HotelTonight Do or Die + Airbnb Gets Berlin Reprieve + Hurricane Irma Updates

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

September 11, 2017 View in browser

Note From the Editor Nothing stays the same in travel or in life, and you can't take anything for granted. We were reminded of this truism over the last few days as Hurricane Irma, on the heels of Harvey and with Jose in the wings, cut a destructive path across the Caribbean and had Florida in its sights. On a much more mundane note, in addition to lots of news about the travel industry's reaction to the hurricane, we had smart people in travel give us their figurative over/unders on HotelTonight given that it is getting way more expansive than "tonight" with a 100-day booking window. And, in a sign of one step forward and one step back, United Airlines is retreating from or, at least, scaling back its basic economy fares. That's a change that Spirit, Frontier, and American Airlines may indeed find comforting. — Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor Managing Business Traveler Anxieties in an Era of Global Uncertainty [SPONSORED] Sponsored by Egencia It's important to look at the challenges that come with managing business travel and traveler concerns when global turmoil is the new normal. Read More Top Stories HotelTonight Outlook — Travel's Best and Brightest Have a Say on Its Prospects Most of the travel brainiacs we consulted feel that HotelTonight has an uphill battle ahead, but as they say in baseball, that's why they play the games. In other words, maybe they're wrong, and HotelTonight will have the right stuff to persevere. The entire travel industry is watching. Hurricane Irma: Travel Industry Live Updates Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Harvey are taking a great human toll throughout the Caribbean and the United States, as has the earthquake in Mexico. Here's how the travel industry is responding. Hurricane Irma Leaves Travel Agents and Cruise Lines Extremely Concerned and Hoping for the Best Hurricane Irma is a monster storm the likes of which the Caribbean and United States haven't seen in a while. While tourism usually rebounds after major storms, we haven't seen an active Atlantic hurricane season like this for nearly a decade and many travel brands will need to think long-term to recover. United Backtracks on Basic Economy Fares as American Expands Them As one carrier, United, backs off on basic economy, another, American Airlines, doubles down. Will this clear the field for American? Perhaps. Supersonic Flights Could Be a Thing Again If the Market Is Large Enough We think there's probably demand for this airplane for transatlantic routes. Wouldn't it be great to fly between London and New York in fewer than three hours? But the airplane would have to make a fuel stop on longer routes, so it might be less useful from, say, Tokyo to Los Angeles or London. Disney CEO Is Taking Business Disruption Seriously Disney often sticks to its happiest-place-on-earth script, so it's refreshing to hear the CEO talk somewhat frankly about the forces disrupting all parts of his business — and how the company is responding. Short-Term Rental Ban in Berlin for Airbnb and Others Appears to Be Eroding Despite the latest court ruling loosening restrictions on short-term rentals in Berlin, there are still plenty of questions left regarding what the city's laws on home-sharing really mean. Popular Now Emirates Considers Adding Budget Economy Section to Lure Frugal Flyers Consumer groups may criticize Clark for even considering adding a "budget economy" section on the Airbus A380. But a sizable segment of passengers continue to demonstrate they want only one thing — cheap fares. Why shouldn't Emirates create a cabin that will allow it to compete for these customers? HotelTonight Essentially Pivots to Become Hotel Whenever HotelTonight's pivot into a 100-day booking window is a concession that the last-minute market was too small. Yet the company's swing to profitability is remarkable. Trivago Concedes It Overspent on Advertising and Lowers Forecasts Trivago says this was just a hiccup. But they're vague about why they were surprised and what precisely happened. We suspect a Priceline sucker punch. 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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