BTN Exclusive with Guy Hutchinson CEO Rotana Hotels

Liesbet Collaert was about to blow up her life.

The much-anticipated opening reception for Skift Global Forum, presented by Turkish Airlines, is just around the corner, and the excitement is palpable. On September 26, from 6 to 8 P.M., industry leaders, innovators, and enthusiasts will gather at the North Javits Center for an evening of networking, knowledge-sharing, and inspiration while enjoying delicious drinks and hors d’oeuvres. 

In 2021, the Pretty Rocks Landslide on Denali Park Road in Alaska shut off the only driving route to the old mining town of Kantisha. The closure is predicted to continue until 2026, cutting off access on the iconic 92-mile road in Denali National Park. This means that Kantishna, previously a popular destination for day visitors to the park, is now only accessible by air. It takes a helicopter over the glaciers, braided rivers, and multi-colored mountain peaks with America’s tallest mountain, Denali, in the background. In short, it’s become an exclusive destination that only a small percentage of visitors have a chance to access.

More than $30 million committed to help unlock paths to hotel ownership.

The cities in Europe with the largest pipelines at Q2 are led by London, with 82 projects/14,767 rooms, and Istanbul, with record project counts of 42 projects/7,222 rooms. Following are Lisbon, with 37 projects/4,262 rooms, Dublin, with 32 projects/6,173 rooms, then Dusseldorf, Germany with 31 projects/5,669 rooms.

American Express Global Business Travel has partnered with Emirates Group-owned dnata to offer its global clients more local expertise in the Middle East region.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Monday, January 16. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

The top boss of Marriott International used an on-stage interview on Thursday as a platform to call on the U.S. federal government to do more to cut the wait times for interviews for first-time visitor visa applicants, which he said was leading to lost revenue because of reduced U.S. inbound tourism.

Accor, the Paris-based hotel giant, will reveal on Thursday a new global “soft” brand, Handwritten Collection, featuring so-called lifestyle hotels. These mid-priced properties have funky furniture and buzzy restaurants and bars but don’t offer the full services of a premium boutique.

Travelers surged back to planes last year in numbers unseen since the beginning of the pandemic. That was good news for airlines that, facing a myriad of challenges, were unable to resume flights quite as fast, which drove up fares — and revenues too. It also, however, brought an unwelcome surge in costs. 

Hyatt Hotels Corp., which enjoyed a blockbuster financial performance in 2022, forecasted Thursday continued success this year, especially in the first half. The company expects to benefit from growing consumer interest in its lifestyle, luxury, and resort properties, returning group reservations for its banquet halls, and an expanding room count.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, February 28. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.