Documentary: Tourists Flood Barcelona + Expedia and Hyatt Have a Deal + Ireland's Brexit Woes

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

August 1, 2017 View in browser

Note From the Editor You might have heard (from us) that Skift just turned five, and with age comes a bit more ambition. Today we launch a new initiative, Skift Lens, to deliver the kind of authoritative storytelling we're known for in a new way for us: via documentaries. Our first documentary unit dives into a topic Skift already owns — overtourism — and explores the effects of massive numbers of visitors on Barcelona's infrastructure, environment, residents, and cultural life. This isn't a big pivot for us but is an added layer, albeit in a different form, to the editorial coverage you've come to rely on for the past five years. — Hannah Sampson, News Editor Top Stories Launching Skift Lens Documentary Unit We've had our gaze on the travel industry for the past five years, and now we turn that view into moving pictures with our new Skift Lens series of documentary reports. Documentary: Barcelona and the Trials of 21st Century Overtourism We're excited to go deep into one of the more pressing issues in travel today in our first ever original short film. Hyatt Isn't Abandoning Expedia Just Yet as the Two Sides Reach Agreement in Principle The Hyatt-Expedia crisis seems to be averted, for now. Ctrip and Skyscanner: A Look at How the Deal Went Down Ctrip's purchase of Skyscanner continued the trend of metasearch consolidation and should provide Ctrip with support for its outbound and inbound businesses. Wyndham Buys Love Home Swap To Bolster Position in Alternative Accommodations AccorHotels isn't the only big hospitality company that's involved in the sharing economy or alternative accommodations these days, just FYI. Ireland Is Blaming Currency Issues For Decline in UK Visitors Post-Brexit UK travelers, along with travelers from many other countries, are facing a lot of uncertainty these days about the value of their currencies. It will take more than a few famous filming locations to convince UK and other travelers to visit a place like Ireland. Business of Loyalty: Using Big Data to Measure Sentiment Across Loyalty Programs Until the time comes when airlines need to compete for customers again, passenger sentiment many not matter. Chefs+Tech: The Trouble with Signature Ingredients Streamlining menu offerings is a smart way to reduce the cost of food overall, but it also leaves a business vulnerable to major shifts in ingredient pricing. From the Archives During Skift's 5th birthday week, we are bringing you some of the signature features we've crafted during our short history. Hospitality editor Deanna Ting's "Complete Oral History of Boutique Hotels," informed by the memories of movers and shakers who made it all happen, certainly qualifies in that regard. Complete Oral History of Boutique Hotels Before boutique hotels, a hotel was meant to simply offer you a comfortable place to stay. After boutique hotels, a hotel was expected to offer you so much more: It became an experience, a change in the way you feel when you travel, and what you expect to have. Popular Now On Skift Turning Five and the Magic of Showing Up Every Day "Great nations start stoic and die epicurean." Curiosity + Constraints, the Skift formula in the last five years. AccorHotels Finds Competing With Expedia Is Harder Than Expected The candid comments of the Accor CFO show just how difficult it is for hotel companies to compete with the big online travel agencies. You can't do it half-heartedly and AccorHotels will have to decide how much effort it is willing to put in to the initiative. American Airlines Succeeding in Upselling from Basic Economy to Main Cabin Investing in a range of new products to entice new and existing customers looks like it is paying off for American Airlines. Its upbeat outlook bodes well for the rest of the year. 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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