Golf-Hotel-Resorts AND CASINO News: Booking.com Buys Some Smarts + Expedia Podcast + Brand USA In Survival Mode

September 14, 2017

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Note From the Editor

I hear people saying on social media that they don't have time to listen to podcasts. That's not an outrageous point. But, if you are interested in the future of online travel — actually, some people just call it travel — you should listen to the Skift podcast that had our muckrakers and researchers opining on what's ahead for Expedia and its new leadership. Regarding Expedia's prospects, as hospitality editor Deanna Ting said during the podcast in referring to Expedia's hotel relationships, "it's complicated."

Another complicated thing is the future of Brand USA, which the Trump administration has put a bullseye on in its fiscal 2018 budget proposal. As tourism reporter Dan Peltier points out, Brand USA execs are expressing nothing but confidence in their ability to fight and live another day. If nothing else, Brand USA's leadership knows its way around Washington, D.C. We have no reason to doubt them.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

New eBook: How to Create a Travel Policy that Employees Will Actually Read

Travel policies don't have to be boring, unwieldy documents that employees dread reading. Creating a travel policy that includes visual content and clear language is much more likely to encourage employees to buy into the company's preferences than traditional policies have in the past.

Skift Global Forum is four years old, and now it's a non-negotiable calendar appointment for serious travel companies.

Skift Podcast: What to Expect From the New Expedia

Our team of experts at Skift can talk Expedia news with the best — in fact, they are the best. Tune in for insight on Expedia's history and future under new leadership.

Booking.com Buys Evature for Its Chatbot Talent

This acqui-hire of Tel Aviv chatbot start-up Evature underlines the intense interest travel companies now have in natural-language search by text or voice -- and for the technical talent that can make the magic happen.

SBE Wants to Become the Ultimate Lifestyle Hospitality Group

... Which is great and all, but can it really succeed?

Brand USA Says It Is Confident It Will Still Be Here in 2018

Brand USA is optimistic about its future and is ending its budget year by meeting its partner contributions' goal. But with international visitation in the U.S. continuing to decline, it hopes to get smarter and more strategic with how it spends its marketing dollars in the coming year.

American Airlines Expects Irma will be Short-Term Blip on Revenues

Airlines might have some trouble in the Caribbean longer term, but Florida should bounce back relatively quickly. That's good news for American and other U.S. airlines.

India Hotel Brand Oyo Rooms Attracts a $10 Million Strategic Investment From China Lodging Group

The 23-year old CEO of loss-generating hotel aggregator Oyo rooms has a business vision that has attracted total funding of $446 million to date. What could go wrong? Well ...

How Facial Recognition Is Shaping the Future of Conferences

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, your face may be your ticket to your next event. Thanks to improvements in facial recognition technology, meeting and event planners have access to a whole slew of tools to make their conferences and events more interactive, engaging and secure.

Chefs+Tech: Hospitality Lessons from Waffle House

The recent hurricanes have put Waffle House's opening hours (24/7/365) back into the spotlight, but its the restaurant's logistics and enduring hospitality practices that deserve the story.

Virgin Atlantic has a strong brand, but for years it has lagged far behind British Airways in most categories. The upstart has just been too small to be a bona fide competitor. But Virgin Atlantic is finally taking action to ensure it will be more nimble going forward.

How the iPhone Changed the Way We Travel for Better or Worse

The hardware and evolving software on the iPhone removed friction for travelers in immeasurable ways. It also created friction. The iPhone beckons us whenever we have an idle moment, forcing us to miss some of the things that make travel, particularly solo travel, so beautiful.

Interview: Bunkhouse's Liz Lambert on Going Local With Hospitality Outsiders

Here's one of hospitality's most interesting thinkers on hiring, her approach to service, and the importance of community when launching a development.

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