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Saturday 26 September

6 updates
Air & distribution
Business Travel NewsUnited States

Delta Details Initial NDC Capabilities and Agency Enhancements

Speaking at a digital Delta Business Showcase, Delta Air Lines said its New Distribution Capability solution remains on track to launch by the end of the year, with the initial release delivering the core capabilities needed to support U.S. point-of-sale activation. At launch, agencies will be able to shop flights, access private fares, use Airlines Reporting Corp. settlement, receive order change notifications, process voluntary changes on wholly unused tickets, apply corporate priority benefits, cancel unticketed and ticketed orders, and select free seats. Delta's roadmap adds international travel documents, private-fare booking changes and UATP payments in Q1 2027; an unused-ticket solut…

OTA / TMC
Skift FeedUnited States / Seattle

Expedia Cuts 58 Roles in Seattle

Expedia is cutting 58 roles in Seattle, according to a Washington WARN notice filed this week, with the layoffs set to take place between November 21 and December 1. The notice lists several senior roles, including an SVP position Skift previously reported in August, and of 31 total technical positions, 18 are in data science and machine learning. In a statement, Expedia characterized the cuts as streamlining efforts mainly related to finance, saying its Global Finance team is making changes mostly to simplify its org structure, with some employees moving to new roles or locations and some roles being eliminated.

Air & distribution
Skift FeedUnited States / United Kingdom

Virgin Atlantic CEO: Premium Demand 'Insatiable' as 787 Refit Cuts Economy Seats

Virgin Atlantic CEO Corneel Koster told Skift Global Forum that reconfiguring the fleet so premium seats nearly match economy is an investment, not a bet, calling premium demand 'insatiable' and saying the airline was 'underweight' in premium capacity for years. Refurbished 787 Dreamliners will cut economy from 192 to 127 seats while expanding premium. He cited UK-to-US demand up 7% year over year, corporate demand up 11% and cargo up 36%. Koster said the Delta partnership makes Virgin 'probably more Virgin than ever,' and warned that the UK sustainable aviation fuel mandate is rising while the fuel 'is just not available.'

Hotels
Skift Feed全球 / United States

Hyatt CEO on Owner Value and Replacing Four Core Hotel Systems

Hyatt Chairman, President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian said at Skift Global Forum that Hyatt has been the largest owner of its own hotels for 67 of its 70 years, shaping a different set of decisions. He said Hyatt replaced four core systems at once — central reservations, property management, revenue management and point-of-sale — delivering 40% savings on the property management system, with Hyatt absorbing the entire cost and passing none to owners. He also said Hyatt's leisure mix rose from about 35% in 2017 to closer to 55% by 2025, driven in part by the $2.7 billion acquisition of Apple Leisure Group during COVID.

Hotels
Skift FeedFrance / United States

Accor CEO Weighs Ennismore IPO and Funding for U.S. Growth

Accor CEO Sébastien Bazin said at Skift Global Forum in New York that Ennismore, its luxury-lifestyle joint venture, needs capital to grow in the U.S. and beyond, but the companies have not decided how to fund it. He called a listing a "very complex decision" with many drawbacks, and said another possibility is that Accor could put more money into it. Accor had given itself until the end of this month to announce a decision on its 62% stake in the joint venture, with analysts valuing Ennismore at $3.4 billion to $5.8 billion in a potential IPO.

Hotels
Hilton Stories RSSCanada / Mexico / Singapore / Saudi Arabia / United States / United Kingdom / Spain / Malaysia

Hilton Opens and Renovates Worldwide This Season: From Kaua'i to Kuala Lumpur

Hilton has announced its seasonal global openings and renovations, spanning multiple brand debuts in new markets: NoMad debuts in Singapore, Waldorf Astoria and Conrad debut in Kuala Lumpur, Curio Collection debuts in Hawai'i, Tapestry Collection enters Baja California, and Curio Collection enters Valencia, Spain. In the U.S., Signia Hilton expands to Naples and Indianapolis, while Apartment Collection by Hilton enters Pittsburgh and Huntsville. Renovations include a $25 million property-wide renovation of Conrad Indianapolis timed to its 20th anniversary. Hilton Honors is running the More Points to Play promotion from Oct. 15 to Dec. 31, 2026.

Friday 25 September

8 updates
OTA / TMC
Skift Feed全球 / United States

Chenault on Travel Membership and AI-Driven Integration

At Skift Global Forum, Kenneth Chenault, Chairman & Managing Director of General Catalyst, shared lessons from transforming the Amex Platinum card: build on experiences across the full hospitality journey and segment by services and needs. Amex targeted customers in their late 20s and early 30s, and within two years roughly 35% of new Platinum customers were 35 or under. He stressed that strong brands balance rational and emotional values. Long Lake, backed by General Catalyst, used a proprietary AI platform called Nexus to lift revenue growth from 5% to 15-20%; its first acquisition took six months to integrate, while the fifth took three weeks. That model is now being tested at scale with…

Hotels
Skift FeedLas Vegas / United States

Vacation Ownership Shifts to Experience Access: HGV Runs 3,800 Events a Year

In a Skift Global Forum decision brief, ARDA President & CEO Jason Gamel and Hilton Grand Vacations Senior Executive VP & COO Gordon Gurnik discussed how vacation ownership is shifting from lodging toward experience access. Gurnik said HGV runs about 3,800 experience events a year for roughly 725,000 owners, spanning its F1 Las Vegas Clubhouse, private concerts and the LPGA Tournament of Champions. Gamel said more than 75% of vacation-ownership purchasers are millennials and Gen Z, a younger base driving experience demand. They also noted owners can convert ownership into Hilton Honors points, and pointed to similar experience platforms from Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Westgate Resorts an…

OTA / TMC
Skift FeedUnited States

Capital One Travel Positions as a Travel Platform; Over 70% of Customers Seek Live Experiences

In a Skift Global Forum decision brief, Capital One Travel SVP Sarah Moore said Capital One is positioning itself as a travel platform, not just a credit card company. She said launching Capital One Travel in 2021, later than many competitors, allowed it to study the market, understand modern travelers and build technology-first. As a bank, Capital One can use customer information and transaction data for contextual personalization. Moore said more than 70% of Capital One customers look at some kind of event or live experience when they travel, citing partnerships with MLB, touring artists and José Andrés. She also said a dedicated travel app launched in the past year has been heavily utili…

OTA / TMC
JTB Group NewsroomHawaii / Japan / United States

JTB, JCB and JAL Turn Student Ideas into a Hawaii Graduation Travel Product

JTB announced on September 25, 2026 that it has commercialized the winning student team's concept from the 2025 Hawaii Idea Contest together with JCB and Japan Airlines (JAL), launching the new product Gakutabi Hawaii under the Look JTB MySTYLE Gakutabi line. The product is a 4-night/6-day trip departing March 8 and March 9, 2027, featuring a Diamond Head hike and cleanup activity plus a Hawaii Graduation Party for graduating students, with idol group CANDY TUNE appearing as a special guest. The three companies will also hold a joint stage event at Tourism EXPO Japan 2026 at Tokyo Big Sight on September 26, 2026.

Hotels
Hotel Dive FeedIllinois / Georgia / Florida / United States / Chicago

Lodging Lowdown: Highgate Names New CMO, BWH Debuts Extended-Stay Property

Several hotel industry developments this week: Highgate appointed Erica Doyne as chief marketing officer; she brings nearly two decades of hospitality and travel leadership experience, most recently as CMO of Cardinal Financial and previously in marketing executive roles at Hyatt. BWH Hotels opened @HOME by Best Western McDonough in Georgia, a 128-suite extended-stay property marking the brand's first location in the state and Southeast region and its second in the U.S. Separately, more than 7,000 union hotel workers in Chicago voted to authorize a strike, which could become the city's largest hotel strike.

Data & research
Amadeus NewsroomIndia / Brazil / Texas / Italy / Sweden / New York / United States / Chicago

Amadeus Data: Chicago and New York Marathons Lift Air and Hotel Demand

Amadeus Travel Intelligence data shows rising air and hotel demand around the October Chicago Marathon and November New York Marathon. Domestic air bookings rise 13% for Chicago and 45% for New York in race weeks. Chicago race-weekend hotel occupancy is 85.9% at an ADR of $364, up 1.8% and 10.2% year on year; New York occupancy is 58.1%, down 0.7%, while ADR rises 12.4% to $369. International source markets including India, Brazil, Sweden and Italy grow, while Texas and the Sunbelt lead domestic growth.

Hotels
Hospitality TechnologyCanada / North America / India / United States / Chennai

Starbucks Bets on In-House Tech, to Shutter 250 Stores

Starbucks plans to open a technology hub in Chennai, India, in fiscal year 2027, gradually bringing work currently performed by third-party service providers in-house to gain more direct control over technology. Separately, as part of its Back to Starbucks plan, the company will close 250 locations in North America this week, about 1% of its more than 18,000 North American coffeehouses. Starbucks said it carefully reviewed its North America portfolio and identified locations where it cannot consistently deliver the desired experience for customers and partners or where it sees no path to acceptable financial performance. More than 1,000 coffeehouses across the U.S. and Canada have been rede…

Hotels
Skift FeedNew York / United States

Hyatt CEO on Lessons From Owning Hotels and the Trend He's Most Excited About

Speaking at the Skift Global Forum in New York City, Hyatt Chairman, President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian addressed hotel owners' pushback over costs and fees, saying the company's response comes down to mindset. He noted that for 67 of Hyatt's almost 70 years the company was the largest owner of its own hotels, so during Covid it faced the same crisis as owners in its portfolio; the estimated break-even occupancy for some larger hotels was about 43%, cut to 22% within six months, after which Hyatt shared the full playbook with its biggest third-party owner, Host Hotels.

Thursday 24 September

11 updates
Data & research
Skift Feed全球 / United States

Amex: Younger Travelers Reshape Premium Travel

Audrey Hendley, President of American Express Travel, told Skift Global Forum that Millennial and Gen Z spending on American Express rose 40% in Q2 2026 and together they account for 65% of its new customers globally; the average new U.S. Platinum cardholder is 32 and Gold is 29. A survey found 75% of millennials would take a job with fewer benefits for more travel time. Hendley said premium is shifting from a single property standard toward experiences and time value, citing AI-assisted human service and the behavior-driven Sidecar lounge. Skift noted U.S. inbound tourism fell 11% in August 2026 and 7% in July 2026.

Air & distribution
Skift FeedUnited States / United Kingdom

Virgin Atlantic CEO: Don't Make Customers Pay More for SAF Without the Environmental Benefit

Virgin Atlantic CEO Corneel Koster said at the Skift Global Forum in New York that increasing mandates on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) while supply continues to lag is not tenable for the airline industry. He noted that the U.K. SAF mandate requires the fuel to make up 2% of the country's jet fuel demand, eventually rising to 22%, but there isn't enough SAF available.

Data & research
Skift FeedThailand / United States

Thailand Targets 1.5 Million U.S. Tourists in 2026, But Gap Remains Large

Thailand is targeting 1.5 million U.S. visitors in 2026 to draw higher-spending long-haul travelers and drive tourism revenue. U.S. arrivals reached 1.08 million last year; from January 1 to September 15 this year only 716,983 were recorded, per the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), meaning more than 780,000 additional American visitors are needed in the remaining three and a half months. TAT said its New York, Chicago and Los Angeles offices will coordinate around a "Value over Volume" strategy set at a September 17 meeting in New York. Bangkok-based tour operator EXO Travel reports softer forward U.S. demand.

Air & distribution
Business Travel NewsPhoenix / Taipei / Taiwan / San Francisco / Los Angeles / United States / Seattle

American Airlines and Starlux Launch Codeshare Partnership

American Airlines and Starlux Airlines announced a codeshare partnership. American will place its code on Starlux-operated flights to Taipei Taoyuan International Airport from Los Angeles, Ontario (Calif.), San Francisco and Seattle-Tacoma, and plans to place its code on Starlux-operated Phoenix-Taipei flights pending regulatory approval. AAdvantage members can earn miles and points when booking an American codeshare operated by Starlux. Starlux passengers from Taipei can connect to 20 North American cities on American-operated flights on a single ticket with baggage checked through to final destinations. Flights are now available for booking for travel beginning Sept. 30.

Hotels
Skift FeedLas Vegas / United States

Barry Diller Withdraws Roughly $18 Billion Bid for MGM Resorts

According to Skift, Barry Diller's People Inc. has withdrawn its proposal to acquire MGM Resorts International, a potential deal valued at roughly $18 billion. People Inc., formerly known as IAC, holds a 27% stake in MGM and had been preparing a bid to buy the remaining shares. Diller, People's chairman and senior executive, commented on the withdrawal. The news concerns Las Vegas casino and resort assets and is relevant to hotel and gaming sector consolidation.

OTA / TMC
Skift FeedUnited States

Airbnb CEO Chesky Commits to Launching an AI Agent in 2027

According to Skift, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said at Skift Global Forum that the company will launch its own AI agent in 2027, adding that the new interface would be 'much richer than a chatbot.' Chesky has previously described Airbnb's future as an 'agentic app' and an eventual AI concierge. On the August earnings call, he said that within roughly 12 to 18 months travelers would be able to bring a broad request, such as planning a family trip to Europe, and have the platform help assemble the trip. Just two weeks before the forum, he told Goldman Sachs the company was still piloting richer AI interfaces.

Hotels
Hotel Dive FeedNevada / Las Vegas / United States

Caesars shareholders approve Fertitta Entertainment's $17.6B acquisition

Caesars Entertainment shareholders voted at a special meeting to approve Fertitta Entertainment's acquisition of the resort and casino operator. About 143.28 million shares, or 70.3% of outstanding stock, cast votes, with the majority in favor of advancing the $17.6 billion deal. Fertitta will pay roughly $5.7 billion for Caesars and assume about $11.9 billion of debt. The deal still requires antitrust clearance from the Federal Trade Commission and approvals in each jurisdiction where Caesars has gaming operations, which could take up to 10 months. Shareholders would receive $31 in cash per share if the deal closes by June 26, 2027.

Hotels
Hotel Dive FeedUnited States / Miami

My Place Hotels relaunches conversion-friendly Trend brand

My Place Hotels of America relaunched its Trend by My Place brand at its 2026 convention in Miami, introducing a three-tier platform that gives independent hotel owners and conversion candidates a path into a national franchise system without heavy capital requirements. The tiers include Trend Hotels for modern select-service properties, Trend Hotels & Suites for transient and extended stay properties, and Trend Inns & Suites for well-located upper economy and midscale properties. Franchisees gain access to My Place's central reservations, systems and technology, and national sales platform. The brand originally launched in June 2020 but was sidelined during the pandemic.

Hotels
Hotel Dive FeedLas Vegas / United States

People Inc. withdraws bid to acquire MGM Resorts

People Inc. withdrew its proposal this week to acquire MGM Resorts International, leaving the resort operator to continue as a standalone public company. People Inc. made a go-private bid in June valuing MGM at more than $18 billion, and a special committee of MGM's board evaluated the proposed transaction over several months. Barry Diller, chairman and senior executive of People Inc., said the mix of ingredients did not come together as hoped, but the company still holds 66.8 million MGM shares, roughly 27%, expressed total confidence in MGM's management and prospects, and remains open to a strategic transaction. MGM board chairman Paul Salem said the board remains excited to lead MGM as a…

OTA / TMC
Hospitality TechnologyUnited States

Scooter's Coffee Integrates Digital Ordering with Olo Platform

Scooter's Coffee has migrated its digital ordering ecosystem onto Olo, the restaurant digital commerce platform. Olo Ordering now powers the backend of the Scooter's Coffee mobile app, while Olo Rails enables the chain's first third-party delivery marketplace channel. The rollout was completed in under 90 days across 900+ locations, covering POS routing configuration, a customizable menu with modifier management, and a seamless transition for existing mobile app users without operational downtime. The brand operates around 900 locations across 32 U.S. states.

Data & research
Hospitality TechnologyUnited States

Survey: 94% of Consumers Say Technology Influences Their QSR Choice

Canopy's 2026 Restaurant Tech Report, based on a national survey of 1,007 U.S. adults, finds 94% of consumers now factor technology into where they dine, up sharply from 80% in 2025. More than a third (37%) abandoned an order entirely due to malfunctioning technology, and 29% changed their ordering method, switched to a competitor, or walked out when confronted with an unexpected digital tip prompt. McDonald's was named the top QSR tech experience provider for a second consecutive year (34%), with Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell rounding out the top three. Only 20% of kiosk users said self-service kiosks work seamlessly every time, unchanged from 2025; consumer exposure to AI drive-thru voice ord…