Traveling Blog: Hospitality-Retail Smashup + Luxury Travel's Next Phase + Uber Hires Ex-Orbitz CEO

December 21, 2017

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Note From the Editor

Hospitality is blending with retail and retail is merging with hospitality, as columnist Colin Nagy's article today points out. Hotels are partnering to sell retail products and services that are an extension of their brands, and retail outfits are opening hotels so guests can try their products. But does it all become just too commercial at some point?

Speaking of blending, Uber snagged the Expedia CEO a few months ago for the top job at the ridesharing company, and now Dara Khosrowshahi has tapped a former Expedia official, Barney Harford, who is also a former Orbitz CEO, to be the COO at Uber. Harford is said to be excessively detail-oriented. He'll have to be if the duo can turn around Uber.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

Cracking the Code: Taking a Closer Look At Travel Startup Business Models

In the rush to smash together retail and hotels, brands have to focus on doing this with a lot of care and intention. Sometimes a brand just isn't that important.

Luxury Travel's Next Phase Could Be in Vacation Rental Consolidation

Luxury travelers are increasingly looking to vacation rentals for a different type of experience. This presents opportunities for both established players and newcomers.

Former Orbitz CEO Barney Harford Is Uber's New Chief Operating Officer

Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi first met Barney Harford when they both worked at Expedia in the mid-2000s. A decade later, Harford sold Orbitz to Expedia. But can the two men in 2018 successfully shake off Uber's all-too-often exploitative disregard for workers and the law? And can they make Uber profitable?

Virgin Atlantic Builds an Igloo on a Deck at Heathrow — Airline Innovation Report

Most high-value customers choose airlines based on two factors — price and schedule. But on the margins, airlines like to use marketing strategies to attract customers. Maybe Virgin Atlantic's outdoor igloo at London Heathrow will help it win some new fans.

Travel and Events Are Becoming a Potent Blend — Meetings Innovation Report

Backed by technology and out-of-the-box thinking, integrating travel management and meeting functions is becoming a thing — if territorial impulses don't get in the way.

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