Skift

Skift Take: India is betting that open digital infrastructure can make its vast, fragmented tourism supply easier to discover, book and eventually surface through AI. Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: One source said Dakota Smith had a lot of credibility in the B2B space, Hopper's most important division.Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Hilton's CEO says he wants to make booking through AI agents easy. For now, Meta's Muse struggles to pull a price from hotel group sites, and OTAs may remain an easier door.Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Tourist taxes are usually sold as a way to manage crowds. Their deeper appeal is political: They raise money from people who cannot vote against the officials spending it.Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Thai Airways emerged from years of restructuring with ambitious plans to expand its fleet and international network. A flood-driven operational breakdown at its Bangkok hub has now cost its CEO his job.Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: A pilot can demonstrate that AI performs a task. Putting it into a travel business requires someone to own the results, handle the exceptions and show that it is worth the cost.Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: United has a real lead with Starlink and is smart to make as much noise about it as possible. Travel history suggests the lead won't last nearly as long as the enthusiasm around it. Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Hotel tech investments keep climbing, but profits aren't keeping pace. Can hotels promise that AI will mean no job cuts and a payoff on the P&L at the same time? Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: United is betting that Starlink will become one of its biggest selling points as it ramps up rollout of the in-flight Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, its chief rival, Delta, is receiving pushback online for not choosing the internet provider. Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Cruise lines and live events are giving influencers insider access to reach young audiences. Certain partnerships have sparked backlash from paying guests. Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: LVMH’s connection gets the attention, but L Catterton’s travel story is really about a $40 billion consumer-investment machine putting more capital behind how people spend their time and discretionary income. Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Industrializing AI across European markets is the hard part at Accor. Its AI chief bets on autonomous agents anyway, though he warns they meet far more friction in the enterprise.Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Bangkok’s floods strained airport operations, not hotel demand. The next risk is Golden Week, when rain could complicate travel for a surge of Chinese visitors.Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Carnival Cruise Line is sitting out the premium push that's reshaping airlines and hotels, betting instead on drive-to affordability and multigenerational families. Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Home2 Suites clean energy prototype is a zero-emissions design — but it’s voluntary. Hilton’s sustainability chief Jean Garris Hand is hoping that high energy bills will encourage uptake.Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Cleartrip is going after the messy middle of Indian travel - the holiday package, a high-value market that remains largely offline even as flights and hotels have moved online.Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Major experiences players market to travelers, not locals. Can Airbnb be the exception to the rule?Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Expedia filed a WARN notice in Washington eliminating 58 jobs, including executive positions and data science roles. The reorganization reached Illinois and Florida too.Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: The question for every travel company shifting resources toward premium: is the demand truly structural?Read the Complete Story On Skift

Skift Take: Guest behaviors around how they use their time on cruises are materially changing, a shift hospitality companies should all be considering.Read the Complete Story On Skift