On today’s GMH Hotels, Katie Cline and Steve Turk unpack mixed earnings from Hyatt, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and Choice Hotels International, plus growing concerns that World Cup hotel demand is falling short of expectations in host cities.

They also discuss Accor’s mysterious activist investor situation and what the $6.3B Amex GBT acquisition says about the next wave of travel consolidation.

This episode is presented by ⁠⁠⁠Plusgrade⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠Bilt⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠plusgrade.com⁠ to learn more.

And for hotels with restaurants and restaurant owners, Bilt Hospitality is finally here. Go to ⁠⁠⁠joinbilt.com/gmh⁠⁠⁠ to learn more.

On Monday’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Michael Goldin, and Brandreth Canaley celebrate the show’s 500th episode and break down how travel platforms are expanding beyond booking and competing for the full traveler relationship.

The team starts with Uber adding hotel booking through a new partnership with Expedia Group, with Vrbo rentals expected to follow, marking Uber’s biggest move yet into travel.

They also unpack signs that Airbnb is pulling more host community engagement onto its platform, reinforcing a shift toward a more integrated ecosystem. The episode also touches on how OTA leaders are thinking about AI, trust, and the evolving role of platforms in shaping how travelers discover and book trips.

This episode is presented by ⁠⁠Plusgrade⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Bilt⁠⁠. Visit plusgrade.com to learn more.

And for hotels with restaurants and restaurant owners, Bilt Hospitality is finally here. Go to ⁠⁠joinbilt.com/gmh⁠⁠ to learn more.

On this week’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down Hilton’s latest push into AI with its upcoming ChatGPT app and evolving “Select” deals strategy, and how the company is positioning itself more like a platform that controls pricing, distribution, and guest engagement.

They also explore Hilton’s continued expansion of lifestyle and luxury brands across Asia-Pacific, the shift in ultra-luxury hotels toward curated guest communities, and how budget airlines are now in talks over a $2.5 billion bailout as financial pressure builds across the travel sector.

This episode is presented by ⁠Vrbo⁠ & ⁠Bilt⁠. Visit ⁠vrbo.com/goodmorning⁠ to learn more about how you can earn OneKeyCash for each eligible property you list.

And for hotels with restaurants and restaurant owners, Bilt Hospitality is finally here. Go to ⁠joinbilt.com/gmh⁠ to learn more.

On Monday’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, Jamie Lane, and Wil Slickers are joined by Sean O'Neill, Senior Hospitality Editor at Skift, to break down a major strategic shift in the short-term rental space.

onefinestay is pulling back from hundreds of urban rentals to focus on ultra-luxury homes and high-end leisure destinations, signaling a broader move toward fewer, higher-quality listings as operators rethink where margins and demand are strongest.

The team also unpacks new data out of New York City showing that 27% of approved short-term rental listings are now operating illegally, highlighting the ongoing tension between regulation and enforcement even after strict laws were put in place. The episode wraps with a look at ChatGPT introducing cost-per-click ads, a shift that brings AI platforms directly into the same performance marketing model that powers Google and OTAs today, raising new questions about who controls travel discovery and demand.

This episode is presented by Vrbo & Bilt. Visit vrbo.com/goodmorning to learn more about how you can earn OneKeyCash for each eligible property you list.

And for hotels with restaurants and restaurant owners, Bilt Hospitality is finally here. Go to joinbilt.com/gmh to learn more.

In this Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast Bonus episode, Brandreth Canaley and Michael Goldin sit down with Tim Rosolio, VP of Vacation Rental Partnerships at Vrbo/Expedia Group, from a standout “Vacation Rental of the Year” property in New Hampshire.

Tim breaks down what actually drives performance on Vrbo today, from must-have amenities and pricing strategies to the growing importance of quality, consistency, and reviews in an increasingly saturated market. He shares why the short-term rental “gold rush” is officially over, and what operators need to do now to stay competitive.

The conversation also dives into Expedia Group’s broader strategy, including the rapid growth of B2B distribution, the expansion of vacation rentals across Expedia’s ecosystem, and how new tools like promotions and sponsored listings are changing visibility and bookings.

They also tackle AI in travel, where it’s already delivering value, where it’s overhyped, and why the human element still matters in hospitality.

Episode Chapters:

Connect with Skift

On this week’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down Hyatt’s rollout of ChatGPT Enterprise across the company and what it signals about AI moving from experimentation to real operational impact in hospitality.

They also explore rising travel costs tied to the upcoming World Cup, where higher prices for tickets, hotels, and transportation are starting to squeeze travelers, the rise of fossil fuel-free hotels across the industry and whether that model can scale, and BWH Hotels’ new outdoor brand tapping into demand for glamping and experiential stays.

This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Vrbo!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn how you can earn ⁠⁠⁠OneKeyCash⁠⁠⁠ today.

Connect with Skift

On Monday’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, and Jamie Lane break down how AI is putting pressure on every corner of the travel industry. The conversation starts with Mews’ founder calling out hotels for taking a surface-level approach to AI, focusing on chatbots instead of meaningful improvements to operations and guest experience.

They also unpack why Expedia Group’s CEO says travelers still don’t trust AI to handle bookings, reinforcing the importance of reliability and real inventory, before turning to the growing financial pressure on operators across both hotels and short-term rentals.

From rising costs and platform fees to a generational shift where longtime owners are looking to exit while fewer new entrants step in, the episode explores how margins are getting squeezed across the board.

The conversation ties it all together with a look at how AI isn’t replacing travel companies — it’s revealing where their models are weakest.

This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠Vrbo!⁠⁠⁠ Learn how you can earn ⁠⁠OneKeyCash⁠⁠ today.

Connect with Skift

On this week’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk are live from Seatrade Cruise Global, breaking down how AI is reshaping the way travelers discover and book hotels and whether brands are starting to lose control of the funnel.

Expedia Group data shows that only a small percentage of bookings are currently driven by AI, but the shift in discovery behavior could have much bigger long-term implications.

They also explore how Minor Hotels is building out its AI tech stack to drive deeper personalization, Lemon Tree Hotels’ record year powered by an asset-light strategy, and Delta Air Lines’s first major Delta One upgrade in nearly a decade as airlines continue investing heavily in premium experiences.

This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠Vrbo!⁠⁠⁠ Learn how you can earn ⁠⁠OneKeyCash⁠⁠ today.

Connect with Skift

On Monday’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, and Jamie Lane break down a $250 million deal as TowneBank sells its vacation rental management business, signaling continued investor appetite for scaled STR operations even as the market evolves.

The team also unpacks mixed demand signals, from softer-than-expected travel spending despite rising tax refunds to growing friction around international travel to the U.S., while also exploring why OTAs still struggle to gain meaningful traction in experiences. The episode ties it all together with a look at where value is actually shifting across travel today.

This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠Vrbo!⁠⁠ Learn how you can earn ⁠OneKeyCash⁠ today.

Connect with Skift

On this week’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down the growing loyalty balance at Marriott Hotels and Hilton, and what nearly $7 billion in outstanding points really means for the industry. Is it a liability or one of the most powerful tools in hospitality?

They also cover the race to expand midscale brands, Delta Air Lines raising bag fees as costs rise, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts passing 100 hotels in Mexico as growth shifts toward value-driven markets.

This episode is brought to you by ⁠Vrbo!⁠ Learn how you can earn OneKeyCash today.

Connect with Skift