun to speculate about what generative AI could mean for travel, but the online travel agencies are collectively telling us to chill with the hype for the time being. Justin Dawes Despite all the hype around what generative AI could mean for the travel industry, the online travel agencies seem to be in agreement — there is potential, but there’s a … [Read more...]
Airbnb Widened Marketing Edge Against Rivals in 2022
Skift Take Airbnb, which is very standoffish when it comes to paying for digital ads on Google.com and Google Travel, is winning the marketing sweepstakes by a landslide. Not even close. Dennis Schaal Online Travel This Week In the perennial quest to turn bargaining-hunting travelers with little brand loyalty into customers making bookings and generating revenue … [Read more...]
Palisociety Boutique Hotel Chain Expands With Quirky Innkeeper Vibe
Some hoteliers take a stand-back approach, outsourcing most of the concept creation and design. Then there’s Palisociety’s founder and CEO Avi Brosh — who’s involved in every last detail. Brosh’s proprietor-driven method seems to have delivered early wins for the quirky-meets-luxury boutique hotel brand. Brosh started the Los Angeles-based hotel group in 2008, and the portfolio now includes 15 … [Read more...]
Hotels Need New Tech to Improve Staffing Efficiencies: New Skift Research
Skift Take The vast majority of hoteliers still rely on manual checklists, Excel workbooks, and phone calls for managing staff operations. However, if tech vendors can convince hoteliers to adapt, a new tech category has the potential to generate $1.3 billion annually. Saniya Zanpure Service efficiency is key to delivering exceptional guest service. Our new Skift … [Read more...]
TUI Drives Loyalty Through New Connected Trip Tours
Skift Take The promise of a "connected trip" has become like the buffering wheel on a lagging digital screen. But a soft launch of a new TUI Tours platform could be one to watch in the push for flexible, frictionless travel booking. Selene Brophy Experiences play an integral role in the so-called connected trip, where travelers want to seamlessly plan, book, and … [Read more...]
Google to Debut Hotel Ad Tool to Streamline Campaigns … On YouTube and Search
Skift Take Paying Google to increase direct bookings seems like a contradiction in terms unless it is for brand advertising on YouTube that truly brings guests direct to the hotel website for the next trip. Dennis Schaal Google said Tuesday it will debut globally over the next few weeks a tool, Performance Max, that enables hotels to create digital ads in multiple … [Read more...]
Trip.com Expects Chinese Outbound Travel to Gain Momentum in 2nd Quarter
Skift Take For a faster recovery of the China outbound market, Trip.com executives say the aviation sector will have to ramp up flight capacity from the current 15-20 percent of pre-Covid level. Peden Doma Bhutia While airlines not running international flights at the pre-pandemic level could be a short-term bottleneck, Chinese online travel agency Trip.com Group … [Read more...]