The Skift Travel Podcast

Earnings season is wrapping up, which means it's time to compare and contrast the performance of competing travel brands. Since Airbnb went public in 2020, it has given close watchers the opportunity to put up against other online booking giants, in particular Booking Holdings.  For this bonus episode of the weekly Skift Podcast, senior research analyst Seth Borko and executive editor Dennis Schaal look at the brands' fourth quarter margins and profits and talk about profit momentum and strategy differences. For more on Airbnb and Booking Holdings, follow news coverage at https://skift.com/online-travel

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine rages on with the potential to drag out, the ripple effects in the travel industry are unfolding fast as well. In my role as the dots-connector-in-chief for Skift, I run through the impact on the travel industry as we know it so far, chilling as it is coming out of the pandemic. I talk about the immediate impact on the airline, hotel and tour operator sectors and potential short and long-term effects on the tourism inflows and outflows from the region.    Be ready for a new caution in travel sentiment for the short term, and long term a return to some variation of the Cold War, which will likely have a bigger impact on travel than immediately apparent.   Follow more travel news at skift.com/news

Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel spoke with Skift Executive Editor Dennis Schaal at Skift Global Forum 2021. The two discussed Booking's connected trip strategy. "I believe [in] this connected trip," Fogel said. "I don’t think it’s just a bunch of words. I think it’s creating something that we all want and desperately need, and it will help make travel a much better experience. And that’s what I want to help achieve. Listen to the full conversation with Skift's Dennis Schaal.  Read more coverage of Booking and the travel industry at https://skift.com/online-travel

There is still a long way to go to get to recovery, but even in midst of the rise of the Omicron variant, some travel leaders were looking forward to better times. "There is this huge pent-up demand for leisure travel and destinations where there was big business demand," said Air France-KLM CEO Benjamin Smith at Skift Global Forum late last year. "This is excellent, very good news for us and a very positive signal." Smith spoke with Airline Weekly Reporter Edward Russell about new tourism habits, business travel challenges, and more. Listen now for the full interview. Read more coverage of the travel industry at skift.com/news

Earlier this week Tripadvisor revealed that the company was planning to spin off its tours and activity brand Viator. For this bonus episode of the Skift Podcast, senior research analyst Seth Borko and executive editor Dennis Schaal debate the merits of the spinoff.  For more coverage of Tripadvisor and its peers, follow news at skift.com/online-booking.

Accor’s CEO is steering the brand towards more luxury and lifestyle properties. Fortunately, hotel owners are more than obliging. “I’ve been at the helm of this company for the past eight years, and I’ve been trying to wake up a sleeping giant, which Accor has been for a number of years,” said Sebastien Bazin, CEO of Accor, at Skift Global Forum, in conversation with Skift’s hospitality reporter Cameron Sperance. Listen now for the full interview. Read more coverage of the travel industry at skift.com/news

“We’re moving away from a competitive house of brands,” Kern said when speaking at Skift Global Forum on Wednesday in New York City. He said he wanted “a simplifying universe of brands” that are “working toward a common goal.” Expedia Group Vice Chairman and CEO Peter Kern spoke with Skift Executive Editor Dennis Schaal at Skift Global Forum 2021. The two discussed the theme “Powering Travel Beyond the Booking to Boost Recovery.”  Listen now for the full interview. Read more coverage of the travel industry at skift.com/news

Trivago Managing Director and CEO Axel Hefer spoke with Skift Senior Travel Tech Editor Sean O’Neill at Skift Global Forum 2021. The two discussed the future of metasearch and its ability to inspire travelers. "Travel is absolutely fascinating right now," Hefer said. "So many things have actually happened the last one and a half years. And the discussions that we are having here all day — what will actually stay and what will not? And how will the competitive dynamic actually change in the future is fascinating. It offers a huge opportunity if you navigate that well." Listen to the full conversation with Skift's Sean O'Neill.  Read more coverage of Trivago and the travel industry at https://skift.com/online-travel  

Each year, our Megatrends event brings together industry leaders -- the people creating and defining the future of travel -- to hear Skift’s deep reporting and research around the global travel industry. Through the thousands and thousands of hours spent by our journalists and analysts talking to you, analyzing and connecting the dots, these presentations provide attendees with a vision of what’s next and the tools they need to drive the industry forward. For our 2022 event we are joined by the CEO of Kayak, as well as leaders at Marriott, Hilton, Hopper, Cape Town Tourism, and Certares, as well as Skift editors and analysts.  This edition of the Skift Podcast highlights Hafner's discussion with Skift Senior Travel Tech Editor Sean O'Neill. The event was recorded at Ogilvy's headquarters in New York City on January 19, 2022. For more insight into the trends driving travel in 2022, visit https://skift.com/megatrends-2022

Google will put an eco-badge of sorts next to a listing if sustainability-minded firms like GreenKey or EarthCheck have highlighted a hotel for its positive impact with environmental practices. Potential guests can even find out property-specific sustainability practices through the new feature, which will also be on Google Travel. "There are a lot of aspects that go into a ranking,” Richard Holden, vice president of travel products at Google, said in September 2021 at Skift Global Forum, and “travel obviously has an outsized impact on the world in terms of carbon." Listen to the full conversation with Skift Research's Seth Borko.  Read more coverage of Google and the travel industry at skift.com/tag/google