Selina, a hotel and experiences brand focused on youth travelers, said on Wednesday that its financial metrics were trending in the right direction as it reported earnings results.
25.08.2023 - 13:01 / skift.com / Spirit Airlines / U.S.Airlines / Dennis Schaal / Rashaad Jorden / Sean Oneill / European Commission / New Hotel
Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, August 17. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
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IHG has launched its 19th brand, called Garner, an IHG hotel, as part of its strategy to target mid-market travelers, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.
O’Neill writes Garner aims to be more affordable for travelers than IHG’s other brands targeting this segment. The company expects to open more than 1,000 hotels under the Garner brand over the next two decades. O’Neill adds that until the launch of Garner, IHG didn’t have a brand that fit this price range. An added attraction: Garner will allow guests to bring pets into their rooms.
Next, Booking Holdings is proposing concessions for an issue threatening European Commission regulatory approval of its deal to acquire flight tech company eTraveli Group. Booking’s plan is to show hotels from competitors when travelers book a flight, reports Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.
Schaal writes European regulators are balking at approving the roughly $2 billion deal because they think it would strengthen Booking’s leading hotel business on the continent. As for a potential solution, Booking could use sister brand Kayak to offer choices from rival online travel agencies or the hotels themselves. Schaal adds such a scenario could also bolster the company’s already market-shaping hotels business.
The European Commission is expected to make a decision on the deal by August 30.
Finally, the proposed merger of JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines has been one of travel’s most watched developments over the past year. Associate Editor Rashaad Jorden provides a timeline of the planned deal poised to shake up the U.S. airline industry.
Jorden lists the major twists and turns in the proposed JetBlue-Spirit deal by the month they occurred, which includes Spirit’s initial plans to merge with Frontier Airlines and JetBlue’s repeated attempts to acquire Spirit. The timeline also details the U.S. Department of Justice’s quest to block the JetBlue-Spirit merger, citing concerns the deal would reduce competition and raise airfares. The department’s lawsuit to thwart the proposed merger will go on trial this October.
Selina, a hotel and experiences brand focused on youth travelers, said on Wednesday that its financial metrics were trending in the right direction as it reported earnings results.
Hotel Indigo Guadalajara Expo draws on its rich cultural background to create an authentic neighborhood stay experience for guests.
Accor, the Paris-based hotel giant, said on Tuesday that Omer Acar will head its brands Raffles & Orient Express as of March 1. Acar will join Accor’s other brand CEOs in its luxury and lifestyle group (Fairmont, Sofitel & MGallery, and Ennismore) — all of whom report directly to group CEO Sébastian Bazin.
Kerzner International has unveiled its new brand Siro, a set of fitness-themed lifestyle hotels. The developer said on Wednesday that it has slated to open its first property in a tower in One Za’abeel, a luxury community in Dubai, U.A.E., in the last months of 2023.
Several big-name hotel companies have entered 2023 with tech partnerships to modernize operations and services.
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is a boutique hotel brand created by Bill Kimpton in 1981 in San Francisco. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) bought it for $430 million in 2014 and has been scaling it up as a mid-priced lifestyle brand.
Hotel company Sonesta said on Tuesday it would launch a new brand, Sonesta Essential, and offer a just-added brand, The James, to developers.
Hotel companies have been launching new brands again. Hilton Worldwide said on Wednesday it had created its first hotel brand in the economy segment, Spark by Hilton. Accor, the owner of the world’s most hotel brands, said last week it had reorganized itself around its brands. Marriott International, Wyndham Worldwide, Hyatt, Kerzner, and Best Western have created or bought hotel brands in the past several months.
Appealing to people’s emotions is becoming a more effective way for hotel groups to woo travelers because guest needs are evolving in ways that undercut the traditional branding recipe. Many hotel executives are fine-tuning what their brands stand for and how they communicate that message to guests as they try to grab market share.
Hilton Worldwide is rolling out its first-ever hotel brand in the economy slice of the market, Spark by Hilton, taking on rivals such as Marriott International, Choice, and InterContinental Hotels Group in this competitive market segment.
Starwood Capital, a real estate investment firm run by Barry Sternlicht — who has scaled up high-end brands W Hotels, St. Regis Hotels, 1 Hotels, Treehouse Hotels, and Baccarat Hotels — said it would help launch a limited-service hotel brand focused on the outdoor sector. Enter the iconic media brand Field & Stream, founded in 1895.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Monday, March 13. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.