Skift Daily Briefing

Booking Holdings launches Lola, an AI travel assistant from Kayak's founders that bets memberships can replace commissions, Alaska Airlines doubles down on premium cabins and a flagship lounge despite fuel costs wiping out its first-half profit, and Europe's new anti-greenwashing law just made vague eco-labels a legal liability.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why Lola's subscription model could rewrite the economics of online travel if it works, why Alaska's premium bet is gutsy given that part of the plan rides on an uncertified plane, and what the EU's...

Bangkok floods snarl airports and threaten to redirect Golden Week travelers just as Chinese arrivals were tracking 78% ahead of last year, Expedia's latest layoffs zero in on data science as its efficiency push hits the org chart, and Carnival politely opts out of the premium arms race by doubling down on what actually works for its brand.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why Bangkok may keep Golden Week spending but lose its share of it, what Expedia's latest round of cuts signals about where the company is heading...

Brian Chesky commits to launching Airbnb's AI travel agent in 2027 and bets the chat interface is the wrong format for travel, Barry Diller walks away from an $18 billion MGM deal but leaves the door open, and two of travel's biggest investors reveal they're putting their money into things AI can't copy.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Airbnb is building its own front door instead of joining ChatGPT, what Diller's MGM withdrawal says about the timing of big Strip consolidation bets, and why the smartest travel investors are chasing land, wellness, and high-speed...

Vrbo and Airbnb go all in on paid placement just as AI booking agents signal they won't factor it in, IHG and Hyatt hand creators the keys and learn to let go of control, and the travel industry grapples with how to measure whether creator content actually drives bookings.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why sponsored listings may be a billion-dollar bet with an AI-shaped hole in it, how IHG and Hyatt rewired their creator strategies around authenticity over control, and why click-based attribution is the wrong way to...

Airbnb's Next Big Business Might Be Hotels

Airbnb makes a serious push into hotels with 3,900 properties live and CEO Brian Chesky calling it a potential ten-times opportunity, a former Remington CEO raises $7.5 million to build an AI-native hotel management company that isn't shy about cutting jobs, and Brand USA's Covid-era funding cushion is nearly gone.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Airbnb's hotel push is dividing early adopters from skeptical operators watching for cannibalization, how AIHG's AI operating system resets the economics of hotel management from the...

Banks are splitting into two camps on travel — those who want to own your trip and those who use travel perks to own your financial life, Turo announces car delivery straight to your hotel as everyone races to own more of the trip, and Banyan Group makes a big move into African safari lodges at exactly the right moment.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what your choice of travel card actually says about which kind of relationship your bank wants with you, whether Turo's host network can deliver on the promise of frictionless ca...

China's antitrust crackdown costs Trip.com $770 million and forces a full overhaul of how hotels compete on its platform, American Airlines puts the industry on notice that high fuel prices mean fewer flights, and Sam's Club makes a move into cruises targeting one of travel's last offline holdouts.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why Trip.com's regulatory hit matters less than the new rules it's writing for hotel partners, how fuel costs rather than demand could slow American Airlines' faster-than-rivals growth, and whether Sam's Club can finally crack...

Gulf hoteliers at Arabian Travel Market align on a 2027 recovery timeline as pricing stays stuck despite rebounding occupancy, Lindblad makes its biggest acquisition yet with a $67 million bet on Antarctic luxury that has nothing to do with ships, and GetYourGuide recruits creators to solve tour operators' oldest problem — no reviews, no bookings.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why Dubai's recovery story is really about rate not occupancy, what Lindblad's land-first acquisition strategy reveals about where expedition travel growth is actually coming from, and how GetYourGuide is solving a co...

Latvia's AirBaltic files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as fuel costs and a failed IPO take their toll, Starlink is becoming a must-have for airlines but somebody is going to have to pay for it, and Etihad's biggest problem right now is that it doesn't have enough planes to meet demand.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why AirBaltic's restructuring is a test case for whether mid-sized European flag carriers can restructure their way back, who ends up footing the bill for the Starlink upgrade travelers are now demanding, and...

The Iran war has quietly devastated Gulf tourism with Dubai hotel rates down 50% and recovery not expected before late 2027, Meta launches an AI agent called Muse that can actually book travel, and Marriott's CEO says AI's biggest impact on hotels won't be chatbots — it'll be distribution.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down just how bad Gulf tourism's numbers have gotten and what it means for travelers eyeing a Dubai trip right now, what Skift's hands-on test of Meta's Muse agent reveals about how AI is starting to shop for travel on your behalf, and wh...

The EU Just Gave Cities a Roadmap to Crack Down on Airbnb

The EU hands cities a legal framework to justify short-term rental restrictions, Navan buys AI-powered events platform BoomPop to push deeper into corporate meetings, and Klook turns travel creators into full-on storefronts with one link to book the whole trip.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why the EU's proposed short-term rental framework has Airbnb and Booking pushing back hard, how Navan's BoomPop acquisition fits a deliberate playbook of building a platform too integrated to leave...

Google Is Stripping Travel Search in Europe to Avoid More Fines

Google scales back hotel, flight, and restaurant search features across Europe to dodge further EU fines, the bloc's border safety valve expires just as airlines warn of more delays, and hurricane season is putting a real dollar figure on what extreme weather costs hospitality companies.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Google's European search changes are being cheered by some and criticized by others, what the expiration of the EU's border flexibility measure means for travelers...

Southwest announces airport lounges and keeps reinventing itself into something almost unrecognizable, Uber cuts 3,300 jobs and pulls focus back to its core as travel ambitions take a back seat, and Emirates unveils a premium economy seat that signals where the real airline revenue war is being fought.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Southwest's lounge announcement is the latest sign of an airline giving customers fewer and fewer reasons to fly someone else, what Uber's reorg means for its travel products that were never really the point, and why airlines racing to upgrade...

Travel industry executives meet with President Trump to push for more inbound tourists, Uber cuts 3,300 jobs while doubling down on robotaxis and quietly sidelining its travel ambitions, and Southwest opens airport lounges , but it's really a credit card strategy wearing an airport badge.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why the industry wants the World Cup's welcome mat to become permanent policy, what Uber's reorg signals about where travel fits in its actual priorities, and why Southwest's lounge announcement is less about hospitality and more about the next phase...

Airbnb names a former Booking.com hotel chief as its new chief business officer as its hotel push accelerates, AirDNA launches a dynamic pricing tool aimed at the 85% of short-term rental hosts still leaving money on the table, and JetBlue bets its comeback on a new domestic first class with mattress foam and custom cocktails.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why Airbnb's latest hire is a clear signal that its hotel ambitions just got serious, how AirDNA is betting simplicity can unlock dynamic pricing for the hosts that...

A bombshell estimate flips the script on who actually leads in B2B hotel bookings, Marriott presses its sales teams to close a $1.55 billion gap in group bookings for 2027, and AI-generated hotel videos on TikTok are misleading travelers about properties they can actually book.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why a new analyst estimate suggesting Booking Holdings leads Expedia in B2B room nights could reshape how the industry thinks about OTA competition, what Marriott's internal stretch goal reveals about the group booking market heading into 2027, and why TikTok...

Google Just Made Hotel Booking Part of the Chat

Google launches hotel booking inside its AI chat with major chains and OTAs on board, passport renewals are about to get dramatically easier for millions of Americans, and Dollywood opened its doors the day after Dolly Parton passed and the story of that park is one worth telling.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Google's new AI hotel booking tool could succeed where Book on Google failed a decade ago, how the State Department's online renewal proposal would save Americans time, money...

Dollywood bucks the theme park industry's closure wave as operators honor Dolly Parton's legacy with a $500 million expansion, Harry Styles' Madison Square Garden residency is giving NYC hotels and short-term rentals a meaningful boost, and there's a reason boutique hotel founders almost always end up selling to the big chains.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Dollywood's culture-first strategy is outperforming parks built on licensed characters, how a two-month residency in one city can move a market without needing Taylor Swift numbers, and why distribution economics make it nearly...

A familiar face may be headed back to lead NYC Tourism, Wall Street is warming up to Airbnb's growth story after five straight quarters of double-digit gains, and three South Korean budget airlines are merging into one low-cost giant.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Fred Dixon's potential return to NYC Tourism comes at a tough moment for inbound visitors, what's driving Airbnb's structural acceleration and why some analysts are still not fully convinced, and what South Korea's budget airline merger means for the country's aviation landscape.

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F1 confirms its Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is on despite war jitters, luxury tour operator Black Tomato sells 75% of itself to its own staff instead of private equity, and Thailand tries once again to collect a tourist fee it's been attempting since 2020.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Abu Dhabi's bet on marquee events like F1 keeps paying off, how Black Tomato's employee ownership move is a pointed contrast to travel's private equity wave, and why Thailand's latest tourist fee attempt faces the same question it always has — how to...

Google scoops up Spirit Airlines' pricing and booking data in bankruptcy for a fraction of its value, the UK launches a crackdown on hidden travel fees with fines up to 10% of global revenue, and Delta's pilot scheduling talks break down with the busy fall travel season right around the corner.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Google's Spirit data purchase is a bargain with enormous AI implications, what the UK's drip pricing crackdown means for travelers and why the U.S. still hasn't figured this out, and why Delta's reliability problems aren't going...

Overseas visits to the U.S. fall for the fourth straight month despite the World Cup, travel creators are pivoting hard to shorter and cheaper trips because that's what their audiences can actually afford, and a big question worth asking about AI travel tools: who are they really working for?

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the World Cup's failure to move the inbound tourism needle is a serious warning sign for LA 2028, how high fares and economic uncertainty are reshaping what travel content actually gets made, and why the dream of an...

Wildfires are forcing tourist evacuations across France and Spain with officials warning the risk is spreading, Norwegian Cruise Line's CEO admits the company's problems are mostly self-inflicted, and Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are competing for Portugal's national airline with two very different approaches.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what the latest European wildfire disruptions mean for summer travel plans and why this is becoming the new normal, why Norwegian Cruise Line's unusually candid CEO diagnosis is either reassuring or alarming depending on how you read it, and why the TAP Air Portugal bidding...

Hilton makes a rare move by cutting fees for its hotel owners as the market cycle finally turns, JetBlue posted a $247 million loss and its stock jumped 13% anyway, and Chinese outbound travel demand is surging with nowhere near enough flights to meet it.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Hilton's fee cuts signal a long-overdue shift in the brand-owner relationship, why investors are betting on JetBlue's turnaround plan despite six straight years of losses, and why the next wave of high-spending international travelers is coming from China as soon as the infrastructure can...

Amazon brings travel booking inside Alexa with Priceline as an early partner, American Express buys Europe's biggest restaurant reservation platform and the real reason is fascinating, and IHG becomes the third major hotel chain to launch AI search.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Amazon's travel move could succeed where every other AI platform has stalled, how Amex is using restaurant reservations as a funnel to identify and recruit its next generation of premium cardholders, and why the race to launch AI search among hotel chains is accelerating faster than anyone expected.

The 2026 World Cup's promised tourism windfall didn't materialize as international visitors stayed home, United tried to merge with both Delta and American and got turned down by both, and Europe fined Google for something the entire travel industry does to its own suppliers every day.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what the World Cup's underwhelming tourism numbers mean for Los Angeles heading into the 2028 Olympics, why airline consolidation has largely stalled despite all the deal talk earlier this year, and why the Google antitrust fine is a mirror the whole travel industry should...

Southwest posts record revenue after overhauling its entire business model, American Airlines hits record revenue too but keeps cutting its profit forecast, and the timeshare industry is consolidating for a reason most travelers would never guess.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the new Southwest might actually be stronger than the one it replaced, why American's record revenue quarter still comes with a cautious outlook, and why timeshares are really a lending business in disguise — and why that's driving consolidation.

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Southwest's New Fe...

Travel's biggest companies are trading loyalty members directly with each other as Google's dominance over customer acquisition breaks down, three hotel giants launched debit cards in the UK and only the UK, and a legendary Tokyo hotel just reopened after a 19-month renovation.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why loyalty programs are becoming the primary customer acquisition channel in travel, what the UK hotel debit card trend reveals about the limits of credit card economics outside the U.S., and whether Park Hyatt Tokyo's renovation got one of the world's great hotels right.<...

The U.S. passport stalls at 10th while the UAE jumps to second in the global rankings, Emirates president Tim Clark says retirement can wait, and Expedia opens a Silicon Valley office to find the engineers who are exponentially more productive with AI.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what the UAE's historic passport rise reveals about how deliberate diplomatic strategy translates into real travel advantages, why Tim Clark is still running Emirates at 76 and showing no signs of slowing down, and why Expedia's AI bet is really a people bet.

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JetBlue picks up Spirit's coveted LaGuardia slots for $58.5 million, Airbnb adds car rentals and keeps inching toward becoming a one-stop travel shop, and hotel brands are quietly moving into student housing with a four-revenue-stream business model.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why JetBlue's slot purchase is a long-term strategic play in one of the most constrained airports in the country, what Airbnb's car rental launch says about where Chesky is taking the platform, and why hybrid student-hotel buildings might be one of the smartest revenue models in hospitality right now.

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United's Scott Kirby makes it official — the era of dirt-cheap airfares is over, a travel agency startup just hit a billion-dollar valuation by betting human taste beats AI, and JetBlue launches buy-now-pay-later flights with a catch worth reading closely.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the structural changes in aviation mean the floor on airfares is permanently higher, how Fora Travel built a billion-dollar business by recruiting people who love travel rather than people who work in it, and what JetBlue's new flight financing product gets right and where it gets complicated.

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AI Is Not Going to Fix Travel's Labor Problem

A sharp reality check reveals AI is being deployed in exactly the wrong places to address travel's labor crisis, hotel guest satisfaction just hit a new high with improvements across every segment, and the events job market has a clear message for planners right now.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why travel has an AI strategy for its office workforce but still needs a real plan for everyone else, what's driving the biggest hotel satisfaction gains in years, and why deep specialization...

The World Cup failed to deliver the U.S. tourism bump everyone was counting on, Skift lays out a compelling theory for why Airbnb's best hotel move might be Ennismore's upcoming IPO, and Frontier Airlines announces Starlink — the last major holdout finally goes premium.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why June's overseas arrival numbers are sobering even with a global sporting event on U.S. soil, why the Airbnb-Ennismore deal Skift is floating could solve a distribution problem neither company can fix alone, and what Frontier's Starlink announcement signals about the end of th...

Canadian travel to the U.S. ticks up in June but underlying data shows a market that still hasn't decided to return, lifestyle hotel brands are moving into all-inclusive and Ennismore thinks the stigma is finally gone, and a provocative take on why sometimes when hospitality fails the problem is actually the guest.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the Canadian travel rebound headline is more complicated than it looks, how Ennismore is betting Mondrian and SLS can bring lifestyle credibility to a format long associated with buffets and wristbands, and why the...

Two airlines created the World Cup's best marketing moment without paying FIFA a cent, Delta launches a stripped-down business class fare that turns premium travel into a spectrum, and there's one obscure hotel metric about to tell us whether the industry's recovery is built to last.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down how Norwegian Air and British Airways generated massive World Cup buzz with nothing but a well-timed Instagram bet, what Delta's new Basic Business fare means for travelers trying to decide how much business class they actually need, and why incentive management fees...

EasyJet's potential $7 billion takeover is putting Europe's remaining independent airlines on notice, Air Canada names a new multilingual CEO after a very public language controversy, and a sharp look at why the West ended up with two half-apps instead of one super app.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down which European airlines are most likely to be next in the consolidation wave EasyJet just triggered, why Air Canada's CEO succession story is really a cautionary tale about language and leadership in Canada, and why Google and Uber keep moving into each other's territory without...

The World Cup's tourism boost is spreading far beyond host cities into markets nobody expected, AI chatbots are bypassing travel brand apps even when fully integrated, and Hilton opens a direct line to corporate travel platform Navan to cut out the middlemen.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the World Cup's ripple effect is reaching markets 60+ miles from any stadium, why being available inside an AI chatbot is not the same as being chosen by one, and how Hilton's direct Navan connection signals that the fight to cut out distribution middlemen is coming...

Airbnb nearly doubled Marriott's World Cup marketing reach at a fraction of the cost, airlines are buying concert venue naming rights and turning them into loyalty real estate, and extended-stay hotels are having their best demand run in four years with supply thinning fast.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Airbnb's focused World Cup bet is a masterclass in what targeted spending can do against a much bigger budget, how British Airways and Delta are turning theaters and concert halls into year-round loyalty platforms, and why extended-stay hotels may be the least glamorous...

The Trump administration moves to repeal Obama-era airfare transparency rules, OTAs shift their focus from winning traveler trust to winning the trust of AI agents, and American Airlines takes a direct swing at United in Chicago with a new Tokyo route.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why rolling back airfare transparency rules is part of a broader pattern of shrinking consumer protections, how the real AI distribution war is no longer about convincing travelers but convincing the agents booking on their behalf, and why American's new Tokyo route is a statement of intent...

The U.S. proposes lifting a 53-year ban on supersonic flight over land, Visa launches a consumer travel platform that puts it in direct competition with the banks that pay it, and a look at the rare airline CEOs who simply never leave.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what the FAA's proposed rule change actually means for the future of supersonic travel and how soon it could happen, why Visa's new travel platform creates a quiet but significant conflict with its own card-issuing partners, and what the long-tenured airline CEO phenomenon reveals about...