Traveling Blog: Singapore's First-Class Refresh + Virgin Voyages Disinvites Kids + Calculated Collaboration in Airline Reviews

November 3, 2017

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Note From the Editor

It's somewhat ironic that today we publish two stories about airline premium seats. In one, our columnist Colin Nagy laments the uncritical reporting that often characterizes bloggers' and others' airline reviews, sometimes in collaboration with the carriers themselves. For the second story, we sent airline business reporter Brian Sumers to Singapore, and he reviewed Singapore Airlines' new first-class suites, which will be featured on only 19 Airbus A380s.

The point is that Sumers doesn't roll as an extension of Singapore Airlines' marketing department. He likes the new suites well enough but says they won't likely help much against Gulf carrier competition, and because the A380 is such a small part of the Singapore Airlines' fleet, few passengers will ever experience the first-class suites' with their oversized sliding doors and adjustable blinds. In other words, Skift doesn't adjust its critiques at the whim of marketing departments; you wouldn't respect us if we did.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

New eBook: The Modern Tourism Marketer's Guide to Video [SPONSORED]

We expect Singapore's new first-class suites will be considered among the world's best products. But the airline still faces intense competition from Gulf and Asian airlines. It's not clear how much this cabin update will help on that front.

Hyatt Shifts Strategy in Plan to Sell $1.5 Billion in Hotel Real Estate Over Next 3 Years

From "asset recycler" to "asset light," Hyatt is beginning to embrace a favorite industry strategy for making more money.

The Calculated Faux Marketing of Premium Air Travel

The lenses through which we view the travel ecosystem are often heavily distorted. The first step toward countering it is acknowledgement.

Virgin Voyages Sharpens Its Focus With Adult-Only Cruise Plan

One of the buzz phrases in the cruise industry for the past couple of years has been "multigenerational cruising." Virgin Voyages sees an opportunity in keeping one generation off its inaugural ship.

Tours and Activities Site GetYourGuide Secures a $75 Million Funding Round

Whoever said there's no money in tours-and-activities may want to have a chat with the folks at Battery Ventures, whose investment in GetYourGuide brings that startup's total funding to $175.5 million.

Skift Call November 7: A Framework for Overtourism Solutions

When your city sees demonstrations against tourists — or even expressions of discontent beyond peaceful protests — you know you have a problem. Destinations around the world are struggling to find the right balance between welcoming visitors and barring them. We'll discuss a framework for figuring out solutions.

Airbnb Rival Xiaozhu Raises $120 Million: Travel Startup Funding This Week

The moneyed set looked East this week as China had its second travel unicorn, Xiaozhu, receive a billion-dollar valuation, following in the footsteps of its rival, Tujia, China's first travel unicorn. Meanwhile, Ctrip bought Trip.com

eDreams Odigeo to Explore Sale After Attracting Interest From Potential Investors

Under current CEO Dana Dunne, eDreams Odigeo has been going through something of a turnaround, swapping years of losses for profit. At this stage we don't know the identity of the potential buyer(s) or what they want to do with the business.

Travelport Signs Deal to Get Hertz's Prepaid Car-Rental Rates for the First Time

As its pace of revenue growth slows, travel-tech player Travelport needs to diversify beyond distributing airline tickets. Rental cars are one bright spot. It is gaining traction thanks to a new deal with Hertz.

The Race to Capture Unmanaged Business Travelers — Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report

Upside hopes working with The Wall Street Journal will attract high-yield and repeat business travelers to its service. We've seen before that media-linked booking sites rarely have staying power. As a customer-acquisition move, though, it could pay off.

Ctrip-backed Skyscanner will tap in-destination content from social reviews company Trip.com. But is the acquiring company's true plan to further mobile engagement? Or is it to nab a domain name that may be appeal more to Americans than Ctrip.com -- or Alibaba's Fliggy?

Interview: Air France-KLM CEO on Millennials and Unions of All Kinds

Is there a tougher job in the airline industry than making Air France more nimble? It's an airline that prides itself on its systems and procedures. But to compete forcefully in the 21st century, an airline must take chances. Air France needs to be more, in that regard, like its Dutch sibling, KLM.

Hotel Direct-Booking Pushes Really Worked and Owners Were Big Winners

The bigger question, however, is whether these campaigns will still work in 2017 and beyond; offering discounted rates can only last for so long. Hotels need to start thinking about how they can ensure this momentum continues in the long run without having to use discounted rates.

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