20 Nov
Travel

Travel Agency Social Hubs Invite Passersby to Join the Party

Departure Lounge

The Departure Lounge travel agency in Austin, Texas draws walk-in business with its inviting atmosphere. Departure Lounge

Skift Take: Storefront travel agencies may be fewer in number these days, but some are finding success by reinventing themselves as social hubs for their local communities. With imaginative decor and amenities, these agencies are drawing in customers who had previously been unaware of the value of using a travel advisor.

— Maria Lenhart

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20 Nov
Travel

The Often Overlooked Role Travel Advisors Play in the Path to Responsible Tourism

Davide Gabino / Flickr.com

Travel advisors should steer their customers away from overtouristed destinations, such as this busy street in Venice, Italy, as shown in 2016. Davide Gabino / Flickr.com

Skift Take: While it’s more obvious that hotels, airlines, and cruise lines have a big impact on sustainable tourism, travel advisors wield influence too. How they guide clients in the choices they make has ramifications for the health of the travel industry, as well as for the planet.

— Maria Lenhart

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20 Nov
Travel

Can Travel Advisors Be a Secret Weapon in Quest for Sustainable Tourism?

Caccamo / Flickr.com

Tourists, with a cruise ship in the background, in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where locals are coping with overtourism issues. Travel advisors are on the frontline of steering consumers toward more responsible travel options. Caccamo / Flickr.com

Skift Take: By guiding clients toward responsible choices in how and where they travel, travel advisors can play a key part in promoting sustainable tourism. Not only do local communities benefit, but visitors come away with more meaningful experiences.

— Maria Lenhart

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20 Nov
Travel

IHG Direct Bookings Tech Play and 11 Other Top Hospitality Stories This Week

IHG

A guest room at the Intercontinental Hong Kong. IHG is implementing a new tech strategy to boost online revenue. IHG

Skift Take: This week in hospitality, IHG is taking a tougher approach with online agencies by using new technologies to gain traction for its mobile app and website. Meanwhile, more traditional hotel brands are introducing communal lodging for its guests.

— Jasmine Ganaishlal

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20 Nov
Travel

Host Travel Agencies Step Up to Train Wave of Newcomers

Travelport

Travelport’s Claire Osborne (left) with Meon Valley Travel’s Kelly Doherty making the first New Distribution Capability booking at the agency’s offices in Leicester, UK, in October 2018. Training is key for new travel agents, as well as veterans. Travelport

Skift Take: A surge of newcomers are setting up shop as travel advisors — with some of them unprepared for the realities of the job. Host agencies and consortiums are ramping up efforts to give them the education they need.

— Maria Lenhart

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20 Nov
Travel

Hyatt Joins Other Big Hotel Chains by Pledging to Eliminate Small Plastic Bottles

Hyatt Hotels

Hyatt Hotels plans to remove single-use plastic bottles with these larger containers in an effort to reduce waste. The larger containers are more easily recycled. Hyatt Hotels

Skift Take: Hyatt joins Marriott and IHG by promising to get rid of single-use plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and lotion with large-format bathroom amenities. Hotels are wisely promising to do what they can to mitigate waste. Let’s see if they can make their deadlines.

— Nancy Trejos

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20 Nov
Travel

Expedia Tells Hotels Adding Resort Fees Will Lower Your Listings on Its Pages

Expedia Group

Expedia Group’s Cyril Ranque spoke about the company’s new action against hotel resort fees at the Expedia Explore ’19 partner conference in Las Vegas November 14, 2019. Expedia Group

Skift Take: Expedia Group’s stance on resort fees could have been drafted by a United Nations diplomat. Expedia doesn’t want to alienate hotels and seeks to pick up market share based on Booking Holdings’ more forceful position. But it’s hitting resort-fee-charging hotels right where it hurts — in the prominence of their listings.

— Dennis Schaal

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20 Nov
Travel

MGM on Hunt for Investor to Join Las Vegas Property Venture

Bloomberg

The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. MGM is looking for joint venture investors. Bloomberg

Skift Take: Like other hospitality companies, MGM is pivoting towards an asset-light model and has spent the last year or so preparing for an economic downturn. It should be in good shape if the worst happens.

— Patrick Whyte

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