Skift Daily Briefing

Booking Holdings launches Lola, an AI travel assistant from Kayak's founders that bets memberships can replace commissions, Alaska Airlines doubles down on premium cabins and a flagship lounge despite fuel costs wiping out its first-half profit, and Europe's new anti-greenwashing law just made vague eco-labels a legal liability.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why Lola's subscription model could rewrite the economics of online travel if it works, why Alaska's premium bet is gutsy given that part of the plan rides on an uncertified plane, and what the EU's EmpCo law means for every travel brand still leaning on vague green claims.

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Connect with Tasmin Lockwood
Kayak Co-Founders Launch Lola, Booking Holdings' New AI Assistant — Exclusive
Alaska Airlines Adds Premium Economy and More Business Class. Can It Catch Up to the Big 3?
EU Anti-Greenwashing Rules Take Effect and Some Eco-Labels May Not Survive

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Bangkok floods snarl airports and threaten to redirect Golden Week travelers just as Chinese arrivals were tracking 78% ahead of last year, Expedia's latest layoffs zero in on data science as its efficiency push hits the org chart, and Carnival politely opts out of the premium arms race by doubling down on what actually works for its brand.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why Bangkok may keep Golden Week spending but lose its share of it, what Expedia's latest round of cuts signals about where the company is heading, and why Carnival's bet on affordable done well is a strategy worth taking seriously.

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Bangkok Floods Disrupt Airports, Spare the Hotels — for Now
Expedia Cuts 58 Roles in Latest Layoff Round
Carnival Cruise Adjusts to New Passenger Habits

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Brian Chesky commits to launching Airbnb's AI travel agent in 2027 and bets the chat interface is the wrong format for travel, Barry Diller walks away from an $18 billion MGM deal but leaves the door open, and two of travel's biggest investors reveal they're putting their money into things AI can't copy.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why Airbnb is building its own front door instead of joining ChatGPT, what Diller's MGM withdrawal says about the timing of big Strip consolidation bets, and why the smartest travel investors are chasing land, wellness, and high-speed trains in an AI-commoditized world.

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Vrbo and Airbnb go all in on paid placement just as AI booking agents signal they won't factor it in, IHG and Hyatt hand creators the keys and learn to let go of control, and the travel industry grapples with how to measure whether creator content actually drives bookings.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why sponsored listings may be a billion-dollar bet with an AI-shaped hole in it, how IHG and Hyatt rewired their creator strategies around authenticity over control, and why click-based attribution is the wrong way to measure what creator content actually does.

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Sponsored Listings Are Spreading Across Online Travel — Just as AI Agents Threaten to Ignore Them
How Travel Brands Learned to Stop Worrying and Trust Creators
How Travel Brands Measure Content Creator Lift

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Airbnb's Next Big Business Might Be Hotels

Airbnb makes a serious push into hotels with 3,900 properties live and CEO Brian Chesky calling it a potential ten-times opportunity, a former Remington CEO raises $7.5 million to build an AI-native hotel management company that isn't shy about cutting jobs, and Brand USA's Covid-era funding cushion is nearly gone.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Airbnb's hotel push is dividing early adopters from skeptical operators watching for cannibalization, how AIHG's AI operating system resets the economics of hotel management from the ground up, and why Brand USA's 2028 spending power depends heavily on Congress acting before the reserves run dry.

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Articles Referenced:
Connect with Bailey Schulz
Airbnb's Pivot: Inside Its New Push Into Hotels
Ex-Remington CEO Is Building an AI-Native Hotel Operator — Exclusive
Brand USA Budget: Fiscal 2027

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Banks are splitting into two camps on travel — those who want to own your trip and those who use travel perks to own your financial life, Turo announces car delivery straight to your hotel as everyone races to own more of the trip, and Banyan Group makes a big move into African safari lodges at exactly the right moment.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what your choice of travel card actually says about which kind of relationship your bank wants with you, whether Turo's host network can deliver on the promise of frictionless car rental at scale, and why Banyan Group's African acquisition is a smart bet on one of travel's fastest-growing regions.

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China's antitrust crackdown costs Trip.com $770 million and forces a full overhaul of how hotels compete on its platform, American Airlines puts the industry on notice that high fuel prices mean fewer flights, and Sam's Club makes a move into cruises targeting one of travel's last offline holdouts.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why Trip.com's regulatory hit matters less than the new rules it's writing for hotel partners, how fuel costs rather than demand could slow American Airlines' faster-than-rivals growth, and whether Sam's Club can finally crack cruise booking's stubborn resistance to going digital.

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Articles Referenced:
Connect with Tasmin Lockwood
Trip.com Group's Antitrust Reset Could Change How Hotels Compete on Its Platform
American Airlines to Cut Capacity if Fuel Costs Stay High
Sam's Club Travel Relaunches With Cruises and Deal With Rocket Travel's Founders

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Gulf hoteliers at Arabian Travel Market align on a 2027 recovery timeline as pricing stays stuck despite rebounding occupancy, Lindblad makes its biggest acquisition yet with a $67 million bet on Antarctic luxury that has nothing to do with ships, and GetYourGuide recruits creators to solve tour operators' oldest problem — no reviews, no bookings.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why Dubai's recovery story is really about rate not occupancy, what Lindblad's land-first acquisition strategy reveals about where expedition travel growth is actually coming from, and how GetYourGuide is solving a cold-start problem with distribution rather than discounts.

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Articles Referenced:
Connect with Tasmin Lockwood
UAE Hotels Give Up on Q4, Hope for 2027 Recovery
Lindblad Acquires White Desert and Echo Charlie
GetYourGuide Creator Reviews and New Listings

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Latvia's AirBaltic files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as fuel costs and a failed IPO take their toll, Starlink is becoming a must-have for airlines but somebody is going to have to pay for it, and Etihad's biggest problem right now is that it doesn't have enough planes to meet demand.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why AirBaltic's restructuring is a test case for whether mid-sized European flag carriers can restructure their way back, who ends up footing the bill for the Starlink upgrade travelers are now demanding, and why Etihad's supply constraint is actually the best kind of problem to have.

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Articles Referenced:
Connect with Tasmin Lockwood
AirBaltic Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection as Financial Pressures Mount
Starlink Is a Must-Have for Airlines but Somebody's Got to Pay
Etihad CEO Says Aircraft Is the Constraint as China and Africa Drive Growth

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The Iran war has quietly devastated Gulf tourism with Dubai hotel rates down 50% and recovery not expected before late 2027, Meta launches an AI agent called Muse that can actually book travel, and Marriott's CEO says AI's biggest impact on hotels won't be chatbots — it'll be distribution.

On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down just how bad Gulf tourism's numbers have gotten and what it means for travelers eyeing a Dubai trip right now, what Skift's hands-on test of Meta's Muse agent reveals about how AI is starting to shop for travel on your behalf, and why Marriott is racing to feed AI systems as much content as possible before the distribution battle is decided.

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