Golf-Hotel-Resorts AND CASINO News: Scott Pruitt and Biz Travel Agony + Instagram Fallacy in Hotel Design + Pot Tourism Boom

April 16, 2018

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Note From the Editor

Should travel companies in the U.S. do more to embrace pot tourism? In a story today, Tourism Reporter Dan Peltier shows that many travelers, after having purchased flights and booked hotels in states where weed is legal, aren't waiting for travel brands to wade through the complexity of the issue. They are voting with their feet and visiting the handful of states where legal prohibitions against the sale of marijuana have been lifted.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has shown no ambivalence about his preferred mode of travel — first class with tons of security personnel coming along for the ride. Business Travel Editor Andrew Sheivachman explores what the Pruitt scandal says about the state of business and government travel. May your week be first class. Happy Monday.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

Skift Forum Europe Is Next Week

Don't leave your business cards at home. 200 companies, 20+ speakers and leaders, and nearly 450 attendees are taking Berlin by storm at the second annual Skift Forum Europe.

Corporate travel policies are restrictive, and perhaps no organization is as restrictive as the U.S. government. The Scott Pruitt scandal is a good reminder that business travel is an important part of life wherever you happen to work. Everyone wants to live the good life, but few really can.

A Veteran Hotel Designer on the Fallacy of Instagrammable Moments

Gimmicky, Instagram-driven designs are out. Solid, functional, and inspiring design, however, never goes out of style.

Pot Tourism is Growing But Some Destinations Still Take a Sober Approach

Pot tourism isn't the first trend to get the cold shoulder from the travel industry. Just ask the LGBTQ and black travel communities, for example. Travelers will likely spend millions of dollars on pot, anyway, and will find out how to do so with or without the travel industry's help.

Skift Forum Europe Preview: Google's Rob Torres on the Role of Relevance in Travel Marketing

Is Google on the road toward becoming an online travel agency? Color us skeptical on that one. How will voice-based search change the game? Google's Rob Torres will certainly express his views on these topics at Skift Forum Europe.

JetBlue's Venture Arm Invests in a Startup That Predicts Flight Delays

If venture-backed startup Lumo has its way, more travelers will avoid flight cancellations thanks to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. No wonder that JetBlue, EasyJet, and other companies are interested.

Southwest added a bunch of flights earlier this year departing before 6 a.m., and passengers didn't seem to like them. But fear not. It's a short-term thing.

Universal Orlando Has More Land Now to Build the Theme Park Fans Want

We've been wondering for years what Universal will do with the land it was buying up in central Florida — and we continue to wonder with this latest purchase. Given what is already known about the theme park operator's plans and recent growth, we expect the Orlando theme park wars to never end.

Airbnb's Response to Paris Lawsuit Is the Same Old Story

Airbnb has crafted an ideal template for telling the same old story when it comes to dealing with short-term rental regulations around the world, and more cities just don't seem to want to hear it anymore.

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