Airbnb's New Focus + Delta CEO Talks Basic Economy + Hyatt Data Breach

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

October 17, 2017 View in browser

Note From the Editor A certain U.S. President talks about making personnel decisions because of the optics. No, we're not getting political today. But, Airbnb's release of new tools yesterday for vacation rental property managers is significant mostly for the optics. The company has talked about going after property managers for a couple of years, but mostly it's been a slog. The release of the enhanced availability and pricing tools for vacation rental property managers isn't game-changing in itself, but it shows that Airbnb is directing new focus — and, more importantly, investment — toward this key segment of the vacation rental industry. Cruise lines, meanwhile, want to direct consumer attention toward parts of the Caribbean that haven't been wrecked by recent hurricanes. A looming question is what will happen during hurricane season 2018? Will cruisers take land vacations to different destinations instead? The situation on the ground may turn out to be fine, but the optics may not be in cruise lines' favor. — Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor Video: How Event Planners Are Tapping Into Downtown Tucson's Creative Spaces [SPONSORED] Sponsored by Visit Tucson Tucson is a case study for how destination marketers can help meeting planners realize the creative potential of a city by amplifying its unique assets beyond the convention center. Watch Video Top Stories Video: Delta CEO Sees Basic Economy as Way to Show Passengers They Aren't Getting Ripped Off Unbundling has been one of the biggest buzzwords in the airline industry in recent years, and for good reason. Full-service carriers like Delta think it is a great way to hit a broader range of consumers, but it doesn't come without its risks. Airbnb Debuts New Tools for a Bigger Cut of the $138 Billion Vacation Rental Industry This makes perfect, if long overdue, business sense for Airbnb. But can Airbnb really make sure these tools won't be abused by commercial operators running illegal hotel businesses in cities like San Francisco or New York? Cruise Execs Are Talking Up the Caribbean as Key Ports Recover Cruise passengers are still taking the trips they had planned for this time of year in the Caribbean, despite recent storms. As operators seek to reassure travelers that the region is open for business, it's still unclear how demand for cruises next hurricane season will hold up. Button Co-Founder and CEO on Offering Seamless Mobile Experiences [SPONSORED] Sponsored by Button At Skift Global Forum 2017, Mike Jaconi, Co-Founder and CEO of Button, explained the importance of optimizing and simplifying the mobile booking journey. Watch Video Hyatt Suffers Second Data Breach in Two Years Hyatt isn't alone. But the bigger question is why does this keep happening at so many hotels? And why does it always take so long for customers to find out about these data breaches? Reserve's COO Hire Signals Its Focus on Growth in a Competitive Market I'm a fan of companies with a strong focus, especially in a crowded market. Reserve's challenge of scaling quickly while maintaining the personal feel of a human concierge is a big one, but this new hire signals the company's ambitions to continue to grow. Ride-Sharing Apps Like Uber and Lyft Are Contributing to Urban Congestion Like any new technology or service, there are often unintended consequences. Uber, Lyft and others are putting more cars on the road, which isn't great, but on the other hand they make for more affordable transportation and possibly see fewer people driving drunk. So there's that. Restaurants Look to Emerging Global Markets for Growth In a country that some call over-restauranted, emerging markets overseas are the new frontier for U.S.-based chains. Business of Loyalty: World of Hyatt Adds Another Tours and Activities Partner Hyatt just launched another partnership for its loyalty program, signaling an interest in expanding further into the business of experiences. Popular Now Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Buzz Could Be a Problem for United Airlines Yes, a lot of people have ditched their airline-branded credit cards. But even people who have snazzy new cards, including the Chase Sapphire Reserve, like to redeem points for free travel on United and other airlines. For that reason, United MileagePlus miles are still valuable to Chase. Delta Air Lines Scraps Check-In for Users of Its iPhone App This is a good development for passengers, who must wonder why they still have to check in for flights in 2017. But for many airlines, check-in still serves a valuable purpose. Business of Pajamas, Pillows and Bragging Rights on Airplanes What we learned from this story: Jessica Alba is one reason airlines improved pajama quality, and passengers steal pillows and blankets from airplanes. Plus, not everyone is sure why airlines give premium passengers amenity kits on every long-haul flight. 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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