Skift

Room00, a hotel and youth hostel operator known for its compact properties, is preparing to invest €330 million to €420 million ($380 to $484 million) in 2026 as it expands deeper into Southern Europe and enters London for the first time. The new investment plan, which represents a capital-intensive phase of growth, will add 20 properties and over 1,400 rooms in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the UK. hubs.li/Q047rpdH0

Greg Maffei, who has served as chairman of Tripadvisor’s board since 2013, will not seek reelection at the company’s next annual shareholder meeting in June. Tripadvisor said Thursday that Maffei and fellow board member Albert Rosenthaler will both step down when their terms expire. Tripadvisor said their departures were not due to disagreements over policy or operations. hubs.li/Q047FnTZ0

“We have over 20,000 team members, of which 97 percent are Caribbean nationals. It’s who we are. It’s our heritage,” said Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International. 🌴 The brand is doubling down on its Caribbean identity, expanding its Beaches brand, and leveraging its regional workforce and suppliers to power both hospitality excellence and economic growth. Find out how here: hubs.li/Q047rB240 In partnership with @SandalsResorts

Dubai’s aviation leaders say the door is open. Some airlines suggest it’s being held shut. The disconnect is becoming harder to ignore as carriers extend suspensions to one of the world’s most important hubs. It raises a key question: are airlines choosing not to return to Dubai, or are they being prevented from doing so? hubs.li/Q047D1XK0

In this week’s podcast 🎧, Gordon and Jay unpack how U.S. airlines are navigating a fuel price crisis — with jet fuel nearly doubling since February — while demand remains surprisingly strong. They dig into key takeaways from the JP Morgan Industrials Conference, where top airline CEOs sounded off on fare hikes, the O'Hare turf war between American and United, and whether an oil-driven recession could be the industry's next big threat. Watch or listen to the pod on your favorite platform or right here: hubs.li/Q047ycqn0

The Trump administration has expanded its visa bond policy, adding 12 more countries whose citizens may be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the U.S., the State Department revealed on Wednesday. The visa bond requirement for the latest additions will go into effect on April 2, and in total, travelers from 50 countries will be subject to the requirements. hubs.li/Q047C9s00

Travel has become a non-negotiable. In 2025, 66% of Americans took a trip – the highest share in six years. Even among those who say they can’t afford it, 40% are traveling anyway, helping fuel a record $226 billion in summer vacation spending. The result? Download the Allianz + SkiftX report to find out here: hubs.li/Q047qP-t0 In partnership with Allianz

There’s no shortage of information in travel right now. What’s harder to find is clarity. At Skift Global Forum, we focus on what actually matters and where the industry is heading. 🎟️ 22–24 September hubs.li/Q047jpdS0

💡 Early results from our industry survey are in. The #1 reason travel leaders attend conferences in person? It's the conversations nobody planned. We're building Skift's 2026 events around what the industry actually told us. But we need more voices to get it right. ⏱ Takes 5 minutes. 👉 Take the survey: hubs.li/Q047vMWp0

Hilton has signed a franchise agreement with UK-based hotel chain Yotel, making it the first brand to sit under the new Select by Hilton brand. While the deal is not an acquisition and allows Yotel to be independently managed, it brings the tech-forward brand into Hilton’s loyalty, distribution, and commercial systems. Christian Charnaux, Hilton’s CDO, told Skift that Select by Hilton is a “brand of brands” that is open only to taking on “a very selective list of companies or brands.” hubs.li/Q047vNHl0

Wars end. Memory lingers. The question that will define the region's next tourism decade is in what shape demand returns, from where, at what yield, and with what brand equity still intact. Here is the decision framework for managing through uncertainty over the next two to four years: hubs.li/Q047rrQV0

As Chinese transport infrastructure improves, with faster trains, better flight connectivity, and smoother road networks, travel demand is showing up in places that barely used to register on hotel maps, H World Group has said. In its latest earnings call, H World Group CEO Jin Hui explained: “As China’s transportation network improves, accommodation needs to quickly expand from major cities to country level markets, making the lower-tier city a new growth engine for tourism consumption.” hubs.li/Q047rvDX0

Travel demand across Latin America is strong, but the way travelers move through the system is changing. For travel leaders, understanding how affordability, income levels, and travel costs shape where people go and how they book will influence decisions around pricing, route expansion, marketing strategy, and distribution. Get highlights from the latest Skift Research here: hubs.li/Q047rBNn0

"The bigger shift comes from AI’s ability to handle the operational complexity that has traditionally broken travel systems,” says Ankit Sawant, co-founder and CEO of OnArrival. Read the full Q&A here: hubs.li/Q047f21p0 In partnership with @Travelonarrival

Every quarter, like clockwork, management teams host their earnings calls and talk up their loyalty numbers. Most recently, we heard that Marriott added 75 million Bonvoy members in two years, bringing its total to 271 million. Hilton crossed 243 million. Booking Holdings grew its direct channel from the low-50s to the mid-60s as a share of room nights. Executives beam, analysts nod along — and no one asks the one question that actually matters: Is any of this making it cheaper to acquire the next customer? hubs.li/Q047rr1j0

International visits to the U.S. ticked up in February, ending a nine-month streak of declines — but only narrowly. Arrivals rose 0.8% to 2.2 million, the National Travel and Tourism Office said Wednesday, after a 4.2% drop in January. The modest rebound was driven largely by Asia, where visits climbed 9.6% year over year, including a 35.8% jump from China. Arrivals from South Korea and Japan also increased, rising 6.3% and 5.3%, respectively. hubs.li/Q047pWJ60

What does a real offers-and-orders deployment look like at scale? Hitit’s Oxygen platform is already live with Pegasus Airlines, offering a practical view into how modern airline retailing is evolving. Read the Q&A here: hubs.li/Q047fcX10 In partnership with @hititCS

The operational and commercial impact of the Iran conflict on Gulf airlines is now showing up in frequent flyer programs. With flights still heavily disrupted, two of the region’s “Big Three” have moved to adjust their loyalty schemes. Etihad and Qatar Airways have each outlined arrangements to make it easier for customers to retain or upgrade their status during the disruption. hubs.li/Q047lnXt0

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is betting that the carrier can still make a healthy profit despite dealing with a $400 million hit to its bottom line caused by the surge in jet fuel prices. Kirby said United is looking to fully offset the increase in fuel prices this year, adding it would take $4.6 billion in revenue to counter that cost. Bookings are expected to be up 14% for the month of March. “So we’ll see what happens for the rest of the year.” hubs.li/Q047gbcs0

Travellers from Europe and the U.S. are instead eyeing European Mediterranean locations, Morocco, and South America. Can airlines scramble to add capacity at such short notice? With UAE tourism in crisis, here’s where travelers are going instead: hubs.li/Q0478sTS0