Booking Vs. Airbnb + Bogus U.S. Tourism Numbers? + Car Seat-Inspired Airline Seats

Booking.com may be marginally ahead of Airbnb in the listings race, but for practical purposes you can call it a draw. It's game on, though.

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

April 10, 2018 View in browser

Note From the Editor Booking.com wants to remind everyone that it's firmly in the alternative accommodations game. In big cities that pits it against Airbnb, in vacation markets it is a slew of international, national, and local players that have their own market niche carved out. But whatever Booking's challenges, they've proved so far that they know how to put the consumer first. On the U.S. domestic beat, we look at late-day news that a government organization is no longer going to share international arrival information because it cannot be relied upon for accuracy. Honestly we're not sure who to trust here, but we are sure that we can trust our gut. The current political leadership revels in sowing disinformation, which makes us certain we are right on when our gut calls B.S. on what's happening here. — Jason Clampet, Editor-in-Chief Luxury Retreats Recognizes That Curated Experiences Are Essential to Luxury Hospitality Sponsored by Luxury Retreats The sharing economy has come a long way over the last few years, and luxury accommodations now play a large role. Because of its consistency and highly secure vetting process, Luxury Retreats stands out from other companies in the space. Read More Top Stories Booking Claims It Beats Airbnb With 5 Million Alternative Accommodations Listings Booking.com may be marginally ahead of Airbnb in the listings race, but for practical purposes you can call it a draw. It's game on, though, pitting Booking.com's renowned demand aggregation and marketing resources versus Airbnb's brand advantages, and the resources it would gain by doing an IPO and becoming more comprehensive. U.S. Tourism Office Blocks Release of International Visitor Data We never like to see public records withheld, even if they might show faulty data. To see the travel industry praise such a move is disappointing as it will only cause more headaches for the foreseeable future. World's Largest Car-Seat Manufacturer Wants to Disrupt the Airline Business More companies are producing airline seats. That's good news for carriers, which have long complained about production delays from existing suppliers. It's not clear how much it matters for consumers. Airlines don't allot much space to each economy seat so there's not a lot of room for innovation. Technology Finally Convinced Mandarin Oriental to Launch a Loyalty Program Can luxury brands like Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, and others convince consumers that you don't need the lure of points or free nights to be loyal? HNA Sale of Hilton Stock Could Be Worth $6.5 Billion No doubt most Wall Street analysts and Hilton shareholders are likely happy about this news. We do, however, have to wonder how Carlson Hotels, which is 100 percent owned by HNA, is taking this recent news. Accor Adds F&B Booking Tool to Growing Non-Hotel Portfolio Accor's acquisition strategy might seem scattershot to some but buying up technology providers in key sectors does make sense. There's always an element of risk but you'd hope Accor had learnt how to get the best out of management teams. Air Canada Follows Delta With Segmented Economy Cabins Air Canada's new spectrum of fare classes released may rub some casual and frequent flyers the wrong way. Everyone else may appreciate the precise targeting that the airline has built up for every type of traveler. Postmates Talked DoorDash Merger, Grubhub Acquisition Interest in and use of delivery services has never been higher. Merger, acquisition, or not, Postmates still has a chance to capture a larger slice of the delivery pie. But now's the time to act. Popular Now 5 Ways to Humanize the Next Big Thing in Aviation — Super-Long Flights As flights tip over the 17-hour mark, airlines need to be thinking about ways to raise the level of civility on these uncomfortable trips. What New UK Statistics Tell Us About the Gender Pay Gap in Travel Sadly, that women get paid less than men doesn't come as a surprise but it is still shocking to see such a huge disparity. With the figures now out in the open in the UK, companies have a responsibility to see that the gap is closed as quickly as possible. We'd also like to see more diversity among the leadership teams. Skift Forum Europe Preview: Ryanair CMO On Being More Customer-Friendly There's no doubt Ryanair is a more customer-friendly airline than a few years ago. But its pilot shortage problem last year was a major problem, and it undoubtedly hurt its reputation. For Gmail users: If you are using the tabbed inbox, Skift emails may be pushed to the 'Promotions' tab. To get updates from Skift direct to your primary inbox, drag and drop this email to that tab. You received this email because you are subscribed to Skift Daily Newsletter from Skift.

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