Brands as Experience Platforms + Expedia's Silver Lining + National Parks in Distress

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

January 18, 2018 View in browser

Note From the Editor When you think about the brands you interact with the most on a daily basis, I'm willing to bet that Amazon, Google, Apple, Samsung, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Uber are among them. The one thing most of these brands have in common is they improve our lives. In our flagship 2018 Megatrend, "Travel Brands Want to Be Experience Platforms," which you can read below, we predict that more travel companies will be included among these must-have brands in the future. Smart travel brands are venturing into spaces they are not traditionally accustomed to and are vying to own more of consumers' experiences. So hotels aren't just hotels. Airlines aren't just airlines. They want to be more than that. They know that because few of us are on the road or in the air 24/7, they need to find ways to connect and engage with us when we're not actually traveling. Can this succeed? I think we'll find out much more this year. — Deanna Ting, Hospitality Editor Why Marketers Need to Focus on the 'Big Picture' of Traveler Engagement Sponsored by Oath Traveler purchase decisions are influenced long before the first click, but for many marketers, this is still the primary focus. To succeed in 2018, marketers need to shift their agendas to engage with travelers on a human level throughout the entire journey. Read More Megatrends 2018 Travel Megatrends 2018: Travel Brands Want to Be Experience Platforms If we received a penny for every time a travel industry executive talked about how consumers are looking for "experiences," we'd be billionaires by now. But in all seriousness, there's a definitive strategy behind travel brands' desires to play an even bigger role in travelers' experiences. Restaurant Megatrends 2018: Restaurants Use Experiences to Fight Delivery Boom The in-restaurant experience is changing, and it's a direct result of new technologies aimed at making our lives simpler. Sometimes the tech creates a threat, as has happened with delivery. And sometimes it creates opportunity, as we see in the ways smart restaurants are addressing said threat. Top Stories Expedia Could Find a Silver Lining in Trivago's Woes As a sage songwriter once said, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." Trivago CFO Axel Hefer knows that, and he said current headwinds are obviously harder to manage than tailwinds. But if Trivago can work its way out of the mess it's in, it may emerge as a stronger company. U.S. National Park Service in Crisis Mode as Most Advisory Board Members Quit Interior Secretary Zinke said last year that 30 percent of the park service's employees were "disloyal to the flag." Employees, as well as the national parks and monuments themselves, have become political pawns. The advisory board members who resigned were tired of serving as cover for an Interior Secretary who wouldn't mind chopping down the forest. Jumeirah Hires Former Four Seasons Executive as Its New CEO We're very much looking forward to seeing what Silva can do about growing the Jumeirah brand, and how he'll handle its new, soon-to-be-launched lifestyle brand. The Airport Lounge Conundrum — Airline Innovation Report Airline lounges are rarely as opulent as the promotional pictures suggest. Yet passengers seem to love them. Why? Will they persist forever? Complexity Increases for Meeting Planners as Digital Tools Evolve Emerging technologies like facial recognition are still far off from hitting the mainstream of event technology. But for now, there are a variety of options that can help meeting planners become more efficient and improve the quality of their events. Points International Claims 2017 Growth for Its Loyalty Tech Platform Points, a reseller of airline miles and hotel points, has begun to sign up travel companies to its newer ways of squeezing money out of their programs. But it's still too early to tell for sure how successful these efforts will be. The Next Generation of Event Tech — Meetings Innovation Report Figuring out the best technology tools to improve a meeting is hard. Experimentation, within reason, is one path to creating a more efficient planning process and a more dynamic event experience. Popular Now TripAdvisor Is Fighting to Keep Its Lead in Attractions: The Inside Story The attractions booking sector is TripAdvisor's to lose, especially given its recent success. But unless it pushes faster on mobile innovation, rivals like GetYourGuide and Klook might overtake the company. Launching: Skift Table Daily Newsletter Don't miss out on all the news you need to better understand the business of dining out. Luxury Is Evolving But Consistent Themes Connect Old and New This evolution of luxury will require brands to adapt products and experiences consistent with consumers' new definitions of quality, comfort and elegance. 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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