Weekend Review: Airbnb Bigwig Is Out + Super Bowl Travel Advertisers

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

February 3, 2018 View in browser

Note From the Editor Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky wants to create the next superbrand in travel, meaning he wants to go wide into flights, tours, and restaurants rather than digging deeper into the company's core hospitality product. The strategy choice, which is a actually a difference of emphasis, may have led to the ouster — let's call it what it was — of CFO Laurence Tosi this week. Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines, Universal Parks & Resorts and probably Tourism Australia have some super ambitions, too. You'll probably see their pricy TV commercials during tomorrow's Super Bowl telecast. Both Airbnb and the travel brand Super Bowl advertisers are making huge bets. — Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor Skift Research Explores WeChat Marketing Strategies for Global Travel Brands 2018 Did you know WeChat captured 29% of all time spent on mobile apps in China as of April 2017? Skift Research recently launched a deep dive into WeChat and how brands can use this platform to create content that truly resonates with Chinese travelers. Become a smarter travel professional today with Skift Research. Learn More 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. 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. 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. Tales From the Crypto: The Wild World of Travel Blockchain Startups Some entrepreneurs and scammers are treating initial coin offerings like get-rich-quick schemes, and the travel distribution ecosystem isn't immune. Beware of people who say they can totally disrupt the travel industry, especially if they don't even understand how the industry works. Marriott Commission Cut on Group Bookings Could Ripple Across Hotel Industry Marriott will use its formidable presence in the North American hotel market to squeeze travel agents and meeting planners. The big question is whether competitors will follow suit. Could Marriott be setting the stage for a full-blown commission cut on all hotel bookings that would completely disrupt the travel sellers? Digital Airbnb Mulled Integrating Skyscanner for Flights and Buying Hopper Airbnb has sold investors on a growth story based, in part, on adding flights and other products. But selling flights is extremely complicated. Airline Data Powerhouse Buys Routehappy in Bid for Transformation Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? ATPCO's first acquisition in its 53-year history shows that rich content will play a huge role in the air distribution marketplace. Priceline Group Revamps TV Strategy With Whopping Spending Hikes The Priceline Group's new emphasis on TV is unpleasant news for metasearch enterprises such as Trivago, Google, and TripAdvisor. The TV ads are an online travel agency version of a direct-booking campaign. Hospitality 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. The U.S. Hotel Industry Is Optimistic About the Future But What Comes Next? More conservative folks might talk about being "cautiously optimistic," but positivity is the prevailing sentiment this year in the hospitality industry. Marriott Teams up with Isrotel for a New Lifestyle Brand More hotels are following Soho House's lead and integrating members-only clubs into their business models. Whether this is enough to help a boutique brand like Publica Isrotel is something we'll have to wait and see, but perhaps joining Marriott's Autograph Collection can help. Flying Carriers Want to Get More Personal Sometimes you'll buy a plane ticket and the airline might try to sell you a rental car. Other times, the airline will skip the car but ask if you want premium economy. Why? Carriers are using data to guess what extras you might buy. Airlines Try to Become Storefronts Beyond the Seat Most airlines are not advanced with their e-commerce strategies. Many have done OK without refining how they sell their products. But if they want to succeed in the long term, they probably must become more sophisticated in how they reach customers. Ryanair Signals Its Hotel Ambitions With New TV Ad Campaign Behind the usual Ryanair bluster there usually lurks a sensible business idea. If the airline offers a better accommodation product to customers, then that should persuade some to stay away from Booking.com. Luxury Wellness Activities Will Have Strong Ties With Luxury Travel in 2018 The luxury travel market is often a starting point for themes that may, on first glance, seem a little bit out there. But given that some crazes withstand the test of time, it's worth assessing which ones might have staying power. The Definition of Luxury Is Being Reshaped by Changing Consumer Behavior Luxury is in the midst of a metamorphosis. While luxury once meant the most expensive or most well-known product or experience, today it's become a way of being or moving throughout the world. European Mergers and Acquisitions 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. eDreams Odigeo Sale Attracts Private Equity Interest At this stage, we're not exactly sure why eDreams Odigeo might interest Skyscanner/Ctrip. A private equity buyer would seem much more likely. Tourism Looming Water Shutoff Threatens Cape Town Tourism In less than 100 days, Cape Town may run out of water. While the impact on the city's crucial tourism industry has been limited thus far, that could soon change. UK Government Doesn't Think It Has an Overtourism Problem It might be true that London isn't in the same boat as Venice or Prague, but there are plenty of areas finding it difficult to balance the demands of tourists and locals. Loyalty Travel Loyalty Programs May Become Smaller With More Perks in 2018 There's a smaller and perhaps more rewarding world facing frequent flyers in 2018. To reap the rewards, though, those elite travelers will have to pay up. Business Travel 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. 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. 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 © 2018 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