Weekend Review: Expedia’s Whiplash Week + 6 New Luxury Trends

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

September 2, 2017 View in browser

We'd be lying if we didn't say that this was Dara Khosrowshahi's week – but it was good for travel as a whole, too. For those of us in the travel industry who've watched him at Expedia over the last decade his selection as the new CEO of Uber made sense, even if it was a surprise. For the non-travel press, it was interesting to see them realize that this industry has its share of leaders who not only understand technology, e-commerce, and transportation, but are leaders in these fields as well. Heck, it's almost as if we are one of the world's largest industries. — Jason Clampet, Editor-in-Chief Last Chance for Skift Global Forum Group Rates Skift Global Forum is rapidly approaching and you don't want to attend alone. Grab your colleagues and save when you register as a group before it's too late! Our group rates will expire 9/12. Save Now Expedia's Big Week Expedia CEO Starts New Job as Uber Boss Today Khosrowshahi takes over a unicorn in Uber and will have the challenge of his life to get the ride-share company speeding along and toward an IPO with a trunk-full of controversies and problems. The choice of the next Expedia CEO to succeed him is indeed a critical one that will have far-reaching implications. Expedia's New CEO on What He'd Like to Change A lot of CEOs say they will maintain the policies of their predecessors. But when huge challenges surface, it will be up to Okerstrom to be his own guy, and chart a new course when necessary. Expedia's New CEO Is Mark Okerstrom There is only one vote that mattered in Expedia's abbreviated CEO search — Barry Diller's. And he wholeheartedly wanted Okerstrom for the job. No need to mess around with an interim title or to conduct the dog and pony show of a CEO search. It was a done deal. Now Okerstrom has to step up to the challenge. The Money Uber's New CEO Left Behind at Expedia Suddenly former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi walks away from substantial unvested compensation. Becoming CEO of Uber may have been a once in a lifetime opportunity for Khosrowshahi, but we expect that Uber had to compensate him for his treasure trove of unvested options to pry him away. Expedia Names New CFO as Orderly Transition Unfolds After CEO's Abrupt Departure For all the chaos earlier this week, it seems like Barry Diller and the Expedia Inc. board of directors have ensured an orderly transition into a new era for the online travel giant. Digital Skyscanner Deal Is Starting to Work Out For Ctrip Skyscanner is boosting Ctrip's margins, and Skyscanner's new instant booking service shows promise as a way to propel future growth. Kayak Sets Layoff Process in Motion for Nearly 50 Momondo Group Employees You can't blame the Priceline Group and Kayak for cutting costs and axing employees because they are part of a public company and their role is to make money for shareholders. Still, Kayak should do as much as possible to ease the transition for the people who built the Cheapflights and Momondo brands. Google May Finally Face a Showdown With Regulators Over Its Evolving Travel Tools Google now prods its users to try to cut their travel costs by considering alternative airports and other tricks. Yet the incremental moves may not appease a European watchdog that may question its broader business practices in travel. Skift Global Forum 2016 This year's Skift Global Forum in New York promises an exceptional collection of speakers and attendees. Get a better understanding of the event is these highlights from last year's gathering. Skift Global Forum 2017: Hear From Marriott, Airbnb and the Biggest Names in Hospitality From direct booking campaigns to the growing popularity of Airbnb, there's a lot to talk about with the most influential decision-makers in hospitality. Skift Global Forum 2017: Facebook, Delta and More Big Brands Don't miss out on hearing from one of the most diverse and relevant collections of brands at any travel conference. Skift Global Forum 2017: Learn From Online Travel's Most Influential CEOs From overtourism and artificial intelligence to direct booking campaigns and the latest deals, there's a lot of ground to cover with the most influential decision-makers in online travel. Hospitality Are Hotel-Fee Initiatives Inspired by What the Airlines Have Accomplished? 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). 10 Biggest Hotel Headlines of a Busy Summer 2017 So much for taking a summer vacation. This year, the hotel industry was busy making major moves and investments, as well as launching new brands, properties, and policies. Hyatt Buys Yet Another Wellness Brand, Exhale Hyatt is taking the concepts of wellness and "adjacent spaces" very, very seriously. 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. Meetings and Events Planners Look to Sports Venues to Host Innovative and Immersive Events The use of sports stadiums and parks for non-sporting events is a growing trend in the meetings and events industry, and professional sports teams that are eager to create additional revenue and leverage investments are promoting their state-of-the-art venues as a unique alternative for hosting conferences, trade shows, meetings, and events. Tech Adoption for Event Organizers Is Spotty Increasing competition in the event sector has attracted more technology companies to provide solutions for current bottlenecks. Events Are Getting More Analytical to Measure Success Event organizers are looking to new metrics to measure the success of their events. Tourism Black Travel Movement Gets Even More Relevant The Black Travel Movement becomes all the more relevant as the NAACP issues a travel warning domestically, and destinations question what Confederate monuments say to visitors. Take a look back at our coverage of this $48 billion market. Air China Says More Chinese Travelers Are Being Denied U.S. Visas There's no public data here, so it's hard to know how much of an issue this is. But generally, inbound tourism to the United States is important, so if fewer visas are being granted, it's probably not good for American businesses. 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? Airlines 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. United Airlines President Expects U.S. Action Against Gulf Carriers Someday This Open Skies debate never goes away, does it? So far, the Trump administration hasn't treated it much differently than the Obama administration, at least publicly. We'll have to see whether it eventually takes a tougher stance. Allegiant Air Will Enter the Hotel and Condo Business With Massive Florida Property At least one high-profile Allegiant Air executive left the airline recently in part because he didn't want it to divest from its core mission of flying passengers, multiple sources have told Skift. But the project is happening anyway. We'll see if Allegiant has more success than other airlines that have entered the hotel business. Luxury Travel The 6 Big Trends That Are Reshaping Luxury Travel In the luxury travel space, at a macro level, demand is growing for the accumulation of travel memories drawn from transformative moments that resonate deeply with the individual traveler's ideal of personal fulfillment, and his or her best aspirational version of themselves. Mall Operator Westfield Emulates Luxury Hotels for New Service Style It is difficult to distill years of nuanced luxury training down into a single program, but Westfield's eagerness to look to luxury hospitality is a sign that it is headed in the right direction. Artificial Intelligence's Unrecognized Potential for Luxury Travel Brands It's clear that there are ways in which luxury brands can differentiate their customer experience using artificial intelligence, but it will require a sophistication that is still unseen in the travel industry. For Gmail users: If you are using the tabbed inbox, Skift emails may be pushed to the 'Promotions' tab. 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