What Uber and Airbnb Reveal About Expanding Beyond the Core
Uber has frequency and Airbnb has travel intent; their expansion into hotels will show which advantage travels further.
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Brand USA’s Covid-Era Funding Windfall Is Running Thin
A one-time $250 million boost from Congress let Brand USA operate with a nearly fully funded budget after a dramatic cut to federal funding — but that extra funding is about to run dry.
10 of the best mountain huts in Europe: bunkrooms, bothies and bonhomie
Beautifully situated refuges with superlative views offering sanctuary to intrepid hikers and climbers A good mountain hut, I reckon, should be small and only accessible on foot after considerable effort. Throw in a bit of historical interest and I’m bound to be happy. In which case, Cabaña Verónica in the Picos de Europa is a fine start to this list. It sleeps six, and at 2,325 metres requires a two-hour trek from the nearest cable car station, never mind road. It has incredible views and a friendly custodian who keeps things in good order. Yet the real attraction is that this place was forme
Skift Global Forum Preview: What Happens After the Booking? Spotnana CEO Has a Number
The industry pours its attention into search and booking. Steve Singh thinks the money is in what happens after. Spotnana's AI now handles cancellations and refunds, and he believes servicing costs can fall by half. He makes the case at Skift Global Forum.
Skift Global Forum Preview: IHG’s Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer on Making Hotels Legible to AI
Heather Balsley is making IHG legible to the AI models while arguing the models will never own the guest. Two bets, one strategy, at Skift Global Forum.
Cutting Passenger Demand May Be Only Way to Save Heathrow’s Net Zero Case
The UK's official climate advisors just told the government that a Heathrow expansion does not work with the country’s climate goals — and if technology to bring emissions down doesn’t materialize, demand management could be on the cards.
The key to getting the plans right when you travel
Visa Destinations offers card holders a series of proposals for gastronomy, culture, shopping, well-being and entertainment selected by experts in ten cities around the world. This free platform is a luxury at any time of the year, thanks to a daily tool
How Grand Ji Hotel Is Building a Distinctly Chinese Premium Brand
Grand Ji Hotel, the new premium hotel brand from H World Group, brings a distinctly Chinese design philosophy and aesthetic to the guest experience, shaped by ideas around privacy, calm, and hospitality. Behind it are the technology, supply chain, and operating capabilities needed to carry that vision across a growing brand.
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The Billion-Dollar Travel Company You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
OneSpaWorld’s path to $1 billion in revenue offers an unusually clear look at who captures the money inside the cruise economy…and why controlling the customer matters more than controlling the service.
‘A landscape raw and wild’: by train to the heart of the Yorkshire Three Peaks
The Yorkshire Dales Explorer is a little-known alternative to the Settle to Carlisle rail route, and takes you deep into wonderful walking country Limestone stretches on all sides like an inland ocean – appropriately enough, since the shimmering white rock has its ancient origins in coral, shells and the skeletons of sea creatures. We advance carefully, stepping on clints (blocks of rock) and avoiding grykes (the deep fissures between them). It’s a warm, dry day and, even if it were not, limestone drains better than most types of terrain. For a long while, it’s broad, flat and hallucinatory an
The train is ‘my time machine’: a tour of Naples’ hidden ancient wonders
A new film about this corner of southern Italy reveals rarely visited villas, seismic landscapes and a ‘civilisation buried mid-sentence’ – all accessible by train One by one, the visitors descend through a tight tunnel cut through volcanic rock into the damp foundations of the Teatro Romano buried beneath Herculaneum, with the weight of 2,000 years of city above them. “This is a time machine,” the guide says, “and we are going back.” It is pitch black as film-maker Gianfranco Rosi’s camera finds torchlight catching the tourists’ transparent waterproof capes, making them appear like ghosts. Re
The return of France’s train of marvels: from the Côte d’Azur to the Southern French Alps
The reopened Train de Merveilles route takes passengers from the glamour of Nice to a grandiose alpine landscape Nine-thirty on a sunny Tuesday morning, and the platforms at Nice-Ville station are buzzing. Office workers nudge their way past backpackers, passengers clamber on to trains heading east to Monaco and Italy, or west to Antibes and Cannes. My husband and I, however, are heading away from the glittering coastline and boarding the Train des Merveilles (Train of Wonders) into the Alpes-Azur mountains. Back on track last December after a programme of major works closed the line for a yea
Tripe soup and bitter coffee in the dining car: a nostalgic ride through Poland on a communist-era train
I love exploring Poland by rail. When I heard about a new back-to-the-80s service, I booked a retro seat … Trainspotters jostled on platform 2 as sunshine lit up the polished olive-green carriages of the 11:07 from Warszawa Główna (Warsaw main station) to Poznań. As I was readying to board, a man, sporting bow tie and braces, zipped past me, making it to the steps first. Excitement was palpable. But then this was no ordinary train, but rather an event. A throwback in time. The Polish parliament had declared 2026 as the Year of Polish Railways, and there is a double jubilee under way: the 25th
I camped in one of Britain’s last remaining rainforests
A fragment of temperate rainforest lies on the edge of Dartmoor, and following years of conservation work, its owners have now opened up a sustainable campsite next to this fragile ecosystem Mist blankets the valley as I wheel my camping gear down the small hill towards a clearing ringed by trees and shrubs. A picnic bench sits at its edge, angled towards the reason why I’m here: one of the last remaining fragments of temperate rainforest in Britain. I’m pitching my tent at Wray Valley Camping, a low-impact site on Dartmoor’s eastern edge between Lustleigh and Moretonhampstead, where I’ll spen
Whisky galore – and now plenty more besides: exploring the Scottish island of Islay
Distilleries are the backbone of Islay’s economy and tourist trade. Thanks to their success, other businesses – from breweries and farms to restaurants and chocolatiers – are now thriving and adding to the island’s appeal The Paps of Jura disappear into the mist as I pedal along the shores of Loch Indaal, and the rain cloud I’ve been racing finally catches up. I stash my hire bike at Port Charlotte youth hostel, quickly change and make it to Lochindaal Seafood Kitchen just before the downpour. I’m soon warmed, by the welcome then by a bowl of creamy fish chowder. “We’ve plenty of fresh seafood
Make tracks: 8 of the UK’s best walking and cycling trails on former railway lines
Repurposed railway lines make accessible and family-friendly walking and cycling routes. Here are some of the best, from Somerset to the Highlands of Scotland Start/finish Coombs Road in Bakewell to Blackwell Mill in Chee Dale, but there are lots of access points along the way Distance 8.5 miles Cycle, hike or ride a horse along the Monsal Trail to explore a swathe of Derbyshire’s industrial history. This former stretch of the Midland Railway line winds past the imposing structures of two 18th-century cotton mills, through illuminated railway tunnels and over the Headstone Viaduct, which gives
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Thai Airways Expands Flight Network Across Europe and Asia
Thai Airways’ expansion across Europe and Asia could strengthen Bangkok’s role as a regional hub, giving hotels and tour operators more opportunities to attract travelers combining Thailand with neighboring destinations.
Hotel Locks Are Becoming Software as Dormakaba Buys Alliants
Dormakaba’s Alliants deal shows how quickly hotel hardware and software are converging.
Southwest Airlines Hopes to Capture More High-Spend Customers With New Lounges
Southwest is looking to lure in more premium customers with the new lounges and credit card it will launch next year, making Rapid Rewards more “aspirational.”
Singapore’s Banyan Group Buys Newmark to Add 26 Hotels in Africa
The owner of the Banyan Tree brand has taken a majority stake in a Cape Town safari and lodge operator. The deal is asset-light, adding fee income instead of bricks, and gives Banyan a foothold in safari and nature hospitality.