Airbnb-Branded Outrage + Spotlight on Airport Security + Customer Service Trumps Loyalty

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

August 16, 2018

Editor's Note On the same day that Airbnb was looking to curry favor on the public relations front by announcing $10 million in donations to nonprofit groups in New York, we were busy telling another Airbnb story. This one involved a company, a partner of Airbnb's, that doesn't seem to have learned from its earlier mistakes. By not communicating properly yet again, Newgard, the developer behind an Airbnb-branded complex in Nashville, has ticked off a group of tenants who feel blindsided, the same way another group of residents did earlier this year at a Niido Powered by Airbnb complex in Kissimmee, Florida. With little notice, these residents discovered their building owners are encouraging tenants to rent out units under Airbnb branding, raising all kinds of concerns. Senior Hospitality Editor Deanna Ting quotes several Nashville tenants who say they feel powerless over decisions being made unilaterally without any of their input. The bigger headline will be the Airbnb PR machine brandishing its donations all around New York City, but the real story is down in Nashville with the homesharing giant's partner. — Tom Lowry, Managing Editor Texas Travel Leaders Fight Discriminatory Legislation Harmful to the State's Economy Sponsored by VisitDallas The "Texas Welcomes All" coalition, which is fighting discriminatory legislation in the state, proves that convention and visitor bureaus can drive real societal impact –– both within tourism and beyond. Read More Top Stories Tenants of the Latest Airbnb-Branded Complex in Nashville Feel Blindsided Oops, they did it again. Will the Airbnb-branded, apart-hotel developer Niido ever learn its lesson? Google Finds Customer Service Beats Loyalty Programs It's no surprise that travelers are starting to place a higher priority on customer experience over loyalty programs considering how uncomfortable air travel has become. Google's data just prove it. Let's Not Get Carried Away With New Airport Security Procedures Last week's stolen plane tragedy in Seattle made for great television. It also scared some travelers. But let's call it what it was: a fluke. Red Roof Adds an Economy Extended Stay Brand to Its Portfolio If it's an economy/midscale or extended stay brand, expect hotel companies to keep launching them until eternity at this point. Condé Nast Traveler Will Combine U.S. and UK Editorial Teams There is a striking difference in editorial styles between the two titles, with the U.S. edition hyper-focused on luxury and fashion and the UK one focused on a broader swath of readers. We're interested in seeing what will emerge as the singular voice. Blackstone's Acquisition of Audiovisual Firm Shines a Spotlight on Event Production Roll up, roll up, roll up! No, that's not a lyric from a song by either The Struts or Fitz and the Tantrums. That's instead the call of Blackstone, which bought events tech provider PSAV with a likely plan of creating more roll-up mergers with similar vendors. How Cvent Searches for the Event Technology Tipping Point Cvent wants to be opportunistic about adding emerging technologies like augmented reality to its broad stable of products for event professionals. For the time being, the focus is on making its products easier to use and reducing the fragmentation that can make life more complicated for its customers. Announcing Limited Time Summer Savings on Skift Research Planning season is here. Time to invest in the data and market insights your team needs. Use the promo code SUMMER18 at checkout for exclusive savings on Skift Research. Propel your team forward today. Popular Now Marriott and Starwood Clean House Ahead of Combining Loyalty Programs Marriott and Starwood are ready to pull the trigger on integrating their loyalty programs — but will their hotel and loyalty members ever be ready for the change? Luxury General Managers on How Five-Star Expectations Have Changed What better way to discover how luxury travel has evolved than to chat with veterans of the five-star hospitality space? No Need to Live Like a Local: All Tourists Welcome It is time to reclaim the word tourist, and recalibrate it to mean something good. Tourists can see the world with fresh eyes, unencumbered with the daily accumulations of local life. A new hotel in North Adams, Massachusetts, seeks to do just that. 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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