IHG's No-Name Hotel Brand + TripAdvisor's Full-Service Strategy + American Air's Problem Uniforms

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

June 22, 2017 View in browser

Note From the Editor When Uber ousted Travis Kalanick from his CEO position Tuesday, it was a statement about righting company culture — and investors' fears that billions of dollars were at risk. American Airlines does not have a culture problem of Kalanick-type proportions, but the airline has a legacy of toxic employee relations. As airline business reporter Brian Sumers points out in a story today, American decided to drop a contract with a uniform supplier when it expires three years from now because some employees, particularly flight attendants, complained that their new uniforms made them sick. The airline found no proof to verify the complaints, but score one for American in trying to turn around its relationships with employees. A few weeks ago, it also unilaterally gave them a pay raise. In both cases, that's walking the walk culture-wise. — Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor How AI and Machine Learning Can Help Fix Corporate Hotel Booking [SPONSORED] Sponsored by DEEM Out-of-policy hotel bookings have long been a source of frustration for corporate travel managers and travel management companies. AI and machine learning technologies can help address the issue by presenting business travelers with hotel options that match their personal preferences. Midscale Hotels Brands Are Getting Smarter About Not Being Boring If you're a hotel company planning to launch and/or reinvest in a midscale brand, please make it interesting. American Airlines to Drop Contentious Uniforms Within Three Years American has defended its uniforms, but it received a lot of bad press for months. It finally decided to try to change the narrative by switching uniform providers. That was probably the right decision. Scandic Hotels Bolsters Nordics Strategy With $127 Million Finnish Acquisition It's a relatively small deal from one of Europe's smallest hotel companies but Scandic's acquisition of Restel will certainly help shore up its position in the Nordics market. TripAdvisor in the Age of Platforms Tries the Full-Service Model TripAdvisor's bold platform approach gives it a leg up on building deeper relationships with its customers, compared to single-use sites. On the other hand, relationships can be hard work and expensive. IHG Announces New Midscale Hotel Brand — Without a Name What's in a name? Well, for IHG, that's the next big--and pretty crucial--step in rolling out its 13th hotel brand. Another big step needed? Making sure it'll stand out from all the other value-driven midscale brands out there. Chefs+Tech: Evolving Consumer Tastes Change the Premise of Fast Food In an age of technology and get-it-now, it seems counterintuitive that fast food would slow down service, but that's what's happening as the industry adopts fresh ingredients and made-to-order meals. Defining the Event Speaker of the Future — Meetings Innovation Report Conference planners are shifting their criteria for sourcing speakers based on three disruptions: changing attendee expectations, the rise of digital engagement, and a batch of high-profile conferences redefining event design. Popular Now A Timeline of Online Travel Agency Battles With Hotels and Airlines There is pomp and circumstance, and plenty of bluster, but most negotiations between online travel agencies, on the one hand, and hotels and airlines, on the other, eventually end up in signed contracts. That's because the two sides usually need each other, like it or not. Mobile Travel Bookings Will Reach 40 Percent of Online Sales in 2017 Enhanced mobile booking tools and merchandising are resonating with consumers. As it gets easier to book on your phone, mobile could overtake traditional computer bookings as the most popular way U.S. travelers plan and book their trips. Cayman Islands Tests U.S. Meal-Kit Service to Boost Its Food Tourism Marketing The Cayman Islands feels its new meal-kit campaign is new and exciting, and in many ways it is. It's refreshing to see a tourism board take a novel approach to reaching consumers and there will be a lot to learn in how consumers will respond. 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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