Airbnb Shakeup +Boutique Hotels Without Hype + Battle for Biz Travelers

Airbnb came out with a doozy of an announcement yesterday and our resident expert jumped on the news to explain what it all meant.

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

February 2, 2018 View in browser

Note From the Editor Airbnb came out with a doozy of an announcement Thursday afternoon, and our resident expert — Hospitality Editor Deanna Ting — jumped on the news to explain what it all meant. For one, the company's long-awaited initial public offering will continue to wait; there will be no going public in 2018, CEO Brian Chesky said. As the chief financial officer departs amid tension over the direction of the company and an insider is named to a new chief operating officer position, Airbnb is clearly positioning itself to follow the multifaceted direction Chesky has laid out. We're eager to see what happens next. — Hannah Sampson, News Editor Who Will You Meet at our Inaugural Skift Tech Forum? Hear from speakers from companies like Sabre Corporation, Alibaba Group, Uber Everything, and more at Skift Tech Forum this June. And take $250 OFF when you purchase one of our nearly-sold-out Super Early Bird tickets but don't wait — This rate won't last much longer. Register Now Megatrends 2018 Startups Go Direct to Consumers in Battle for Business Travelers Companies have finally realized that creating happier business travelers starts with empowering them instead of ordering them around. Now the rush is on to land those road warriors as customers with the understanding that they are experienced consumers. A New Kind of Big Money Is Remaking Independent Restaurant Groups Big opens need big money in destinations where real estate and talent come with big price tags. The professionalization of this restaurant investment community was the logical next step. Top Stories Airbnb CFO Out in Management Shakeup, No IPO Planned for 2018 In Airbnb's battle of Silicon Valley versus Wall Street, it appears that Silicon Valley has won this fight — for now. Interview: Silvercar CEO on Evolving With Shifts in Customer Behavior Silvercar remains an interesting outlier in the car rental space. As part of Audi, it will be interesting to see how it grows its operation in the U.S. as self-driving vehicles hit the mainstream. Travel Leaders Group Buys Scottish Retail Chain in Ongoing Merger Spree Travel Leaders Group is clearly playing a scale game, and although Barrhead Travel might be an old-fashioned travel business, at least it still makes money. Breaking Away From the Boutique Hotel Hype Formula To avoid the sugar high and then the inevitable crash when launching a new property, brands need to adopt a mindset of reciprocity and be a participant, and not a drain on the artistic ecosystem of a city. Joymode Raises $14 Million for Gear Rental: Travel Startup Funding This Week Investors are finally backing companies that are tackling relatively remote corners of the travel market, such as Joymode's rentals of gear for camping, beach holidays, and road trips, and Busbud's sales of intercity bus tickets. Brexit Could Potentially Benefit UK Tourism But the Chances Are Slim If the UK's economy tanks and people can't get into the country smoothly, then regardless what tinkering the government or the industry does, tourism is likely to suffer. Popular Now Extreme Weather Is Creating Travel Upheaval Extreme weather is the new normal. It's changing destinations for the worse, and it's not going to get better any time soon. Why Air Canada Is Starting From Scratch With Its Loyalty Program Like most airlines, Air Canada knows a lot about its customers. But in 2020, once it launches a new loyalty program, it will have more flexibility to slice and dice data to deliver personal offers to passengers. Let's hope customers don't find it creepy. Universal and Turkish Airlines Are Betting Big on Super Bowl Ads From what we've seen so far, travel brands with Super Bowl teasers are staying away from the culture wars and focusing on sending neutral messages with universal appeal. And while it's important to draw attention to certain issues, it's refreshing to watch light-hearted advertisements, too. 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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