Airbnb Doesn’t Worry Hilton + Alaska Air’s BIG Ambitions + Accor Rolls Up Rental Sites

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

July 27, 2017 View in browser

Note From the Editor Earnings season brings a mixed blessing for journalists: CEOs are forced to answer questions about their companies' performance (and not just the highlights that they usually want to promote). On the downside, there's a lot of jargon to endure. Today's lineup includes stories from Hilton, Alaska Airlines, and Six Flags Entertainment, with plenty more to come in the next couple weeks. With Skift, you're getting a best-case scenario. We listen, analyze, report, and write so the rest of the travel industry can learn from the successes or struggles of their peers. Bonus: We translate the jargon into English. — Hannah Sampson, News Editor San Antonio Unites Its Local Innovation Economy to Share a New Story with Conference Planners [SPONSORED] Sponsored by Visit San Antonio San Antonio is building on its past as a city of pioneers who once led the country's expansion into the American Southwest. Today, the new frontier is digital. San Antonians are again moving the nation forward in technology, medicine, energy and other advanced industries, which conference planners can leverage to drive innovation in their organizations. Top Stories Hilton CEO Talks HNA, Cancellations, OTAs, and Airbnb As it adapts to its new asset-light strategy, Hilton seems determined to leverage the strength of its ties to HNA, prevent unwanted hotel cancellations, and welcome more competition from an unlikely ally: Airbnb. Alaska Airlines Plans to Launch in 30 More Markets by 2018 Alaska has been so well run that we expect its early transition hiccups to be ironed out before they cause United/Continental-level disasters. AccorHotels Combines Its Rental Brands Under Onefinestay Name It's clear that AccorHotels needed to do something to turn Onefinestay around and by combining it with its other rental businesses it will at least be able to improve its reach. But at the same time one of the draws was the "handpicked" nature of the properties, which will surely be lost by increased scale. Venice Tackles Overtourism by Telling Visitors to Follow the Golden Rule Travelers never like to be told what they cannot do, but perhaps Venice can strike the right tone. Wyndham Hotels Debuts Online Auctions for Loyalty Program Redemption Travel brands haven't innovated much when it comes to reward redemption. So kudos to Wyndham for gambling on something new. But their new auctions aren't without risk to the company. New Six Flags CEO Is Blaming a Disappointing Quarter on the Rain Analysts sounded concerned that a stretch of bad weather could put Six Flags Entertainment's financial targets for 2017 at risk. The company better hope for clear skies moving forward — or find ways to reach the goals despite rainy days. Business Travel Is Expected To Grow Amid High Uncertainty — Meetings Innovation Report While spending on business travel is forecasted to grow significantly in the next five years in both developed and emerging markets, there has also never been so much uncertainty collectively around global political, social, and economic disruptions. Chefs+Tech: Social Media Helps Jean-Georges Vongerichten Run His Restaurants When your restaurant portfolio includes 37 (!) restaurants around the world, you have to get creative to stay involved with every single one. Popular Now New Research Report: A Deep Dive Into Ctrip and the China Online Travel Market 2017 This report represents the launch of our coverage of Asia, offering insights into both Ctrip and the online travel market more broadly. Israel Looks to Food Tourism to Attract a Different Kind of Visitor Israel doesn't really have a problem bringing in visitors. But bringing visitors who are not driven by religious beliefs is a challenge. Diversifying the country through food could help convince some travelers that a trip here is worth it. Universal Has More in Store for Harry Potter as Theme Park Battles Rage Disney still wins this round with the sheer volume of announcements it made earlier this month, but Universal definitely steals some theme park thunder with news of a new thrill ride at the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter. For Gmail users: If you are using the tabbed inbox, Skift emails may be pushed to the 'Promotions' tab. To get updates from Skift direct to your primary inbox, drag and drop this email to that tab. You received this email because you are subscribed to Skift Daily Newsletter from Skift.

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