Loyalty tips

Stratis Batayas, a first-time hotel owner in Greece, is better at inventing creative concepts for guests than knowing the latest techniques in global hotel marketing and distribution.

The world’s largest airline alliance is ramping up the battle for premium travelers. On Thursday, Star Alliance opened its first branded airport lounge in Asia. The new facility is in Terminal One at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in southern China. A second lounge will operate from the new Terminal Three when it opens next year.

Marriott International unveiled plans Monday for its biggest organizational overhaul in a decade, targeting up to $90 million in annual cost savings as the hotel giant repositions itself after doubling in size over the past decade.

Expedia Group several months ago paused the global rollout of its One Key loyalty program beyond the U.S. and the UK, but it’s busy expanding the program to its B2B partners.

Hyatt Hotels is selective in where and how it adds hotels to meet the expectations of its loyalty program members, who largely have high incomes.

Global Hotel Alliance, which runs a shared loyalty program for about 40 independent hotel brands, reported robust growth in the third quarter, with double-digit gains in performance across key measures.

Hyatt Hotels and American Airlines announced on Wednesday significant upcoming changes to a collaboration between their loyalty programs.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, October 10, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. 

Marriott International president and CEO Anthony Capuano spoke at the Skift Global Forum in New York City about the hotel giant’s strategic growth, including its expansion beyond traditional hotel offerings into areas like luxury yachts and tented lodges.

Two of this year’s 10 biggest startup fundraises so far happened in the past two weeks. 

Indian online travel agency EaseMyTrip has partnered with Bank of Baroda to introduce the first co-branded travel debit card by a public sector bank in India. This is the latest in the trend of new travel cards in India. 

JetBlue will open its first airport lounge next year as part of a major premium drive. New York and Boston will be the first locations for the high-end facilities. The site at JFK Terminal 5 is due to open in late 2025, with Boston Logan’s Terminal C following soon after. 

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, September 6, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Ariane Gorin, who took the reins as Expedia Group CEO in May, is trying to make the company more global. Gorin, who’s been a member of the Expedia Group senior leadership committee since 2015 and previously headed Expedia for Business, is well-positioned for the international challenge.

The travel booking landscape is rapidly transforming, with direct bookings on the rise and reshaping the competition. What’s driving this shift? Skift Research explores these pivotal changes in our new report: “Direct Bookings vs. OTAs: Analyzing the Shift in U.S. Travel Booking Trends.”

On September 1, SAS Scandinavian Airlines left Star Alliance and joined SkyTeam. The change came just days after Air France-KLM formalized its 19.9% shareholding in the Nordic carrier. With the Franco-Dutch group a cornerstone of SkyTeam, it was incomprehensible that SAS would remain with Star.

United Airlines raised concerns to the Department of Transportation about how an Alaska-Hawaiian merger could impact its relationship with Hawaiian Airlines. 

The Air France-KLM Group has officially become a shareholder in SAS Scandinavian Airlines. The agreement marks the conclusion of one of the year’s biggest airline deals and heralds the latest phase of consolidation in the European airline industry.

As earnings season draws to a close, we’re taking a closer look at the most lucrative arm of many major U.S. airlines: loyalty programs.

The world’s largest hotel groups have made great strides in signing up guests for their loyalty programs in the past several years, and Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG have enjoyed some of the greatest gains.

IndiGo, India’s largest airline, will be introducing a business class on the high-demand Delhi-Mumbai route. This is a strategic move by the airline to meet the growing demand for luxury and premium travel.