Skift Daily Briefing

Everything you need to know about the business of travel today. Each episode covers new travel stories from Skift's editorial team. Listen to the latest developments at hotels, airlines, destinations, online booking sites, and more. Published Tuesday through Friday by 5am ET. For ongoing coverage, please visit Skift.com/news.

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Episodes 300

Google Just Made Hotel Booking Part of the Chat
2d ago · 3:52
Google Just Made Hotel Booking Part of the Chat Google launches hotel booking inside its AI chat with major chains and OTAs on board, passport renewals are about to get dramatically easier for millions of Americans, and Dollywood opened its doors the day after Dolly Parton passed and the story of that park is one worth telling. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Google's new AI hotel booking tool could succeed where Book on Google failed a decade ago, how the State Department's online renewal proposal would save Americans time, money, and two trips to a government
Dolly Parton Left Behind a Legacy That Draws 2 Million Visitors a Year
3d ago · 3:25
Dollywood bucks the theme park industry's closure wave as operators honor Dolly Parton's legacy with a $500 million expansion, Harry Styles' Madison Square Garden residency is giving NYC hotels and short-term rentals a meaningful boost, and there's a reason boutique hotel founders almost always end up selling to the big chains. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Dollywood's culture-first strategy is outperforming parks built on licensed characters, how a two-month residency in one city can move a market without needing Taylor Swift
Wall Street Is Finally Buying Into Airbnb's Growth Story
4d ago · 3:24
A familiar face may be headed back to lead NYC Tourism, Wall Street is warming up to Airbnb's growth story after five straight quarters of double-digit gains, and three South Korean budget airlines are merging into one low-cost giant. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Fred Dixon's potential return to NYC Tourism comes at a tough moment for inbound visitors, what's driving Airbnb's structural acceleration and why some analysts are still not fully convinced, and what South Korea's budget airline merger means for the country's aviatio
Black Tomato Just Did the Opposite of Every Other Travel Company
5d ago · 3:28
F1 confirms its Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is on despite war jitters, luxury tour operator Black Tomato sells 75% of itself to its own staff instead of private equity, and Thailand tries once again to collect a tourist fee it's been attempting since 2020. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Abu Dhabi's bet on marquee events like F1 keeps paying off, how Black Tomato's employee ownership move is a pointed contrast to travel's private equity wave, and why Thailand's latest tourist fee attempt faces the same question it always has — how to ac
Google Just Bought Spirit's Data for $10 Million and Got a Steal
9d ago · 4:02
Google scoops up Spirit Airlines' pricing and booking data in bankruptcy for a fraction of its value, the UK launches a crackdown on hidden travel fees with fines up to 10% of global revenue, and Delta's pilot scheduling talks break down with the busy fall travel season right around the corner. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Google's Spirit data purchase is a bargain with enormous AI implications, what the UK's drip pricing crackdown means for travelers and why the U.S. still hasn't figured this out, and why Delta's reliability problems aren't going away before
If the World Cup Couldn't Fix U.S. Tourism, What Will?
16d ago · 4:21
Overseas visits to the U.S. fall for the fourth straight month despite the World Cup, travel creators are pivoting hard to shorter and cheaper trips because that's what their audiences can actually afford, and a big question worth asking about AI travel tools: who are they really working for? On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the World Cup's failure to move the inbound tourism needle is a serious warning sign for LA 2028, how high fares and economic uncertainty are reshaping what travel content actually gets made, and why the dream of an AI assistant that truly sh
Europe Is on Fire and Summer Travel Is at Risk Again
1mo ago · 5:08
Wildfires are forcing tourist evacuations across France and Spain with officials warning the risk is spreading, Norwegian Cruise Line's CEO admits the company's problems are mostly self-inflicted, and Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are competing for Portugal's national airline with two very different approaches. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what the latest European wildfire disruptions mean for summer travel plans and why this is becoming the new normal, why Norwegian Cruise Line's unusually candid CEO diagnosis is either reassuring or alarming depending on how you
China's Travelers Want to Go Abroad. There Aren't Enough Flights.
1mo ago · 5:34
Hilton makes a rare move by cutting fees for its hotel owners as the market cycle finally turns, JetBlue posted a $247 million loss and its stock jumped 13% anyway, and Chinese outbound travel demand is surging with nowhere near enough flights to meet it. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Hilton's fee cuts signal a long-overdue shift in the brand-owner relationship, why investors are betting on JetBlue's turnaround plan despite six straight years of losses, and why the next wave of high-spending international travelers is coming from China as soon as the infrastru
Amazon Just Entered the Travel Booking Business
1mo ago · 4:59
Amazon brings travel booking inside Alexa with Priceline as an early partner, American Express buys Europe's biggest restaurant reservation platform and the real reason is fascinating, and IHG becomes the third major hotel chain to launch AI search. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Amazon's travel move could succeed where every other AI platform has stalled, how Amex is using restaurant reservations as a funnel to identify and recruit its next generation of premium cardholders, and why the race to launch AI search among hotel chains is accelerating faster than an
The World Cup Tourism Boom Was a Myth
1mo ago · 5:08
The 2026 World Cup's promised tourism windfall didn't materialize as international visitors stayed home, United tried to merge with both Delta and American and got turned down by both, and Europe fined Google for something the entire travel industry does to its own suppliers every day. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what the World Cup's underwhelming tourism numbers mean for Los Angeles heading into the 2028 Olympics, why airline consolidation has largely stalled despite all the deal talk earlier this year, and why the Google antitrust fine is a mirror the whole tr
Southwest Reinvented Itself and Just Had a Record Quarter
1mo ago · 3:57
Southwest posts record revenue after overhauling its entire business model, American Airlines hits record revenue too but keeps cutting its profit forecast, and the timeshare industry is consolidating for a reason most travelers would never guess. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the new Southwest might actually be stronger than the one it replaced, why American's record revenue quarter still comes with a cautious outlook, and why timeshares are really a lending business in disguise — and why that's driving consolidation. Articles Referenced: Honorable Mention: @
Loyalty Programs Are Now How Travel Companies Find New Customers
1mo ago · 5:32
Travel's biggest companies are trading loyalty members directly with each other as Google's dominance over customer acquisition breaks down, three hotel giants launched debit cards in the UK and only the UK, and a legendary Tokyo hotel just reopened after a 19-month renovation. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why loyalty programs are becoming the primary customer acquisition channel in travel, what the UK hotel debit card trend reveals about the limits of credit card economics outside the U.S., and whether Park Hyatt Tokyo's renovation got one of the world's great h
The UAE Passport Just Lapped the U.S.
1mo ago · 5:10
The U.S. passport stalls at 10th while the UAE jumps to second in the global rankings, Emirates president Tim Clark says retirement can wait, and Expedia opens a Silicon Valley office to find the engineers who are exponentially more productive with AI. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what the UAE's historic passport rise reveals about how deliberate diplomatic strategy translates into real travel advantages, why Tim Clark is still running Emirates at 76 and showing no signs of slowing down, and why Expedia's AI bet is really a people bet. Articles Referenced: Honora
Airbnb Added Car Rentals and Now Looks a Lot Like Expedia
1mo ago · 4:33
JetBlue picks up Spirit's coveted LaGuardia slots for $58.5 million, Airbnb adds car rentals and keeps inching toward becoming a one-stop travel shop, and hotel brands are quietly moving into student housing with a four-revenue-stream business model. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why JetBlue's slot purchase is a long-term strategic play in one of the most constrained airports in the country, what Airbnb's car rental launch says about where Chesky is taking the platform, and why hybrid student-hotel buildings might be one of the smartest revenue models in hospitali
United's CEO Says Cheap Flights Are Gone Forever
1mo ago · 4:01
United's Scott Kirby makes it official — the era of dirt-cheap airfares is over, a travel agency startup just hit a billion-dollar valuation by betting human taste beats AI, and JetBlue launches buy-now-pay-later flights with a catch worth reading closely. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the structural changes in aviation mean the floor on airfares is permanently higher, how Fora Travel built a billion-dollar business by recruiting people who love travel rather than people who work in it, and what JetBlue's new flight financing product gets right and where it ge
AI Is Not Going to Fix Travel's Labor Problem
1mo ago · 4:30
AI Is Not Going to Fix Travel's Labor Problem A sharp reality check reveals AI is being deployed in exactly the wrong places to address travel's labor crisis, hotel guest satisfaction just hit a new high with improvements across every segment, and the events job market has a clear message for planners right now. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why travel has an AI strategy for its office workforce but still needs a real plan for everyone else, what's driving the biggest hotel satisfaction gains in years, and why deep specialization is the clearest path forward for e
Even Frontier Is Going Premium Now
1mo ago · 5:05
The World Cup failed to deliver the U.S. tourism bump everyone was counting on, Skift lays out a compelling theory for why Airbnb's best hotel move might be Ennismore's upcoming IPO, and Frontier Airlines announces Starlink — the last major holdout finally goes premium. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why June's overseas arrival numbers are sobering even with a global sporting event on U.S. soil, why the Airbnb-Ennismore deal Skift is floating could solve a distribution problem neither company can fix alone, and what Frontier's Starlink announcement signals about th
Canada Is Still Not Coming Back to the U.S.
1mo ago · 5:02
Canadian travel to the U.S. ticks up in June but underlying data shows a market that still hasn't decided to return, lifestyle hotel brands are moving into all-inclusive and Ennismore thinks the stigma is finally gone, and a provocative take on why sometimes when hospitality fails the problem is actually the guest. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the Canadian travel rebound headline is more complicated than it looks, how Ennismore is betting Mondrian and SLS can bring lifestyle credibility to a format long associated with buffets and wristbands, and why the best
The Best World Cup Marketing Cost Nothing and British Airways Started It
1mo ago · 3:51
Two airlines created the World Cup's best marketing moment without paying FIFA a cent, Delta launches a stripped-down business class fare that turns premium travel into a spectrum, and there's one obscure hotel metric about to tell us whether the industry's recovery is built to last. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down how Norwegian Air and British Airways generated massive World Cup buzz with nothing but a well-timed Instagram bet, what Delta's new Basic Business fare means for travelers trying to decide how much business class they actually need, and why incentive man
EasyJet Is Being Sold and Every Independent European Airline Is Watching
1mo ago · 4:36
EasyJet's potential $7 billion takeover is putting Europe's remaining independent airlines on notice, Air Canada names a new multilingual CEO after a very public language controversy, and a sharp look at why the West ended up with two half-apps instead of one super app. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down which European airlines are most likely to be next in the consolidation wave EasyJet just triggered, why Air Canada's CEO succession story is really a cautionary tale about language and leadership in Canada, and why Google and Uber keep moving into each other's territo
AI Chatbots Are Skipping Travel Apps Even When They're Connected
1mo ago · 4:59
The World Cup's tourism boost is spreading far beyond host cities into markets nobody expected, AI chatbots are bypassing travel brand apps even when fully integrated, and Hilton opens a direct line to corporate travel platform Navan to cut out the middlemen. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why the World Cup's ripple effect is reaching markets 60+ miles from any stadium, why being available inside an AI chatbot is not the same as being chosen by one, and how Hilton's direct Navan connection signals that the fight to cut out distribution middlemen is coming for corpo
Airbnb Beat Marriott at the World Cup and Spent Less Doing It
1mo ago · 4:55
Airbnb nearly doubled Marriott's World Cup marketing reach at a fraction of the cost, airlines are buying concert venue naming rights and turning them into loyalty real estate, and extended-stay hotels are having their best demand run in four years with supply thinning fast. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Airbnb's focused World Cup bet is a masterclass in what targeted spending can do against a much bigger budget, how British Airways and Delta are turning theaters and concert halls into year-round loyalty platforms, and why extended-stay hotels may be the least
The Government Wants Airlines to Hide Fees Again
1mo ago · 3:47
The Trump administration moves to repeal Obama-era airfare transparency rules, OTAs shift their focus from winning traveler trust to winning the trust of AI agents, and American Airlines takes a direct swing at United in Chicago with a new Tokyo route. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why rolling back airfare transparency rules is part of a broader pattern of shrinking consumer protections, how the real AI distribution war is no longer about convincing travelers but convincing the agents booking on their behalf, and why American's new Tokyo route is a statement of in
Supersonic Flight Over the U.S. Is Back on the Table
2mo ago · 5:06
The U.S. proposes lifting a 53-year ban on supersonic flight over land, Visa launches a consumer travel platform that puts it in direct competition with the banks that pay it, and a look at the rare airline CEOs who simply never leave. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what the FAA's proposed rule change actually means for the future of supersonic travel and how soon it could happen, why Visa's new travel platform creates a quiet but significant conflict with its own card-issuing partners, and what the long-tenured airline CEO phenomenon reveals about the ownership st
Hotel Owners Are Ditching Big Brands and Going Independent
2mo ago · 5:11
A wave of hotel owners are walking away from major brand flags as expiring franchise agreements expose just how little they were getting for the price, Accor and H World link loyalty programs to open up 430 million members to each other, and Best Western's parent company has a plan to finally stop shrinking. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why hotel owners are increasingly deciding the brand premium isn't worth it anymore, how Accor and H World are betting on customer access over building more hotels to crack China and Europe, and why BWH Hotels thinks its cooperati

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Skift Daily Briefing

Episodes 300

Google Just Made Hotel Booking Part of the Chat

Dolly Parton Left Behind a Legacy That Draws 2 Million Visitors a Year

Wall Street Is Finally Buying Into Airbnb's Growth Story

Black Tomato Just Did the Opposite of Every Other Travel Company

Google Just Bought Spirit's Data for $10 Million and Got a Steal

If the World Cup Couldn't Fix U.S. Tourism, What Will?

Europe Is on Fire and Summer Travel Is at Risk Again

China's Travelers Want to Go Abroad. There Aren't Enough Flights.

Amazon Just Entered the Travel Booking Business

The World Cup Tourism Boom Was a Myth

Southwest Reinvented Itself and Just Had a Record Quarter

Loyalty Programs Are Now How Travel Companies Find New Customers

The UAE Passport Just Lapped the U.S.

Airbnb Added Car Rentals and Now Looks a Lot Like Expedia

United's CEO Says Cheap Flights Are Gone Forever

AI Is Not Going to Fix Travel's Labor Problem

Even Frontier Is Going Premium Now

Canada Is Still Not Coming Back to the U.S.

The Best World Cup Marketing Cost Nothing and British Airways Started It

EasyJet Is Being Sold and Every Independent European Airline Is Watching

AI Chatbots Are Skipping Travel Apps Even When They're Connected

Airbnb Beat Marriott at the World Cup and Spent Less Doing It

The Government Wants Airlines to Hide Fees Again

Supersonic Flight Over the U.S. Is Back on the Table

Hotel Owners Are Ditching Big Brands and Going Independent

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Episodes 300

Google Just Made Hotel Booking Part of the Chat

Dolly Parton Left Behind a Legacy That Draws 2 Million Visitors a Year

Wall Street Is Finally Buying Into Airbnb's Growth Story

Black Tomato Just Did the Opposite of Every Other Travel Company

Google Just Bought Spirit's Data for $10 Million and Got a Steal

If the World Cup Couldn't Fix U.S. Tourism, What Will?

Europe Is on Fire and Summer Travel Is at Risk Again

China's Travelers Want to Go Abroad. There Aren't Enough Flights.

Amazon Just Entered the Travel Booking Business

The World Cup Tourism Boom Was a Myth

Southwest Reinvented Itself and Just Had a Record Quarter

Loyalty Programs Are Now How Travel Companies Find New Customers

The UAE Passport Just Lapped the U.S.

Airbnb Added Car Rentals and Now Looks a Lot Like Expedia

United's CEO Says Cheap Flights Are Gone Forever

AI Is Not Going to Fix Travel's Labor Problem

Even Frontier Is Going Premium Now

Canada Is Still Not Coming Back to the U.S.

The Best World Cup Marketing Cost Nothing and British Airways Started It

EasyJet Is Being Sold and Every Independent European Airline Is Watching

AI Chatbots Are Skipping Travel Apps Even When They're Connected

Airbnb Beat Marriott at the World Cup and Spent Less Doing It

The Government Wants Airlines to Hide Fees Again

Supersonic Flight Over the U.S. Is Back on the Table

Hotel Owners Are Ditching Big Brands and Going Independent