Traveling Blog: Airbnb's Hotel Strategy + Thomas Cook Gets Personal + Argentina's Visa Vision

February 27, 2018

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Note From the Editor

We're way past Valentine's Day, but today's stories feature a lot of wooing and appreciating. In one story, the Wyndham Hotel Group CEO acknowledges hotels could learn a lot from Airbnb — especially when it comes to the creating a better user experience online and fostering affection for the brand. And in another, Airbnb's hotels program manager explains how the homesharing company is attracting boutique hotels and bed-and-breakfasts to use the platform and is working to form lasting partnerships. Sure, these segments are often in competition, but sometimes you can feel the love.

— Hannah Sampson, News Editor

The End-to-End Luxury Travel Experience Has Never Mattered More

Oh, how times have changed. Instead of feeling threatened by Airbnb, some hotels are being wooed by the company. Online travel agencies, on the other hand, are about to get a taste of what it feels like to be disrupted by the likes of Airbnb.

Skift Forum Europe: Thomas Cook Is Reinventing Mass-Market Tourism

Thomas Cook is an old dog in the travel industry that has definitely learned some new tricks. From Thomas Cook Money to offering the ability to book a specific hotel room, the company is personalizing the travel experience for the future.

Interview: Argentina Tourism Minister Dreams of Visa Free Travel Across the Region

Argentina is breaking from the past and hopes that its diversity of offerings attract new types of travelers. The tourism minister comes from the private sector and he's bringing new energy into tourism promotion efforts.

Wyndham Wants to Elevate the Budget Experience

The Wyndham Hotel Group CEO recognizes that Airbnb captures the attention of travelers in unique ways — and he wants to do what he can to create a similar experience.

Airbnb Is Finally Taking Business Travelers Seriously

A new loyalty program coming from Airbnb may be the final straw that gets business travelers to switch to the service.

Australian Charter Operator Gets Opportunistic About Tourism Surge

Brisbane-based Alliance Airlines continues to see opportunities where others fear to fly. It has done extremely well in Australia's mining boom, and now aims to grow its tourism activities to shield it from the ups and downs of the resources sector.

In which we try to make some sense out of what we know Airbnb is doing now — and what it hopes to be doing over the next 10 years.

CEO Interview: The Future of Boutique Hotels Is to Go Big

Can such a thing as a boutique or lifestyle casino resort with nearly 3,000 rooms actually work? We'll find out soon.

Ryanair Files U.S. Lawsuit Against Expedia Over Screen-Scraping

Ryanair says it gets 99 percent of its bookings from its website in a distribution model that has some parallels to how Southwest Airlines does business. Expedia doesn't offer Southwest's flights to consumers, but apparently thinks it can get away with scraping the website of a foreign airline, Ryanair.com.

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