Hyatt Vs. Expedia Twist + United's Cash Haul + North Korea Is a Trap

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

July 13, 2017 View in browser

Note From the Editor It's morning somewhere so let's talk about hangovers. In our lead story, we exclusively reveal that Hyatt last month quietly signed a new distribution agreement with Booking.com that it hopes would help the chain avoid a very nasty hangover if its hotels disappear from Expedia sites. Pick your favorite hangover cure: We think Hyatt would still be hurting if that nightmarish scenario takes place. In the hangover-that-didn't-materialize category, aviation business editor Brian Sumers details how United overcame the hit to its brand from the passenger dragging incident in April, and seems to be performing, well, enviably. Tourism reporter Dan Peltier uncovered the fact that Brand USA, which faces potential extinction by the Trump administration, must deal with a significant shortfall in partner contributions so far this year as tourism boards at the local level confront heightened spending scrutiny in the wake of the Visit Florida Pitbull fiasco. That's a nagging hangover that Brand USA didn't need during an already challenging year. Bottoms up. — Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor Enhancing Loyalty: Best Practices for CRM Systems in Asia-Pacific [SPONSORED] Sponsored by Cendyn Encompassing diverse markets in mature economies like Australia, Japan, and Singapore, and those with vast growth potential like China, expectations of service and customer experience can vary widely throughout the Asia-Pacific Region. This report looks at strategies to build hospitality customer loyalty through effective use of customer relationship management (CRM.) Download Now Top Stories Exclusive: Hyatt Signs Deal With Booking.com as Hedge Against Expedia Impasse As their contract expiration deadline looms, Hyatt and Expedia are maneuvering for position with Hyatt property owners. The new Hyatt-Booking.com agreement gives Hyatt some leverage but it likely wouldn't fully make up all the ground if the chain goes completely dark on Expedia. United Airlines Financial Forecast Rises Despite Dragging Incident Did customers book away from United Airlines after security officers called by the airline beat up a passenger in Chicago? Probably not, considering how well the airline performed financially in the second quarter. What Travel to North Korea Says — And Doesn't Say — About Adventure Travel The death of a young American illustrates the continuing risk for niche operators committed to taking travelers to remote and risky parts of the world, including North Korea. They're called risky for a reason. Brand USA Is Facing Declining Contributions From Travel Brands This Year Brand USA has a difficult task these days of appeasing a White House with unfavorable views of foreigners while still spreading a welcoming message in key international markets. Millennials Are Attending Events in Droves Because of Fear of Missing Out Millennials value experiences over things, so getting them to your event is easy. But once they're there, will they look up from their phones long enough to engage? Travel Journalists Pivot to Custom Luxury Travel Planning Another high-end, membership-based travel consultancy opens up shop. We wonder how these businesses will distinguish themselves as competition grows in the realm of "curating bespoke experiential localized" travel. Chefs+Tech: Tock CEO Says Restaurants Are Overpaying OpenTable Nick Kokonas has spoken out against OpenTable for years, but his latest claims could illustrate a serious flaw in OpenTable's code. Whether intentional or not, this is a big deal for the reservations giant. The Rise of Innovation Districts — Meetings Innovation Report In an effort to leverage the tech and creative industry advancements in their cities, U.S. mayors are doubling down on innovation districts to transform their cities' reputations and provide a heightened destination experience for conference organizers. Still Trending Blockchain Will Disrupt Expedia and Airbnb, TUI CEO Says Blockchain is essentially a large immutable database which, due to its security features and decentralized nature, can pose a threat to traditional intermediaries. Companies are looking to expand blockchain to tackle the current travel distribution landscape. Hotel and Online Travel Agency Direct Booking Winners and Losers in 5 Charts Expedia and Booking.com, which each doubled Marriott's TV advertising spend over the last year, are still growing like weeds despite hotels' direct-booking campaigns. That makes for a tough environment for hoteliers, although some brands will do better than others. Kayak and Amazon Echo Now Offer Voice-Powered Hotel Booking Kayak is the first online travel player to let shoppers book hotels via Amazon's smart speakers. While the concept has promise, its price comparison process still has to improve before it becomes useful to the average traveler. 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