Luxury at a Crossroads + Business Travel Wants a Break + Tourism Boards Embrace Chefs

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

January 5, 2018 View in browser

Note From the Editor We all face an identity crisis at some point, and luxury hoteliers are no different. Hospitality Editor Deanna Ting spoke to several hotel executives recently and reveals in a story today how their thinking about the meaning of luxury is changing — and how their customers' needs are forcing them to evolve. As travelers continue to make dining a priority in their trips, tourism boards are forming more partnerships with chefs to spread the word about their culinary offerings. Tourism reporter Dan Peltier digs in and explains why the strategy is likely to persist. — Hannah Sampson, News Editor Bridging the Funding Gap for Travel Startups Sponsored by Amadeus Research shows that there's a significant gap between early, mid and later stage funding rounds—unfortunately, it makes sense. The very nature of early vs. middle-to-late stage funding makes it difficult for startups in the travel space to move beyond the beginning stages. Read More Top Stories Luxury Travel Confronts a Widening Identity Crisis Luxury hospitality is no longer defined by marble bathrooms and turndown service. To compete and appeal to today's luxury guest, hotels have to be a lot smarter and more thoughtful than ever before. Corporate Travel Execs Hope 2018 Will Be Less Tumultuous Than Last Year Leaders in corporate travel expect a strengthening global economy to propel the industry in the year ahead – so long as security concerns remain stable. With unemployment low, businesses are increasing their focus on traveler satisfaction to compete for employees. Jordan Tourism Adjusts to Rapid Changes in Destination Marketing Embracing influencers and virtual reality, Jordan tourism is working to evolve as destination marketing tactics change. Chefs as Destination Ambassadors Appeal to Travelers' Foodie Obsessions They say one of the best ways to get to know a place is through its food, and chefs have plenty of stories to tell that can resonate with travelers. There will be plenty of more such marketing campaigns served up in 2018. Chrome River Raises $35 Million for Expense Software: Travel Startup Funding This Week It would be bad if Chrome River spent all of its newfound money on travel and entertainment. But at least it would be able to expense it efficiently if it did. Safety and Growth Top 2018 Priorities — Corporate Travel Innovation Report A new year brings new hope for business travel. But how different can we really expect 2018 to be from its predecessor given rising political and economic instability around the world? Popular Now Airport Secrets From an Architect Who Designs Them We'd like to see more airports not worry about budgets and focus on reinventing the airport experience, but that's probably not feasible in most places. Architects like HKS' Pat Askew do what they can to make travel more pleasurable with the resources they're given. When Carriers Don't Deliver the Experience They Promise — Airline Innovation Report Why is there often a lag between the service airlines promise and what they deliver? And how can it be fixed? Tourism Boards Used New Platforms to Woo Connected Travelers in 2017 Tourism boards have their critics who say destinations don't drive as much innovation as other travel sectors. But destination marketers are increasingly proving their naysayers wrong, and in some cases they are changing the tech landscape in their communities. 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.

Follow us Our address: 145 W 30th Street 5th Floor New York,  NY  10001  USA  Copyright © 2017 Skift, All rights reserved.

If you'd like to unsubscribe from this email, click here If you'd like to receive fewer emails, click here If someone shared this email with you and you would like to subscribe, visit our newsletters page on Skift