Traveling Blog: Bermuda's Same-Sex Marriage Ban Overturned + Accor Builds Digital Roadmap + Caesars Tries No Gaming

June 7, 2018

Editor's Note

The hotel and golf course owners, the restaurateurs, the cruise line operators and everyone else making money up and down the tourism economy in Bermuda owe a bit of gratitude this week to an openly gay, former cricket player named Maryellen Jackson and the advocates at OUTBermuda. They were the ones who sued to overturn a same-sex marriage ban, which carried huge implications for tourism. A court ruling on Wednesday overturned that ban, as Skift's Dan Peltier first reported. "The ruling is significant in that it underscores how a same-sex marriage ban is no longer acceptable to many travelers – LGBTQ or straight – and the potential consequences for tourism of rolling back progress," Tourism Reporter Peltier wrote.

The court has pushed Bermuda back onto the right side of history, returning the focus to the more progressive gay rights policies the island had in place when the ban came along. Now it's time for the Bermuda Tourism Authority, headed by its openly gay CEO Kevin Dallas, and all the people of Bermuda to do more to speak directly to the LBGTQ community to make them feel welcome.

— Tom Lowry, Managing Editor

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Bermuda Court Overturns Same-Sex Marriage Ban in Win For Tourism Industry

The Bermuda Triangle is legendary for making things mysteriously disappear. But one thing that wasn't lost in Bermuda this week was a legal understanding that a ban on same-sex marriage is bad for business and morally wrong in 2018.

Thailand-Based Hotel and Restaurant Giant Minor to Take Over NH Hotels

AccorHotels and the rest of the hotel industry have some competition in their respective quests to get bigger.

Skift Tech Forum Preview: Accor's Chief Digital Officer on Creating a Technology Roadmap

Maud Bailly has been at the heart of AccorHotels' recent transformation. She'll hopefully shed some light on the company's digital strategy and how it intends to use all its new acquisitions.

Caesars Bets on Growing Its Business With Non-Gaming Hotels

We're putting our money on the Cromwell and LINQ brands to do well with the hotel owner/developer set, which is increasingly looking for upscale lifestyle and select-service brands. As for the Caesars Palace and Flamingo brands — they're so inextricably tied to Vegas and to gaming, it'll be hard to convince guests otherwise.

Skift Forum Europe 2018 On-Stage Videos Are Now Live

Missed Skift Forum Europe in person? Now you can watch the sessions from our event in Berlin, featuring speakers from top travel companies including Marriott, AccorHotels, Airbnb, Ryanair, and Booking.com.

Where Does Air France-KLM Go From Here?

Until Air France-KLM implements a long-term cohesive strategy, it probably will keep falling behind its main competitors, International Airlines Group and Lufthansa Group. But unless the macroeconomic environment changes, it should be OK. Even with rising fuel prices, now is a good time to be in the airline business.

Explore Trends in Hotel Operations at the Annual HOW Festival

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AccorHotels Buys Catering Tech Company Adoria

Catering is a key growth area for AccorHotels and this deal complements a number of others it has done in the sector.

Flexible Meeting Spaces Become Common as Small Events Evolve

Venues are getting smarter about designing space in a more flexible way to enable more creative events. This is a welcome change as companies and groups gravitate away from the tired old meeting concepts and toward more memorable, experiential events.

Better, faster, stronger. We pinpointed 20 venture-backed companies — mostly young — that promise breakaway potential. These startups prove that innovation is happening everywhere, from Atlanta to Ramallah to Queensland.

It's Not Just Airbnb — HomeAway Starts Adding Hotels Too

While Airbnb has been brashly adding independent hotels, HomeAway has been quietly doing the same — although it has been using an entirely different business model given its ties to parent Expedia. Curation may have its place, but all of these companies realize that the more inventory and choice they give consumers, the more likely they are to spend on a stay.

Lisbon's Overtourism Lesson: Living Like a Local Is Not Enough

Lisbon's post-crisis evolution and corresponding tourism boom show the dramatic impact and lasting ramifications of overtourism. Efforts have centered on sustainable tourism and limiting tourism's potential negative impacts, but, in our view, the focus has been all wrong. Sustainable tourism should be about sustainable cultures, and we all have a role to play.

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