Southwest Airlines is slashing unprofitable routes as it faces intensifying pressure from an activist investor to boost revenue and cut costs.
18.09.2024 - 20:55 / skift.com / Geoff Ballotti
Wyndham’s tech investment is paying off, the hotelier’s CEO said Wednesday. Wyndham Connect is allowing hotel owners to communicate by SMS with hotel guests prior to arrival, for example, and offer them early check-in or the opportunity to order food and beverage upon arrival.
That is driving “thousands and thousands of dollars of extra room revenue” for the typical hotel owner, said Wyndham President and CEO Geoff Ballotti at the Skift Global Forum in New York. “It’s been a great ride, great investment… We’re really light years ahead of where we were when we went public” in 2017.
The $275 million tech investment also includes partnerships with Oracle, Amazon Web Services and Salesforce, and has made it easier for franchisees to do business. Ballotti said that competitors have lagged behind on tech investment and are just now moving from legacy property management systems to cloud platforms.
That shift enables small hotel owners to operate with just an internet connection rather than having to use a server, Ballotti said.
Wyndham’s also “very focused in growing those economy brands” alongside the $1.5 trillion in expected infrastructure investment in the U.S., which will drive demand around the country. Less than 20% of that investment has been allocated, meaning there’s ample opportunity for future growth.
“It is already becoming a big, big lift for our small business owners that operate hotels,” Ballotti said.
There’s already an excess of demand for extended stay economy and a dearth of supply. That’s partly why they have already executed 270 contracts for one of their newest brands, Echo Suites.
Wyndham’s also open to mergers and acquisitions if it makes sense and adds to the existing network.
“The most important way we look through a lens of M&A is the impact it has to our small business owners,” Ballotti said. But if it’s aspirational and not in conflict with any existing product that Wyndham have in destinations in countries, they’ll consider acquiring it, he said.
Southwest Airlines is slashing unprofitable routes as it faces intensifying pressure from an activist investor to boost revenue and cut costs.
A new nonstop flight from Dallas Fort Worth straddles three days. On Wednesday, Cathay Pacific announced it will launch services from Hong Kong to and from the Texan hub.
JetBlue announced on Thursday it would open its first-ever lounges, at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). The new premium spaces are set to debut in late 2025, first at the airline’s JFK Terminal 5 hub followed “soon after” by a JetBlue lounge space in Boston Logan’s Terminal C.
Semi-private air carrier JSX is launching a new route to Las Vegas, making it easier to connect to Sin City for the fall.
Just as September or «National Passport Month is underway, the U.S. State Department has released additional dates for its ongoing passport fairs, making applying for a first time passport even easier. The agency published an updated schedule for September and October, which will take place in many states including California, Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. For example, the Seattle Passport Agency will be open on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 9am-2pm, where the office is regularly closed on weekends. Applicants should be advised that appointments are required, and can be booked on the office’s website. Other events include the Boston Passport Agency on Sept. 26, Atlanta Passport Agency on September 28, the University of Texas at Dallas on September 28, the Broward County Clerk in Ft. Lauderdale, FL on Oct. 12, and more.
The Transportation Security Administration plans to roll out a program that won’t require an additional security screening for travelers flying from certain destinations back to the U.S., TSA administrator David Pekoske said at the Skift Global Forum on Wednesday.
Breeze Airways will land in the nation’s capital later this month when it launches flights to Upstate New York just in time for autumn.
Sep 17, 2024 • 5 min read
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, September 17, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
If you like to use your points to stay at Disney World, there's a new player in town: the Renaissance Orlando Resort & Spa, located at Disney Springs.
I spent my second day in Iceland in a hotel on the outskirts of Reykjavik, trying resolutely to knit. Gathered around a coffee table with me were Ragga Sjofu Jóhannsdóttir, my instructor, and my friend Lindis Sloan, both experienced knitters who fluidly worked the yarn with barely a glance at their hands.
Former Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern gave up his vice chairman role and exited the board, the company announced. It said Kern “agreed” to do so “given the speed and success of the Company’s recent management transition.”