Weekend Review: Accor's Balancing Act + Starwood Loyalists Speak Out

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

November 24, 2018

Editor's Note Former elite members of the Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program feel that Marriott has lost that loving feeling when they arrive at the hotel. Business of Loyalty Editor Grant Martin interviewed a handful of these super-travelers, and that was their unanimous take on the Marriott-Starwood loyalty program merger. They just are not getting the pampering that they once did. It appears as though Marriott still has a lot of work to do that goes beyond the mere tech details. — Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor Limited Time Only: The Best Deals Ever on Skift Forums and Research Earlier this week we teased a few of our holiday specials on Skift Forums and Research. Well, now it's time for the real deal! All discounts are live and available for use. BUY NOW Top Stories AccorHotels Balances Asset-Light and Acquisition Strategies: New Skift Research Report With the sale of a majority stake in the company's owned and leased hotel business, AccorHotels is a more stable, nimble company, with the ability to pursue additional acquisitions and other strategic initiatives. In our latest research report, we break down what going asset-light means for the company and tackle ways of measuring the success of its M&A strategy. H​ow's Marriott's Massive Loyalty Merger Going? We Asked 5 Starwood Members​ to Weigh In Most Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest members enjoyed a seamless integration earlier this year when the two programs merged. For some, however, latent issues are still hampering the experience. We asked five Starwood members about their journeys. Booking Holdings Is Taking Its Time to Deliver On a Steep Promise Booking.com is taking its sweet time to implement a flights-to-attractions travel offering. Some would say the pace is Google-like in its slowness. But behind the scenes, data reigns supreme, and dictates whether a product is scrapped, implemented with a twist, or then reshaped anew. Refill the popcorn. This will take a while. Instagrammer Turned Her Following Into a Luxury Travel Advisor Business Justyna Smith built up a modest Instagram following, and she's used that, plus word of mouth, to run a four-woman luxury travel agency that's making money. Many businesses decide to market wherever the customers are; in Smith's case, the customers came to her and the business followed. Get Ready to Boost Your Networking Potential in Istanbul Sponsored by ACE of M.I.C.E. Exhibition by Turkish Airlines ACE of M.I.C.E. Exhibition by Turkish Airlines is gearing up for its sixth edition on 20-22 February 2019 at Istanbul Congress Center (ICC) – Istanbul, Turkey. ACE of M.I.C.E. will welcome around 250 exhibiting companies, more than 10K visitors and 250 international and 500 local buyers for the 3-day show. Premium Economy Isn't Really Economy Class. Why Does It Have the Name? The premium economy cabin many global airlines are installing isn't much like regular economy. So why do many airlines include "economy" in its name? Editor's Picks This Startup Is Selling Fly-by-the-Hour Airline Gift Cards This startup has the JetBlue Tech Ventures seal of approval, which means something in the travel space. But we're not sure why consumers would rather receive a gift card for airplane hours, than a gift card worth cash. What European Rail Companies Need to Do to Boost Growth From Tourism Rail travel is a complex beast and something the tourism industry has yet to fully embrace, but things are starting to change. Event Planners Look Outside Major Cities for Savings and Variety Traditional conference cities are still the default choice for events organizers, but rising costs and strained capacity are making secondary cities more appealing. And some are working hard to show their unique benefits. Ritz and Virgin Cruise CEOs Think Agents Will Benefit From Brand Clout As they ramp up their outreach to travel advisors, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and Virgin Voyages are both presenting themselves as new and different options for luxury clients. They say this means agents will be able to sell cruises to those who don't normally cruise, but who are intrigued by the brands. Why Luxury Companies Need to Pay Attention to the Newly Wealthy Just as a gold digger goes after an older mate with deep pockets, so the luxury market has traditionally kept a focus on the mature top 5 percent. But as the world of wealth evolves, companies need to broaden their horizons to consider the new and younger groups that are becoming eligible for elite status. 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.

Follow us Our address: 145 W 30th Street 5th Floor New York,  NY  10001  USA  Copyright © 2018 Skift, All rights reserved.

If you'd like to unsubscribe from this email, click here If you'd like to receive fewer emails, click here If someone shared this email with you and you would like to subscribe, visit our newsletters page on Skift