Amazon's Hotel Check-In + United Premium Economy Plans + Future of Destination Marketing

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

June 19, 2018 View in browser

Editor's Note Overtourism is a topic we've written a lot about at Skift — in fact, we coined the term. Our latest research report, Destination Marketing Trends 2018, takes a look at this topic from another perspective. Research Associate Meghan Carty explains how destination marketing organizations must evolve to take on a new layer of management that not only focuses on feedback from visitors but from the residents themselves. Monitoring resident satisfaction should play a major role in developing strategies to keep inbound tourism manageable, and avoid the disasters we've seen in Venice and Barcelona. We offer an excerpt today, but don't hesitate to buy the entire report for all the insights. — Tom Lowry, Managing Editor How CES is Rethinking Las Vegas as a Global Innovation Distribution Channel Sponsored by Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Conference organizers are starting to tap into local innovators in their host cities to create more value for event attendees. The relationship between CES and Las Vegas paints an optimistic picture for the future of meetings and destinations, one that shows how communities can collaborate to drive industry and society forward. Read More Top Stories Amazon Wades Into Travel as Hotels Turn To Alexa in Rooms The next big questions hoteliers might soon be asking themselves: "Alexa, how do I make sure you recommend my hotels when they ask you where they want to stay?" Or, on the flip side: "Why did I invest so much into the modern-day version of the iPod docking station?" United Moves Up Its Plans for Premium Economy Elite loyalty members of United's MileagePlus program will be able to get free upgrades to international premium economy cabins this summer as the product fully rolls out. Hotel Tech Consolidation Ramps Up With This Software Merger Industry pressure in the hotel technology sector is leading to more technology roll-ups. Expect this to be one of many announcements in the next 18 months. How Today's Destination Marketers Need to Evolve: Skift Research With the changing desires of travelers and growing impacts of overtourism, today's DMOs have more roles to juggle than ever. How Nairobi-Based Ridesharing Service Little Competes With Uber in Africa On the streets of Nairobi, homegrown ridesharing service Little is giving Uber a run for its money. And judging by the growth, innovative ideas are proving just as useful as deep pockets. A Few Friendly Suggestions for Modern Hoteliers The state of hospitality is indeed strong, but there's always room for a few nips, tucks and optimization. Here's a few ideas that modern hoteliers can crib from. Activities Tech Provider Peek Raises $23 Million The latest investment comes just in time for Peek, a maker of enterprise software. Its rivals FareHarbor and Bokun have recently been snapped up by larger acquirers Booking Holdings and TripAdvisor. Clocks are ticking. Popular Now How Sheraton Lost Its Way and Marriott's Plans to Bring It Back Before you read this, ask yourself: What exactly does Sheraton stand for? For example, Westin is synonymous with wellness, St. Regis with luxury, W with lifestyle. And at the end of this article, ask yourself that same question again. If you struggle to come up with an answer, it's clear Marriott has a lot more work to do with the Sheraton brand. GetYourGuide Will Market Some Tours and Activities Under Its Own Brand GetYourGuide is betting that travelers will prefer to book GetYourGuide-branded tours over locally branded ones. This diagonal integration echoes marketing moves made by Oyo in hotels and RedAwning in lodging rentals. But will it work? Airbnb's Partnership Strategy in Japan May Serve as Global Model Airbnb's moves in Japan are smart for its future growth. But again we can't help but wonder: Why is the company so willing to fully comply with local laws in certain regions, like Japan, but so reluctant to do the same in others, like New York City? 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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