Trivago Bought Too Many Ads + Oracle's Hotel Stumble + AI for Eating & Flying

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

September 7, 2017 View in browser

Note From the Editor This travel business can be a complicated thing, and at times like today, we see stumbles and challenges all around. Trivago, for example, had to lower guidance after revenue fell and it didn't muzzle its TV commercials in a timely fashion. Oracle bought hospitality tech company Micros Systems for $5.3 billion in 2014, but some customers think the transition left much to be desired, and there are a lot of product holes in the Oracle portfolio. But there is reason for optimism. Global airlines were undoubtedly busy flying airplanes and were lethargic in adopting mobile technology. However, a new survey found that many airline and airport tech chiefs have big plans for artificial intelligence. That could be a very smart move this time around. — Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor Building Trust Across Borders Through a Global Content Strategy [SPONSORED] Sponsored by Smartling In our current era of global anxiety, the brands that will have an advantage with today's travelers are those that will be able to help ease traveler friction, build trust, and alleviate stress through easily accessible, relevant content. Read More Top Stories Skift Call: Expedia Under New Leadership Expedia Inc. moved quickly to name a successor to departed CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, but the group of brands including Hotels.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotwire, HomeAway, and more will have challenges ahead. Understand them better by listening to our experts. Trivago Concedes It Overspent on Advertising and Lowers Forecasts Trivago says this was just a hiccup. But they're vague about why they were surprised and what precisely happened. We suspect a Priceline sucker punch. Oracle Hospitality Stumbled in Micros Integration But Says It Has Recovered Oracle Hospitality doesn't fold sheets, bus tables, or stock shelves, but its software does keep hotels in order. It's taking a few years for the company to get itself in order, too. Hotel-Tech Startup Alice Acquires Smaller Rival GoCongierge Expedia has famously grown by acquisition. Will Expedia-controlled Alice also try to do the same for its hospitality operations software business? If any concierges know, contact us. We'll tip well for answers. Ryanair Says It's Serious About Alitalia but Only the Short-Haul Routes Ryanair does appear serious about taking over Alitalia. But it still seems odd that Ryanair would want to take over one of the world's most dysfunctional airlines. Wouldn't it just be better for Ryanair to keep growing organically? Artificial Intelligence Is Becoming a Priority for Airline IT Chiefs Airline chiefs are more likely to moan than talk optimistically about leaps in artificial intelligence. But a new SITA survey suggests they're realizing that it can be the bedrock of their futures. United Blames Hurricane Harvey for Major Revenue Decline There's a reason they call it an act of God. Every airline in the world is going to lose money when a massive hurricane hits one of its largest hubs. United will be fine. It'll just take some time. Behind the Rise of Chatbots in Meetings and Events Chatbots offer the first glimpse into a future where meeting and event planners can deliver mass personalization at scale using artificial intelligence. Chefs+Tech: Will Artificial Intelligence Make Restaurant Reviews Obsolete? If bots can generate fake reviews that pass as real, the entire online review system will be completely useless. This is our future. Popular Now Trump Slump Fears Are Realized as Revised Findings Show Tourism Drop U.S. Travel's initial forward-looking travel projections seemed too optimistic. Hopefully the industry can have a more serious conversation about averting a prolonged slowdown instead of hoping for the best and staying the course. 4 Tourism Website Trends Highlighting User Experience and Design Tourism board websites in 2017 exist in an increasingly diverse world of platforms that have also been readily adopted by travelers as trip-planning resources. Here are some trends we noticed from our review of the world's best tourism websites this year. Southwest and JetBlue Offer the Most Generous Airline Reward Programs in the U.S. United MileagePlus has been making it harder for members to earn additional flights based on loyalty points. Delta SkyMiles, meanwhile, is making them more affordable. 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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