Liz Lambert, the COO of the Bunkhouse Group, got her hospitality start at the Hotel San Jose in Austin when it was catering to down-and-out residents. Bunkhouse GroupSkift Take: Here's one of hospitality's most interesting thinkers on hiring, her approach to service, and the importance of community when launching a development.

Virgin Atlantic CEO Craig Kreeger has led the airline into tighter relationships with carriers that were once its competitors. He is pictured here at an event to celebrate new 787 Dreamliner service to Atlanta in 2014. Virgin AtlanticSkift Take: Virgin Atlantic has a strong brand, but for years it has lagged far behind British Airways in most categories. The upstart has just been too small to be a bona fide competitor.

George Yabu (left) and Glenn Pushelberg inside the lobby bar of the new Moxy Times Square . The two founders of design firm Yabu Pushelberg have been involved in hotel design for nearly 40 years. Michael Kleinberg Skift Take: The future of hotel design might be on a smaller scale, but Yabu Pushelberg knows the design aspirations and expectations will be even greater than they have been before.

Denver-based startup Boom is hoping airlines can fly its supersonic jets by 2023. A rendering of the aircraft is pictured here. BoomSkift Take: We think there's probably demand for this airplane for transatlantic routes. Wouldn't it be great to fly between London and New York in fewer than three hours? But the airplane would have to make a fuel stop on longer routes, so it might be less useful from, say, Tokyo to Los Angeles or London.

Spirit Airlines has long advertised cheap prices with its "bare fare" campaign. But it is changing its messaging to embrace value, and trying to give passengers a better experience. Spirit AirlinesSkift Take: Spirit Airlines spent years angering customers with shoddy customer service. Now it wants those travelers to return, promising they'll find a kinder, gentler airline with an increased emphasis on on-time arrivals.

A United Airlines Boeing 787 takes off in Houston. United has been losing revenue in Houston because of Hurricane Harvey. James Nielsen / AP Photo/Houston ChronicleSkift Take: There's a reason they call it an act of God. Every airline in the world is going to lose money when a massive hurricane hits one of its largest hubs. United will be fine. It'll just take some time.

Hopkinsville, Kentucky was the point of greatest eclipse during the total solar eclipse that spanned the U.S. on August 21. Pictured are eclipse watchers wearing eclipse glasses during the event. NASA Marshall Photo Archive / FlickrSkift Take: For a small town, Hopkinsville, Kentucky has some big-time lessons on how to plan and host a mass tourism event that will only happen once.

Skift Take: Take a look at our event schedule and find out when each of our world-class speakers are taking the stage at Skift Global Forum. — Rafat AliThe schedule for our flagship event, Skift Global Forum, is set and we promise that this is one for the books. In less than three weeks — September 26-27 — the biggest CEOsacross all sectors of the travel industry will join us at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P.

Skift Take: Skift Global Forum is rapidly approaching and you don't want to attend alone. Grab your colleagues and save when you register as a group before it's too late! — Rafat AliOur flagship event, Skift Global Forum, is less than four weeks away. That’s right! In just one short month on September 26-27, the leading innovators in travel will descend uponJazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, Time Warner Center, NY for two days of non-stop talks and networking.

Under a Flight Insights section of its metasearch product, Google has added new tools. For example, tap on Dates to see a calendar view of date combinations with the cheapest prices highlighted in green and the most expensive in red. SkiftSkift Take: Google now prods its users to try to cut their travel costs by considering alternative airports and other tricks. Yet the incremental moves may not appease a European watchdog that may question its broader business practices in travel.