This website uses cookies

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

Yesterday we wrapped up a week in New York City that include the Skift Meetings Forum, the Skift Creators Summit, the Skift Live Tourism Summit, and the Skift Global Forum. Here are four highlights from the final day:

  • Hyatt owned most of its own hotels for 67 years, and Mark Hoplamazian says it still thinks like an owner: during Covid it cut break-even occupancy from 43% to 22% and then gave that playbook to the people who own its hotels.

  • Steve Case and Certares' Greg O'Hara are taking that ownership idea further, buying up hard assets that are in short supply as AI takes over the digital side. Their bets range from roughly 14 longevity resorts to a €300 million stake in a future Paris-London high-speed train.

  • Banyan Group has stopped saying "sustainability" and started measuring "contribution," because, as its deputy CEO put it, people's eyes glaze over at the old word.

  • Virgin Atlantic's Corneel Koster wants proof of results too: he says it would be "unacceptable" to charge passengers more for scarce SAF if the climate payoff never shows up.

Skift Data + AI Summit

This week’s events in New York were dominated by two letters: A and I.

We are going to spend October 6 focused on the subject with leaders from KAYAK, American Express Global Business Travel, Skyscanner, International Airlines Group, Amadeus, Travelport, and more, for the Skift Data + AI Summit in London.

JOIN US IN LONDON

The Travel Journey Is Now an Orbit, Not a Path

MCKINSEY & COMPANY + SKIFT

Skift Research and McKinsey & Company mapped how travelers plan and book in 2026: 65 touchpoints, no clear starting line, and a booking that stays open long after "buy."

GET THE INSIGHTS →

Headlines

Creating Value for Travelers and Investing in the Future

Creating Value for Travelers and Investing in the Future

by Dan Marcec
September 24, 2026

Every travel company with a direct channel faces the same question when a new platform gains traction quickly: join it and risk losing control, or stay off it and risk being left out.
What Hyatt’s CEO Learned by Owning Hotels — and the Trend He’s Most Excited About

What Hyatt’s CEO Learned by Owning Hotels — and the Trend He’s Most Excited About

by Luke Martin
September 24, 2026

For most of its history, Hyatt owned its own hotels. Its CEO says that experience never left the company.
Decoding the New Premium Traveler

Decoding the New Premium Traveler

by Dan Marcec
September 24, 2026

Every travel company with a premium product is deciding whether the next generation of high-value customers looks like the last one.
Virgin Atlantic CEO: Don’t Make Customers Pay More for SAF Without the Environmental Benefit

Virgin Atlantic CEO: Don’t Make Customers Pay More for SAF Without the Environmental Benefit

by Meghna Maharishi
September 24, 2026

Virgin Atlantic CEO Corneel Koster said more progress needs to be made on scaling SAF, which has faced severe supply chain bottlenecks.
Building Integrated Systems Before the Next Disruption

Building Integrated Systems Before the Next Disruption

by Dan Marcec
September 24, 2026

When something goes wrong, every travel company learns what's within and out of its control. Most travel companies can't replicate Qatar Airways’ ownership structure, so the question is how to pinpoint handoff points in their own operation where a failure cascades.
Revolution’s Steve Case and Certares’ Greg O’Hara Are Betting on Scarce Travel Assets

Revolution’s Steve Case and Certares’ Greg O’Hara Are Betting on Scarce Travel Assets

by Sean O'Neill
September 24, 2026

The man who taught America to log on to the internet is going long on the offline world. And the man who is selling Amex GBT in a $6.3 billion deal talks about where he sees his next opportunities.
Why Banyan Group Talks About ‘Contribution’ — Not ‘Sustainability’ 

Why Banyan Group Talks About ‘Contribution’ — Not ‘Sustainability’ 

by Tasmin Lockwood
September 24, 2026

Banyan is betting on conservation action rather than beating the sustainability drum. The test is whether contributions to the environment will make a meaningful change, or whether it will just become the newest buzzword.
Recalibrating Travel: What AI Changes, and What It Doesn’t

Recalibrating Travel: What AI Changes, and What It Doesn’t

by Dan Marcec
September 24, 2026

Every travel operator is weighing where to use AI first: to chase growth or to optimize profitability. The question for any travel company: can you use this economic wave to gain margins, or will you wait for a "normal" economic cycle?

Listen

The Okavango Delta in Botswana has been a second home to Prince Harry for more than 25 years. The Duke of Sussex told Skift Global Forum that places like it aren't just somewhere to visit. They're home to the people and wildlife who live there, and the travel industry can't succeed unless they do too.

GET MORE EPISODES →
SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY

Skift Travel 200

How are public travel companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to understand global market movements. Paid subscribers get full access here.

SEE THE ST 200 →