The saying goes, "West Coast, best coast," for a reason.
25.08.2023 - 13:52 / skift.com / Rashaad Jorden / Sean Oneill / Patricia De-Lille / New Hotel / Club Med
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Google is turning to a popular social media feature to help enrich the hotel search and booking process. The search engine has added an Instagram-like story tool to Google Travel, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes.
Dawes reports users can view hotel options with access to information like location and price in a swipeable format somewhat similar to Instagram stories. The user would then be able to save the hotel, book directly on the hotel website, or access third-party links for booking. Dawes adds the previous ways to view search results are still available, but Google is simply providing another option for users who prefer a different format.
Next, the all-inclusive resort chain Club Med is looking to capitalize on its post-pandemic boom. So the company is opening new properties and launching a marketing campaign as part of a push to go upmarket, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.
Club Med recently announced that 97 percent of its resorts are now premium, a shift that was years in the making. At the Skift Global Forum in 2016, its leadership expressed a desire to move upmarket and target affluent millennial families. The company just opened a $200 million Club Med Tignes where rooms can cost roughly $2,000 a night.
Meanwhile, Club Med has unveiled a new marketing campaign to help update consumer perceptions of the brand, including showcasing its Exclusive Collection resorts. One expert said Club Med’s campaign reflects a trend where hotels are eager to cash in on the growing appetite for luxury.
Finally, Spanish city Malaga is looking to host the Expo 2027 World Fair. So what does its strategy entail? Malaga is working with dozens of African destinations to make their tourism industries more sustainable, writes Travel Experiences Reporter Selene Brophy.
Brophy reports Malaga would roll out skills-sharing pilots with several African countries before 2027 — if its bid is successful. Malaga’s head of tourism, Jonathan Gomez Punzon, acknowledged its candidacy is not primarily about showcasing the Spanish city. He said Malaga wants to show cities worldwide how to incorporate sustainability in tourism.
Brophy cites South Africa as one destination interested in Malaga’s skill-sharing program. South African Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said the country could replicate Malaga’s advances in technology and sustainability to improve its tourism industry. Meanwhile, an official from Sierra Leone said working with Malaga was a done deal.
The saying goes, "West Coast, best coast," for a reason.
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HotelTonight co-founder and CEO Sam Shank, who steered the hotel booking app even after it was acquired by Airbnb in 2019, recently announced he would be leaving the short-term rental giant. Shank wrote on his LinkedIn account that he would take some time before making plans for a future outside of the travel industry.
Hyatt just lapped the one-year anniversary of acquiring the all-inclusive resort company Apple Leisure Group in a $2.7 billion deal. The Chicago, Illinois-based hotel group is now looking to expand its hotel presence in European cities that could help feed its all-inclusives, according to comments executives made as they reported its earnings.
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Top Hyatt executives said on Tuesday they planned to create hotels and resorts in two destinations on Mexico’s Caribbean coast — Tulum and Isla Mujeres — with about 5,000 rooms together.
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