Traveling Blog: Wyndham's Post-Spin Strategy + Tripping Layoffs + Airplane Windows Explained

May 3, 2018

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Editor's Note

The news that Tripping.com, a venture-backed startup, had to axe 15 employees wouldn't normally give the wider industry pause. But it may say something about how difficult it is to be a pioneer in a complex and emerging sector like alternative accommodations.

Tripping and its peers are trying to build a better mousetrap in enabling consumers to comparison shop for vacation rentals and apartments — like the first metasearch sites did for flights and hotels more than a decade ago. But it is tough going. It is sort of reminiscent in some ways of the early struggles of tours and activities startups, which are only now coming into their own after years of heavy lifting.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

New Research Finds Near-Universal Acceptance of Ridesharing Among Business Travelers

Like AccorHotels CEO Sebastien Bazin recently said at Skift Forum Europe, you don't limit the number of friends you have, so why limit the number of brands any one hotel company can own?

Vacation Rental Search Site Tripping Lays Off 15 Employees and Restructures

Metasearch is hard, and comparison-shopping for vacation rentals and apartment shares is even harder. Tripping and others are having a hard time building their brands in the face of competition from larger players with more ample resources.

How Strong Are Airplane Windows?

Is Southwest having what might best be described as a United problem? The airline faced one major incident a couple of weeks ago, and now passengers are paying much more attention to what ordinarily would be minor events.

Cape Town's Water Crisis: What the Tourism Industry Can Learn From the Myth and the Reality

The Cape Town water crisis has more to do with improper water management and inaccurate, inconsistent messaging than the city actually being in completely dire circumstances. That's why collaboration matters, between huge global organizations all the way down to individual travelers and locals, to promote the reality of international issues and the benefits tourism can have if done in a sustainable way.

Norwegian Cruise CEO Sees No Signs of Recession

Like other cruise operators, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is seeing strong business for 2018 and even 2019. Two words — hurricane season — could interfere, but with so many bookings already made, even a stormy summer shouldn't ruin the year.

Small Local Delivery Companies Flourish Despite VC-Backed Competition

Instead of bowing out under pressure from national competition, local food delivery services in smaller markets across the U.S. are seeing sales lifts and renewed restaurant partnerships as Grubhub and Uber Eats show up on their scene.

Local Expertise Makes the Difference in Asia Meetings Market

With Asia becoming a more popular meetings destination for Western organizations, events professionals need to understand local capabilities and cultural nuances. Often, local assistance on the ground can be the difference between success and failure.

Qantas Is Latest Major Global Airline to Give Up on Boeing 747s

Aviation nerds surely will be upset Qantas is retiring its Boeing 747s. The aircraft has been the world's most iconic jet for decades, but times change, and airlines now prefer smaller, more fuel efficient twin-engined jets. Sadly only a few airlines — British Airways, Lufthansa, Korean Air and Air China — seem committed to the aircraft beyond 2020.

For a city that's afraid of becoming a theme park, it's certainly starting to look more like one with turnstiles and fast passes to get in the door. The summer travel season is just starting to heat up.

The 5 Big Themes Driving Travel in 2018: Lessons From Skift Forum Europe

There is no set formula on how to do it, but it's clear that the most progressive companies in travel are intent on reinventing their businesses, and value propositions. On the other hand, certain things that still work, like customer service and personalized hospitality, will survive the cut.

Sabre's Back to the Basics Strategy Shift Starts to Bear Fruit

CEO Sean Menke has gained breathing room to provide positive surprises. Getting cloud-based distribution and operations software right is hard. So the company is relying on concepts from top-tier management consulting firms as guidance.

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