Expedia's Unfinished Business + West Elm Rethinks Loyalty + American Air Is Ready to Fight

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

August 29, 2017 View in browser

Editor's Note Reporters are adaptable animals and we've already gotten used to the idea that Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will likely soon be posing with Uber drivers for photoshoots as its new boss. Today, we look at his career — the good, the bad, and the not-so pretty — and break down who his successor is likely to be. As things move forward or backward at Expedia and Uber, American Airlines is mulling pushing ahead with an idea to extend its cheap basic economy-type fares to the transatlantic market to compete with the likes of Norwegian and Wow Air. Speaking of wow, it has been quite a week already. — Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor Free Webinar: Examining The Evolving Diversity of Modern Luxury Travel [SPONSORED] Sponsored by L.E.K. Consulting Last chance to register for today's webinar, "Examining The Evolving Diversity of Modern Luxury Travel" starting at 11am EST. We'll discuss the new perception of luxury travel and what it means for high-end travel and hospitality brands. Register Top Stories 8 Insights Into Uber CEO Pick Dara Khosrowshahi From Peers and Rivals With a two-decade track record in online travel, Khosrowshahi has had his duck-and cover as well as been-on-a mountaintop moments. If Uber's looking for a steady hand, and a guy with experience who isn't afraid to take a U-turn when called for, then they could have done a helluva lot worse. Expedia's New CEO: Who's Who in Executive Leadership Expedia has promising candidates if it chooses to look internally for a permanent replacement for outgoing CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Our guess for the interim pick is CFO Mark Okerstrom. American Considers Selling Few-Frills Economy Fares to Europe Don't hate American Airlines if it unbundles fares on some transatlantic routes. By flying discounters like Wow Air and Norwegian, travelers have shown how much they like cheap no-frills airlines. American needs to give the people what they want — $99 one-way fares to Barcelona. Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to Leave Company With Unfinished Business We can't blame Khosrowshahi for seizing a nearly once-in-a-lifetime challenge to right the trajectory of a unicorn, Uber, but this is also a very awkward time to leave Expedia. Now there will be two big-time CEOs under the gun: Priceline's new top guy, Glenn Fogel, and Khosrowshahi's successor at Expedia. Interview: New Choice Hotels CEO Is Ready to Dominate His Sectors It'll be interesting to see how Pacious' understanding of digital technology and online distribution will inform Choice's future business strategy. West Elm Hotels' Loyalty Program Will Tie Into Williams-Sonoma Brands When it finally launches, West Elm Hotels' loyalty program may feature some keen integration with the Williams-Sonoma network at large. It's a smart business tie-up that could eventually end in other brands. Chefs+Tech: How Big Data Enhances Good Hospitality Balancing all the data a restaurant can collect about its customers with the need for the human touch is the perennial challenge for restaurateurs. Knowledgable is good. Creepy is bad. Skift Insights Deck: Using Customer-Centric Product Design to Stand Out in the Travel Industry [SPONSORED] Sponsored by UserTesting Travel businesses are rethinking their products and experiences for a new customer-focused era. Download our free report to learn more! Download Popular Now The Definitive Oral History of Online Travel Two decades after the birth of online travel, more than two dozen founders and key players exclusively tell Skift how it all happened. Airlines Are Inspiring Some Hotels to Introduce New Fees In some ways, perhaps … but one big difference between hotels and airlines is that hotels want their consumers to actually like (maybe even love) them. While with airlines, that might be a different story as some recent events would demonstrate (we're looking at you, United). 6 Blockchain Takeaways From Tour Operator TUI's Hotel Initiative TUI's chief executive is nailing his colors to the mast when it comes to blockchain and its benefits for the travel industry. In theory the technology is great — and TUI has already identified an effective way to use it — but will the hype be justified? 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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