Golf-Hotel-Resorts AND CASINO News: Hyatt's Loyalty Spa Treatment + Examining Business of Wellness + Expense Fraud Solutions

October 5, 2018

Editor's Note

The rush continues for hotel companies to be all things to their customers, especially when it comes to creating experiences. Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian touched on his chain's focus on wellness last week at Skift Global Forum. "A lot of companies are turning to mindful practices to help people be healthier. We're looking to try to embed a mindful approach to nutrition, exercise, and mental well-being as well." A week later, Hyatt announced it would include members of its Exhale spa business in its loyalty program. See our story below.

This idea of offering fuller services is not new, of course. But the pace has accelerated — even to the point where a tours division is being announced before a brand has even opened its very first hotel. See our other story below about Equinox spinning out the brand extensions at a pace its trainers would be proud of. How far these companies can stray from their core brands is something we will definitely keep an eye on.

— Tom Lowry, Managing Editor

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Destination Storytelling — How to Differentiate Your Brand

This makes a ton of sense for World of Hyatt, but again will scale prove to be a challenge for Hyatt and for Exhale?

Skift Wellness Issue One: Examining the Business of Modern Well-Being

Skift Wellness, our new weekly newsletter, curates the best news coverage of the global wellness space. Join us as we dive into the business of wellness, Skift-style.

Why Companies Aren't That Worried About Expense Fraud

Most travel and expense fraud is strictly small-scale stuff, and is hard for companies to catch. New technology tools will make it easier, though, to figure which employees are routinely ripping them off.

Carnival's Brewmaster Is Trying to Bring Craft Beer Culture to Cruising

Carnival Cruise Line wants to deliver good beer and fun experiences to its passengers. That's where the brewmaster comes in.

Equinox Will Launch Luxury Tours in 2019 as New Hotels Open

If it ends up being successful, and we don't see any red flags why it wouldn't be, Equinox will have a value proposition not many travel brands can touch: an exclusive place to work out, sleep, and explore the world.

CrowdRiff Raises $9 Million for Visual Marketing: Travel Startup Funding This Week

A wave of fundings is helping startups like CrowdRiff and Travel Appeal develop tools to help travel marketers be more efficient.

It's reasonable to ask whether airline re-accommodation agreements still make sense in 2018. In how many industries will one company happily hand you over to the competition after a slight service hiccup? But road warriors love these deals. It means they can get home, or to an important meeting, even when their favorite airline screws up.

American Airlines Feels Vindicated in Its Second Try at Direct Distribution

American Airlines has moved away from its earlier belligerence to navigate a cooperative path with distribution middlemen. The airline appears to be making a lot more gains this time around.

4 Trends Defining Tourism Marketing in 2018

We've seen a lot of tried-and-true marketing tactics from destinations this year, but we also saw some newer, smarter strategies on how to use the masses of content and opinions available these days, thanks to social media.

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