No Show

Executive Vice President at Airports Council International-North America Matt Cornelius tells us where the buck stops at airports, and explains how they really run. Also, what's the best-run airport in America?

We just inherited a boatload of cash with one deeply eccentric stipulation: we have to build a hotel with it. But where? And why? And in which places does Jeff tell Matt we definitely CANNOT build one? And wait, somebody's building a hotel in Antarctica? 

Jeff talks with Eric about Greenview's role as the world’s leading provider of sustainability programs and data management for the hospitality and tourism sector. What's the current narrative around sustainability in tourism, and where can you make a difference as a hotel owner and a responsible traveler?

They're big and they buy things. Why aren't the tech giants taking over online travel? Or maybe ... they already have!?

We also talk about the illusion of choice when it comes to booking online. Major players like Expedia gobbled up other travel sites, so when you're shopping around, often you're just browsing different floors of the same department store. 

Plus, it's only a matter of time before Airbnb starts listing hotel rooms. What's stopped them so far?

Online Travel Agencies - a euphemistic way to describe the robots that (maybe) help us find deals on hotels, plane tickets, and a growing number of other travel-related services. How did the Expedias of the world get so dominant? What do hotels actually think of them? How does everybody (except you) make money off them?

Lodging Analytics Research & Consulting issues a quarterly U.S. Lodging Industry Outlook that's essential reading in the hotel business, and Ryan stops by to talk about LARC's Q1 report, coming trends in 2022, markets to watch, the pandemic's impact on commercial real estate, Airbnb regulation, and the Tuscan sun.

See what else LARC is up to at https://www.larcanalytics.com

What's it like to work in the orbit of the most famous theme park in the world? We're in the midst of Disney World's 50th Anniversary, and it got us thinking about all the usual stuff: utopia-building, timeshare economics, land use in central Florida, job reports, tourism dollars, Westworld,  civic ecosystems, the Orlando airport. Just your typical winter vacation daydreams.

This week our crystal ball is crystal clear. The unholy union of Frontier and Spirit Airlines got us thinking: what if a wisecracking genie appeared and gave us three wishes to change the airline industry? Fees, genuine competition (that's where the archaic yet lyric-friendly "cabotage" comes in), passenger comfort ... it would be a whole new world!

Which passports give you the most juice, and why? We get into passport rankings, how politics and economics affect those rankings, underrated and "golden" passports, and the ups and downs of traveling to China.

Shortened schedules, pruned expectations,  and fewer exhibitors didn't stop one of the world's biggest trade shows from bringing in the new year. But in a world of stricter health precautions, new travel restrictions, and changing tastes, can CES change too? Does it even need to?