Traveling Blog: Top Hotel CEO Pay + Marriott's Tours Strategy + Australia's Ad Bump

May 17, 2018

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Editor's Note

Steve Wynn sure knows how to make an exit. For the fourth year in a row that Skift has tracked CEO pay in the hotel business, Wynn topped our list, this time months after his ignominious resignation from the company amid sexual harassment allegations. Wynn made a total compensation package in 2017 of $34.5 million. While it sounds outrageous, Wynn came in at No. 13 on the list of the highest paid CEOs in the S&P 500.

These lists tend to infuriate customers, investors, and just average folks. Stoking that anger this year is a new requirement that companies provide the median pay of their workers compared to the pay of their CEOs. In Wynn's case, he made 777 times more than median salary of Wynn Resorts employees. Gaming CEOs in the hotel sector have always been the highest paid, but read Senior Hospitality Editor Deanna Ting's whole story for the bigger picture. CEOs come and go, but C-suite pay will always remain a hot-button issue. New requirements like the pay ratio disclosure may not curb those pay packages but making companies disclose the disparities is good corporate citizenship.

— Tom Lowry, Managing Editor

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The Most Highly Compensated Hotel CEOs of 2017

Gaming CEOs traditionally receive much higher compensations packages than their hotel-only CEO peers, and that stayed true in 2017. The highest paid hotel CEO in 2017 was Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta, who received nearly $18.8 million.

Marriott Integrates Facebook Messenger Into Its Tours and Activities Offering

Everyone wants to get in on the tours and activities market, but very few can or have succeeded in the space.

Skift Tech Forum Preview: Why JetBlue Airways Entered the Venture Capital Business

As an airline, JetBlue Airways lags behind its peers in many metrics, including overall profit, on-time performance and network strength. But it's trying to take the offensive by nurturing start-ups through its Silicon Valley venture capital subsidiary. Will this strategy lead to success? We'll know in a few years.

Augmented Reality Is Silly Right Now But Won't Be Forever

For augmented reality to catch on, apps need to use the technology for useful tools instead of gimmicks. We're starting to see the beginning of this shift and events should pay attention to ways augmented reality can enrich experiences instead of replacing them.

Tourism Australia Bets Big on Old Movie Franchise and Crocodile Dundee Delivers

Tourism Australia's Super Bowl 2018 advertising campaign has been hailed as a marketing triumph. Now, it's closely watching the booking to make sure it did the right thing by putting all its eggs in one basket.

The tours and activities sector is not hotels 2.0. It's a massive business opportunity, though. TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer estimated it will be about half the size of the hotel sector, with similar take rates. That's indeed very substantial.

Hotels Experiment With Pop-Ups to Attract New Audiences

Given that luxury is all about rarity, it's no wonder that pop-ups of all sorts are creeping into the high-end arena. In the world of hospitality, basic pop-up accommodations have been springing up at festivals like Coachella for awhile. But more elaborate, ephemeral digs are only now starting to pop up in unexpected places around the world.

Hawaiian Airlines Promises It's Ready for Whatever Southwest Plans

Hawaiian Airlines executives are talking a big game about how they're ready for competition from Southwest Airlines. Is it true? Or are Hawaiian's executives nervous behind the scenes as they prepare for Southwest's Hawaii expansion?

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