Traveling Blog: Booking's Comprehensive Promise + Rail Service Tourism Push + Defining Premium Economy

November 23, 2018

Editor's Note

Booking Holdings is in the midst of deploying enormous amounts of data to create new options for consumers in online travel. Its most important brand, Booking.com, has been a laboratory of sorts for the last couple of years figuring out how to give travelers a fully comprehensive offering beyond just its traditional hotels and alternative accommodations listings by introducing flights, packages, tours, and cars. Executive Editor Dennis Schaal checks in today to see where things stand. CEO Glenn Fogel told Schaal: "You don't build something like this in a day, a week, a month, a year, two years. This is gonna be a long, long path." Guided by data, this big evolutionary step for Booking will not be rushed — no matter how much the anticipation grows.

— Tom Lowry, Managing Editor

Register Now For Skift Restaurants Forum

BIG REVEAL: Black Friday Deals Available Now!

Simply put, these are the best deals we've ever offered. Act quickly and you'll save the big bucks.

Save Now

Booking.com is taking its sweet time to implement a flights-to-attractions travel offering. Some would say the pace is Google-like in its slowness. But behind the scenes, data reigns supreme, and dictates whether a product is scrapped, implemented with a twist, or then reshaped anew. Refill the popcorn. This will take a while.

What European Rail Companies Need to Do to Boost Growth From Tourism

Rail travel is a complex beast and something the tourism industry has yet to fully embrace, but things are starting to change.

Premium Economy Isn't Really Economy Class. Why Does It Have the Name?

The premium economy cabin many global airlines are installing isn't much like regular economy. So why do many airlines include "economy" in its name?

Event Planners Look Outside Major Cities for Savings and Variety

Traditional conference cities are still the default choice for events organizers, but rising costs and strained capacity are making secondary cities more appealing. And some are working hard to show their unique benefits.

Justyna Smith built up a modest Instagram following, and she's used that, plus word of mouth, to run a four-woman luxury travel agency that's making money. Many businesses decide to market wherever the customers are; in Smith's case, the customers came to her and the business followed.

AccorHotels Balances Asset-Light and Acquisition Strategies: New Skift Research Report

With the sale of a majority stake in the company's owned and leased hotel business, AccorHotels is a more stable, nimble company, with the ability to pursue additional acquisitions and other strategic initiatives. In our latest research report, we break down what going asset-light means for the company and tackle ways of measuring the success of its M&A strategy.

How's Marriott's Massive Loyalty Merger Going? We Asked 5 Starwood Members to Weigh In

Most Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest members enjoyed a seamless integration earlier this year when the two programs merged. For some, however, latent issues are still hampering the experience. We asked five Starwood members about their journeys.

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.