Golf-Hotel-Resorts AND CASINO News: HotelTonight Now HotelWhenever + Emirates Gets (Really) Cheap + Summer Tourism Trends

September 8, 2017

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Editor's Note

Yesterday, members of the Skift Editorial and Research teams dropped what they were doing and gathered in a room to discuss the recent leadership changes at Expedia with nearly a hundred Skift readers listening in. It was a fun experiment that allowed us to build on our team strengths, share with our audience, and look towards the future. We'll do more calls like that in the future, and we'll soon be sharing a recording of this with readers who couldn't call in live.

One piece of news from the call: New Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom will be joining us at Skift Global Forum later this month. For more news, just read below.

— Jason Clampet, Editor-in-Chief

New Expedia CEO to Speak at Skift Global Forum

You've been following our coverage on Expedia's recent leadership transition for over a week now, and today, we're pleased to let you know that Expedia's new CEO, Mark Okerstrom, will be speaking at this year's Skift Global Forum.

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.

10 Biggest Tourism Headlines of the Summer Travel Season

This was anything but a sleepy summer. The Trump administration, Brexit, and overtourism — to name a few tourism topics — definitely kept us on our toes during the past few months and we expect more news on these fronts in the months ahead.

Taj Hotels Has a New CEO

Taj Hotels has been around for more than a century but the company remains a smaller player. No doubt The Indian Hotels Company hopes Chhatwal can help the group become an even bigger global player by growing its portfolio and brand recognition worldwide.

Hipmunk Goes After Unmanaged Business Travel Market

Despite the initial denials, we always knew Concur would bring Hipmunk into business travel. It'll be interesting to see how the Hipmunk brand changes once it becomes known for more than just leisure travel.

Social Dining Service VizEat Scoops Up Rival EatWith

VizEat's business has gotten stronger with this acquisition. But it still faces an uphill slog to expand its total addressable market beyond travelers to include locals looking for activities, especially in Asia.

Certify Buys Booking Tool in Latest Travel and Expense Tie-Up

Expense providers, which have typically connected with clients and their travel management companies, are moving deeper into the business travel booking arena.

Battle for Unmanaged Travelers Heats Up — Corporate Travel Innovation Report

Employees of smaller companies are business travelers too. Concur's latest strategy to go after unmanaged travelers shows how much potential exists for that segment.

Package Vacation Platform GoFro Raises $10 Million: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Startups in India and Turkey have benefited from investment by venture capital firms located outside those countries. That's a trend that's a mixed blessing.

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.

Oracle Hospitality Stumbled in Micros Integration But Says It Has Recovered

Oracle Hospitality doesn't fold sheets, bus tables, or stock shelves, but its software does keep hotels in order. It's taking a few years for the company to get itself in order, too.

Behind the Rise of Chatbots in Meetings and Events

Chatbots offer the first glimpse into a future where meeting and event planners can deliver mass personalization at scale using artificial intelligence.

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