Plusgrade Buys UpStay in Rollup for Travel Upselling

Collette is now offering an exclusive Fall Flash presale for travel advisors.

Packing your bathroom essentials can be a hassle. It's tempting to take all those tiny toiletries, throw them into a plastic bag, and call it a day. But with the right toiletry bag, you can avoid spills, simplify your packing routine, and stay organized—no more digging around to find what you need. Even better, Dopp kits make it less likely that you'll forget any of the essentials at home.

Rental Escapes is celebrating World Tourism Day (September 27) this month by rolling out its biggest offer yet for travel advisor partners.Throughout the entire month of September, travel advisors can earn up to $5,000 bonus commission plus double reward points through the full-service luxury villa company's Rewards Program.The special bonus commission offer is valid for bookings made between September 1-30, 2023, for travel from September 8, 2023, through December 31, 2024. Advisors will earn reward points for each $1 booked which can then be used towards their own personal villa vacation.Rental Escapes recommends advisors encourage bookings now for the month of December to lock in travel dates as select villas are still available."In line with World Tourism Day’s theme of ‘Investing in People, Planet and Prosperity,' we are pleased to offer our biggest promotion yet, acknowledging the invaluable role played by travel advisors in the advancement of the tourism sector," Rental Escapes CEO Brian Schwimmer said in a statement."We deeply value the profound impact they wield within the industry, and as reciprocation, we’re excited to double down in our commitment to providing indispensable tools and avenues for growth."

InterLnkd, the travel industry’s intelligent shopping mall partner, has revealed holidaymakers have spent a significant proportion of their travel budgets on fashion and beauty products this summer.

Private equity firm KSL said on Monday it intends to buy Hersha Hospitality Trust, the owner of 25 U.S. lifestyle hotels, in an all-cash transaction worth about $1.4 billion. The move would take private Hersha at an approximately 60% premium to the real-estate investment trust’s closing stock price on Friday.

In its annual outlook for the travel industry, Skift Research has created 2023 global revenue forecasts for airlines, hotels, short-term rentals, cruise lines, and online travel agencies. Skift also built an estimate for international cross-border travel from 2023–2025. This outlook is meant as a companion piece to our recent State of Travel report that offers in-depth coverage of all travel segments.

At at time when the travel industry is still grappling with a labor shortage, you have to think some companies in the sector are “labor hoarding,” hanging on to workers that might have otherwise been downsized for costs savings or seasonality reasons, simply because of the fear of not being able to fill roles later.

The investor mania for special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, in the past two years cooled mighty quick, with most travel companies going public through this process plummeting in value since their stock market debuts.

Doing local in a more memorable way is becoming increasingly important for hotels. Marriott International VP of Design Aliya Khan and Curator Hotel & Resort Collection President Jennifer Barnwell discuss the rising demand for more lifestyle, capturing experiences through design and balancing renovations with changing consumer expectations.

Hari Nair, Expedia Group’s global senior vice president and general manager of lodging marketplace, took the stage with Skift founder and CEO Rafat Ali this week to discuss big trends shaping travel for 2023 at Skift’s annual Megatrends event in New York City. The industry veteran gives his take on travel spending, talent acquisition, and opportunities for loyalty programs across Expedia’s house of brands.

Skift Megatrends Defining Travel in 2023: Here are 16 travel industry trends for the new year and beyond that we hope will help you navigate your businesses through increasingly uncertain and opportunistic times.

Sustainability in travel will no longer simply be judged on stated goals. Rhetoric turns to accountability as companies and destinations are forced to put goals into operations in 2023. Travel climate ambitions have reached a moment of maturity.