This website uses cookies

Read our Privacy policy and Terms of use for more information.

Top Story

Booking Holdings has spent years trying to stitch a trip together across separate apps. Lola wagers one assistant built from scratch, with a membership model and human concierge service, can finally hold it together.

What Changed: Booking's Lola trades commission for subscriptions, sells non-Booking supply; paid perks this fall.

Who it Impacts: Hotel distribution teams, Expedia and Trivago, dining and experience platforms, and luxury advisors.

What to Watch: Paid-tier conversion, hotel buy-in on member rates, which pending partners sign, and model accuracy.

Get your free two-week preview to the new Skift Intelligence. Sign up here →

Skift Data + AI Summit Europe · London · October 6

When AI books the trip, who owns the traveler, the platform or the assistant?

KAYAK CEO Peer Bueller takes the stage, alongside leaders from IAG, Accor, Amadeus, and Skyscanner.

More Stories

Rotana CEO: Last-Minute Gulf Bookings Make Q4 Hard To Predict

September 30, 2026

The expected return of international travelers and a busy events calendar give hope for a Q4 recovery.

Vrbo to Double Commissions as It Plays Catch-Up to Airbnb

September 29, 2026

Airbnb and Booking.com charge no guest fees. But Vrbo has stated that it will keep guest fees, although the amounts will be flexible. That lack of specificity will stoke host anger because this gives hosts little visibility into the actual prices their guests will have to pay.

Hilton Tech Exec Says AI Agents Put OTAs ‘Under Real Threat’

September 29, 2026

Hilton CIO Michael Leidinger believes the OTAs' decline will benefit hotels, even while conceding that AI agents will likely charge commissions, too. The difference is that Hilton will get more bookings on its site and app.

Skift Data + AI Summit Europe: Five Decisions in the Room

September 29, 2026

AI is changing European travel. The question is who can actually run it at scale when compliance, language, and data sovereignty are built into the operating model.

How Carnival’s New Loyalty Program and Cuts in Fuel Use Are Paying Off

September 29, 2026

Carnival is adjusting its rewards, ships, and onboard offerings to keep customers coming back.

Skift Global Forum 2026: Executives Place Long Bets on a Changing Traveler

September 29, 2026

The most important decisions influencing the future of travel don’t happen in a vacuum. Put the leaders making them in one room, and the overlaps become obvious.

India Looks to China for a Way Around Pakistan’s Airspace Closure

September 29, 2026

India is looking east to solve a problem that has been forcing its airlines to fly west the long way around.

Alaska Airlines Adds Premium Economy and More Business Class — Can It Catch Up to the Big 3?

September 29, 2026

Despite grappling with a surge in high fuel costs, Alaska Airlines is doubling down on premium travel with more business class seats across its fleet and the introduction of premium economy.

SPONSORED · ÀVEN HOSPITALITY

AI is picking hotels for travelers, but can they trust it? Join Skift, Noreen Henry of Aven Hospitality, and Sean Seah of Langham Hospitality Group as they discuss new research from 4,000 recent hotel guests and what it means for your booking strategy. October 29 at 11am ET.

From Skift Research

Brand Alone Is No Longer Enough

Source: Skift Research’s State of Travel 2026

More travelers trust reviews than loyalty when AI recommends their hotel.

Skift Podcast

Spotnana CEO: Travel's Everything for Free Era Has to End

Everyone in travel wants everything great for free, and Steve Singh says that has to change.

See more Skift stories in your Google search results. Add Skift on Google →