Clicking Around Saves Money + Tourism and Politics Don't Mix + EasyJet CEO Quits

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

July 18, 2017 View in browser

Note From the Editor Anticipating the day you'll book a trip on LinkedIn or eBay? Ted Zhang is. The CEO of DerbySoft, which sells connectivity solutions to hotels, spoke to travel tech editor Sean O'Neill in a wide-ranging interview and described how he expects travel distribution to evolve. Another prediction: Online travel agencies are here to stay. A new report backs that up. The research shows that — despite the goal of so many hotel company marketing campaigns — booking direct doesn't always lead to the lowest price, especially for non-loyalty members. As hospitality editor Deanna Ting points out, hotels may need to do extra work to educate consumers on how they can benefit from loyalty. It's only a matter of time before travel booking options become even more diversified. — Hannah Sampson, News Editor Looking to Attend Skift Global Forum? Skift is bringing one lucky fan to New York City this September to attend this year's unforgettable Skift Global Forum — for FREE. Enter now through August 4th for a chance to win. Enter Now Top Stories Travel Tech CEO Series: DerbySoft Prepares for a Hotel Distribution Free-for-All DerbySoft has thrived as a vendor that helps global hotel groups with distribution partly because its top boss Ted Zhang called the rise of Booking.com early on. Zhang's latest predictions about what's next for the industry may ruffle some feathers. New Research Suggests It Doesn't Always Pay to Book Direct for a Hotel Maybe it really is better to keep clicking around if you're hoping to save money (and you don't want to be a member of a hotel loyalty program). U.S. Business Travelers More Likely To Drive Than Fly to Meetings It can be easy to forget that most U.S. business travelers aren't road-warriors hitting multiple cities in a week. Sometimes we fixate too much on those who travel the most instead of the majority, who spend a day or two visiting clients or potential customers. Tourism Boards Increasingly Worried About Politicians and Budget Cuts While tourism board funding has been a mixed bag around the world in recent years, it's evident tourism boards aren't losing focus on strategies like video and more deeply engaging with the local community. EasyJet CEO Carolyn McCall Quits to Join UK Broadcaster The best CEOs know when to quit and Carolyn McCall's decision to jump ship at a pivotal time for UK airlines is perhaps a sign that there might be tough times ahead. The Business of Loyalty: Alaska and American Drastically Reduce Their Frequent Flyer Partnership In recent years, many Alaska Airlines frequent flyers liked to fly American, because they would receive loyalty benefits even when flying the competition. But starting next year, that perk will end, and that's not great news for road warriors. Chefs+Tech: TripAdvisor Says Restaurants Don't Have Time to Market Like They Want A focus on restaurant marketing can take a business to the next level, but according to this survey, most restaurants don't have the time — though they wish they did. One solution: building paid tools for restaurants to take best advantage of your platform in the least time possible. Still Popular Discriminatory Bathroom Bills Won't Keep Most Travelers Out of Affected States Many U.S. travelers don't want to be labeled as racists or bigots, and publicly oppose discriminatory legislation. But that doesn't mean they won't take a trip they've been planning all year, especially if the legislation doesn't involve them. The Real Reasons Business Travelers Don't Get What They Want Beyond limiting company spending, there are financial reasons why business travelers feel so constrained by corporate travel-booking policies. It's time for everyone to be honest about them. Interview: Viva Aerobus CEO on Why Half-Standing Seats Still Intrigue Him With good management, this ultra low-cost airline strategy is profitable just about everywhere. The key? Airlines like Viva Aerobus must be fanatical about costs, and they must provide the cheapest fares, all the time. They also should treat their customers fairly. 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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