Soho House's IPO Dilemma + Sabre's Fee Advice + AirAsia Adds OTA Features

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

September 14, 2018

Editor's Note More than 20 years ago, Nick Jones snubbed his nose at convention and the stuffiness that for generations defined private membership clubs. His Soho House was created for a new breed, affluent creatives looking for their own high-end oasis. But history, as it often does with disruptors like the Soho House, is repeating itself as others push new models of private membership, like NeueHouse, WeWork, and The Curtain. One possible plan to overcome this feeling of being less distinct is for Soho House to become a public company, using money it raises in the market to fund a large-scale expansion. But as On Experience columnist Colin Nagy asks below, "Can expansion still maintain that exclusivity?" Good question. Raising capital is useful, but the scrutiny from the investor class is an altogether different kind of burden than keeping your members feeling posh and pampered when they walk through your doors. — Tom Lowry, Managing Editor Webinar: Putting People Before Policy — The Evolution of Business Travel Sponsored by TripActions During a recent webinar, we explored the cultural and corporate shifts that are helping create a more people-first business travel environment. Register to view a recording of the webinar. View Now Top Stories Skift Global Forum Is Just 2 Weeks Away There are still 26 seats available at Skift Global Forum. We're excited for our fifth year of meaningful sessions, lightning round interviews with 30+ executives, and to meet our audience of 50 percent VP-level and above attendees. When Exclusivity Feels Familiar, Soho House Looks to Another Club: Wall Street As Soho House considers plans to go public, there's a lot of competition on the horizon at every turn. This, plus the inevitable struggle to balance aggressive growth versus exclusivity, and a less-than-stellar customer experience, presents some problems on the horizon. Viator's Travel Agent Program Gets Mixed Reviews The market for off-the-beaten-path tours and experiences has been heating up this year with the emergence of Airbnb's Experiences. TripAdvisor, which emphasizes on-the-beaten path offerings, is putting a huge effort into trying to stay on top. Its new travel agent program is part of that effort. Budget Carrier AirAsia Is Trying to Become a Lifestyle Booking Site Can a budget carrier like AirAsia also be an aspirational brand, and a hotel and activities booking site? The dual operations — running an airline and an online-travel-agency-like operation — seem like a big stretch. That's especially so when the airline is facing intense pressure from rising fuel costs. EasyJet and Ryanair Split on Likelihood of Brexit Aviation Deal Ryanair has always taken a more negative view on the Brexit negotiations than other airlines, and with a deal still nowhere in sight, the potential for major disruption next April remains a possibility. Video: Sabre CEO Believes Airlines Can Get More Creative With Fees Sabre CEO Sean Menke is right when he says consumers want the ability to comparison shop before they make travel plans. But his ideas about making airline fees more complicated — and lucrative — might not be so popular. Beekeeper Raises $13 Million for Hotel Tech: Travel Startup Funding This Week Beekeeper is joining Expedia-owned Alice, Amadeus-owned HotSOS, and fast-growing Quore in helping boost the effectiveness of hospitality worker communication. Extended Stay Gets Creative Increased choice is vital for corporate travel as employees are more willing to experiment with homeshares, hostels, and other alternative accommodations. Companies that embrace variety now will be able to lead the way going forward. Myanmar Tourism Is No Pariah at Asia-Pacific Travel Mart It was mostly business as usual for Myanmar tourism at the Pacific Asia Travel Association's 2018 travel mart. With visitations to Myanmar declining from Europe, the Americas and Africa, Myanmar is going after Chinese, Japanese and Korean tourists. But so is almost everyone else. FLYWELL Launches New Lifestyle Channel TravelWell Sponsored by FLYWELL TravelWell is a new interactive health & wellness lifestyle channel containing a comprehensive library of exercises, nutrition, destination knowledge and meditation experiences. Popular Now Why Emirates Waited So Long to Add Premium Economy No matter what Emirates President Tim Clark says, the airline probably wishes it had moved faster to add premium economy. Most airlines say it has been selling well, as customers are flush with more disposable income. Of course, if and when a recession hits, passengers will stop spending on these perks. A Peddler of Fake Reviews on TripAdvisor Gets Jail Time TripAdvisor hopes that jail time will scare off the dishonest folks creating fake reviews. We hope so, too. Travel Managers Aren't Buying Basic Economy Fares: Here's Why Travel managers are avoiding basic economy fares, and rightfully so. The consensus is that travelers end up paying more over the course of a trip if they go basic economy and have a worse flight experience to boot. 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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