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PODCAST

Skift Daily Travel Briefing

Everything you need to know about the business of travel today. Each episode covers new travel stories from Skift"s editorial team. Listen to the latest developments at hotels, airlines, destinations, online booking sites, and more. Published Tuesday through Friday by 5am ET. For ongoing coverage, please visit Skift.com/news.

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All Episodes

3:39

World Cup Tax Hikes, Southwest Tries AI and United...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/10/17

The 2026 World Cup could deliver record hotel occupancy and big economic gains across host cities, but several (Toronto, Vancouver, and Kansas City, KS) are raising visitor taxes to help cover staging costs. Southwest is moving cautiously on AI—prioritizing safety, compliance, and reliability—yet sees promise in conversational tools that deliver “just-in-time” information and more intuitive service. United is signaling loyalty program changes that it says could double profits by decade’s end as it

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3:42

Kayak’s AI, Spain vs. USA and the OTA Agentic Crunch

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/10/16

Kayak launched AI Mode, a ChatGPT-powered trip planner that taps Kayak’s data to return contextual results across hundreds of providers—arriving just as holiday flight searches rise 10%. Global tourism demand is diverging, with Spain booming and U.S. inbound softening, yet both are leaning into live tourism for 2026: Brand USA is promoting ahead of the FIFA World Cup, while Spain touts draws like Bad Bunny’s residency and upcoming solar eclipses. Meanwhile, travel companies are racing to

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4:03

AI’s Permission Test, America’s Passport Drop and...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/10/15

Skift CEO Rafat Ali argues OTAs face a “permission to remain relevant” test as travel shifts into its third transformation—from search-and-book to AI agents that can bypass intermediaries entirely. The U.S. passport has fallen to 12th on the Henley Passport Index, with visa-free access to 180 destinations and recent reciprocity moves (like Brazil ending visa-free entry) contributing to the slide, while Singapore, South Korea, and Japan lead. India’s Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts will make its first

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3:42

AI vs. OTAs, Delta’s Loyalty Windfall and Navan’s IPO...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/10/14

An analyst argues Booking.com and other OTAs are well-equipped to withstand AI challengers like ChatGPT and Gemini thanks to deep behavioral data and robust payments networks, even as Booking acknowledges real disruption risks. Delta posted record Q3 revenue powered by its loyalty engine and a 12% YoY jump in American Express proceeds—$2B in the quarter and $7.4B year-to-date—with leadership leaning into high-income travelers who drive ~95% of revenue. Corporate travel platform Navan filed to IPO at

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3:42

Delta’s Record Quarter, Hotels.com’s New Rewards and...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/10/10

Delta posted record Q3 revenue on strong premium demand and loyalty growth, with profit up 11% and American Express co-brand proceeds up 12%, a sharp turnaround after tariff uncertainty earlier in the year led it to pull 2025 guidance. Hotels.com launched “Save Your Way,” letting Expedia Group OneKey members take instant discounts or bank rewards for later across Hotels.com, Expedia, or Vrbo—a simple, flexible perk proving especially popular with business travelers. The Michelin Guide expanded its

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3:46

Magic Kingdom Math, Messi Meets Meliá and Offsetting...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/10/09

Disney is raising select ticket prices—e.g., Disneyland’s top one-day tier to $224 and Disney World’s peak one-day to $209 for Nov–Dec 2026—while simultaneously rolling out discounts like a new three-day park hopper deal for California residents. Meliá Hotels International will manage Lionel Messi’s MiM Hotels from November 1, aligning with its “vacation axis” growth strategy and echoing its athlete-led Zel brand with Rafael Nadal. Intrepid Travel is scrapping carbon offsets in favor of a $2 million

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3:36

Airbnb’s Hotel Push, AirPods’ Travel Test and Airport...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/10/08

Airbnb’s latest job postings—spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa—show an aggressive push into hotels, with roles focused on supply acquisition and senior market management in cities like Berlin, Barcelona, and Sydney. Testing Apple’s AirPods Live Translation on real-world tours and events revealed natural, eye-contact-friendly conversations but also delays and occasional glitches—useful today, likely better tomorrow. A week into the U.S. government shutdown, staffing

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3:44

ChatGPT’s Travel Apps, Hilton’s New Brand and Kyoto’s...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/10/07

OpenAI is turning ChatGPT into an app platform, with travel brands like Expedia and Booking.com embedding apps directly into chat so users can start trip planning in natural language and receive bookable options without extra downloads. Hilton unveiled its 25th brand, the Outset Collection, aimed at upscale independent hotels, with more than 60 owner conversations underway and the first property slated to open in November. Meanwhile, Kyoto will impose Japan’s highest hotel tax starting next

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3:49

Testing AI, Riding F1 and Restarting India-China Flights

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/10/03

Hotel leaders say AI is showing promise in low-risk, measurable areas like contact centers, and IHG’s 400 hotels in China even use service robots, but many brands still aren’t ready for AI-driven search marketing or distribution—and executives doubt robots would survive U.S. guests. Asia’s “live tourism” surge continues, with events like the Singapore Grand Prix boosting branding and hotel performance—Hilton finds 40% of APAC travelers would plan trips around events (60% already have), and STR shows

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3:43

Airbnb’s Loyalty Play, Hotels’ AI Moment and Visa...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/10/02

Airbnb is likely to introduce a loyalty or paid membership program—more Amazon Prime than points-based—as it pushes deeper into hotels, with experts suggesting perks like waived fees and early check-ins over traditional elite tiers. At the Destination AI Forum, hotel brands and tech providers highlighted AI’s role in personalizing preferences, improving service consistency, catching operational glitches (like key or HVAC issues), and giving frontline staff simple chat tools to surface guest

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3:21

Bonvoy Goes Outdoors, Capital One Recalibrates and...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/10/01

Marriott introduced the Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy—lodges and cabins—alongside a Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors platform that curates trips by activities like hiking and skiing, citing strong loyalty-member interest in outdoor travel. Capital One Travel’s new head, Sarah Kaplan Moore (ex-Agoda B2B), signaled continued collaboration with Hopper while keeping options open on the portal’s long-term model. At a Senate hearing, Frontier’s Barry Biffle argued that “fortress hubs” and gate control

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3:19

TikTok’s Travel Push, Booking.com’s Big Add and...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/09/30

TikTok formally launched Travel Ads, giving brands action-oriented ad formats (single video, catalog video, carousel) to target users engaging with travel content—an audience TikTok says is 2.6x more likely to book after searching on the platform. Booking.com will add roughly 150,000 attractions via a direct integration with FareHarbor, expanding U.S. supply and tapping operators that also list on rivals like Viator and Klook. Park Hyatt unveiled “Luxury Is Personal,” its first major campaign in 5+

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3:24

Hilton’s Future Leaders, Radisson’s Net-Zero Ambition...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/09/26

Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta says he plans to remain at the company while focusing on succession planning through a “layering concept” that develops multiple internal candidates via rotations and expanded responsibilities. Radisson has pledged to transform 100 hotels into net-zero properties by 2030, though financing remains uncertain due to its asset-light model. Meanwhile, a potential U.S. government shutdown could disrupt travel services like national parks while essential functions such as TSA, air

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3:39

H-1B Costs, Airbnb’s New Services and IHG’s Expansion

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/09/25

A proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee would hit tech-heavy employers far more than travel brands, but travel could feel second-order effects through its reliance on tech partners and possible shifts in current visa holders’ travel behavior. Airbnb says early data from its four-month-old Services marketplace shows stronger demand for massages and personal training than for chefs or photographers, so it plans to lean into wellness without becoming an Amazon-style everything store. IHG is bringing its Ruby

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3:36

Marriott’s Bet, APAC’s Rebound and Loyalty Leakage

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/09/24

Marriott held its first “Members’ Day,” inviting 75 Bonvoy members to HQ to test concepts like revamped lounges, new spa amenities, and an AI chatbot that lets travelers describe complex trip needs—underscoring the value of direct relationships as AI reshapes booking. In Asia Pacific, hotel investment dropped 23% in H1 2025 (with fewer big deals in Japan), but JLL still forecasts $12.8 billion for the year—about 5% above 2024—on the back of lower borrowing costs, steady tourism growth, and active

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3:41

Cracks in Travel Giants, AmexGBT on Consolidation,...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/09/23

Skift CEO Rafat Ali argues that cracks are forming in the travel oligopoly of Booking, Expedia, Airbnb, and Trip.com, with B2B strategies and task-specific AI opening new opportunities for challengers. AmexGBT CEO Paul Abbott sees further consolidation ahead in the fragmented $1.5 trillion corporate travel sector, as investment in software and infrastructure drives mergers, while generative AI reshapes client services. Meanwhile, columnist Colin Nagy highlights how airlines like KLM, Finnair, and

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3:33

TSA's Liquid Changes, Expedia's Growth and Royal...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/09/19

The TSA is “looking aggressively at liquids,” signaling potential changes to the 3.4-ounce rule, while also preparing for a possible government shutdown. Expedia Group blamed sluggish U.S. demand for slow B2C growth (1%) even as B2B rose 17%, and expects Vrbo to reaccelerate via promotions and wider inventory sharing. Royal Caribbean says AI now underpins pricing and operations, helping cut waste by 50% across 69 ships and aligning with a shift toward multiple shorter trips.Expedia CEO: Slow

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3:36

Frontier Claps Back at United, IHG Looks to Asia and...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/09/18

IHG is prioritizing Asia for growth, with CEO Elie Maalouf planning to double the company’s presence in Japan to nearly 100 hotels and surpass 1,000 in China within 18 months. Frontier CEO Barry Biffle defended the ultra-low-cost model and rebuked United’s Scott Kirby as “elitist,” arguing the U.S. market’s problem is oversupply and noting Frontier could gain from Spirit’s renewed Chapter 11. Meanwhile, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky said the company will integrate curated boutique and independent hotels

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3:25

Airbnb’s Growth, Booking’s AI Optimism and Ace...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/09/17

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said he’s dissatisfied with the company’s single-digit growth (8–10% in Q3) and plans to accelerate in 2026 by diversifying into experiences, services, and adding hotels to the platform. At Skift Global Forum, Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel likened today’s generative AI moment to the early internet and said agentic AI—backed by partnerships with Google and Amazon—will further reduce travel friction. Meanwhile, Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide agreed to buy Ace Group

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3:41

Online Travel Battles, A TikTok Deal and Amex’s New...

Skift Daily Travel Briefing ·

2025/09/16

Online travel giants are leaning hard into B2B: Booking is consolidating partner teams across Booking.com, Priceline, and Agoda; Hopper’s focus has shifted so much to B2B that its consumer presence outside North America has faded; and Expedia is broadening B2B tech with new APIs for cars, insurance, and ads—offering growth without Google ad spend and steadier, contract-based revenue. The U.S. and China have agreed on a framework to keep TikTok operating in the U.S., preserving a key travel marketing

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1,082 results

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