Tripadvisor’s CEO and CFO Are Heading for the Exit

United Is Locking the Door on AI Booking Agents United becomes the first U.S. airline to block personal AI agents from booking flights, Mantis keeps building in the Gulf even as demand shrinks to locals, and Canadian travel to the U.S. grows again but still sits far below where it was two years ago. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why airlines are deciding whether AI agents are a sales channel or a gatekeeper to keep out, why Mantis’s long-haul bet on linked lodges depends on international guests returning, and why Canadians are absorbing higher fares rather than canceling while leisure sentiment hasn’t turned. This episode is brought to you by ZS Articles Referenced:Connect with Tasmin LockwoodUnited Airlines Moves to Block Personal AI Agents From Booking FlightsMantis Keeps Building in the Gulf as Demand Shrinks to LocalsCanadian Trips to U.S. Up Just 3% in October as Recovery Slows Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

Spirit Airlines’ $10 million data sale to Google adds employee privacy protections after unions push back, AirAsia’s fuel-driven retreat hands Malaysia Airlines the lead on India routes by default, and the U.S. slips as the top long-haul destination with Japan now closing the gap. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why workers winning real guardrails in a bankruptcy fire sale matters for the next test of whether they hold, why rivals are gaining share from AirAsia by default in a market short on planes, and why deferred demand for the U.S. could become lost demand without a rebuilt budget. This episode is brought to you by ZS Articles Referenced:Connect with Tasmin LockwoodSpirit’s $10 Million Data Sale Clears Hurdle as Unions Win Privacy ProtectionsMalaysia Airlines Overtakes AirAsia on India Routes by Standing StillBrand USA: Top Destination, Closing Gap Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

Expedia spends $676 million on three acquisitions in its most active dealmaking stretch since 2015, Airbnb gets a foothold in corporate travel as Perk becomes the first travel management company to integrate its API, and Hilton asks “Is This Hilton?” in a push to make travelers recognize its luxury and lifestyle brands. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why Expedia’s deals point to a bet on becoming the plumbing behind everyone else’s travel business, why Airbnb is going where the corporate travel budget lives, and why Hilton’s real challenge with 28 brands is getting travelers to believe it. This episode is brought to you by ZS Articles Referenced:Connect with Tasmin LockwoodExpedia’s $676 Million in Deals Points to More B2B BuyingAirbnb Opens Its API to Business Travel, Starting With Perk — ExclusiveIs This Hilton? An Ad Blitz Answers Yes, We Have Lifestyle Hotels Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

Airbnb sells intellectual property to a private AI lab founded and controlled by CEO Brian Chesky for $7.1 million, Accor and Hard Rock announce a global partnership where Hard Rock keeps its equity, and travel brands say they want AI to find them while their websites send bots mixed signals. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why independent approval isn’t enough until Airbnb explains how the IP was valued, how Accor’s loyalty-rental model lets big platforms grow without buying brands, and why most of travel hasn’t decided whether to block or welcome AI crawlers. This episode is brought to you by ZS Articles Referenced:Connect with Tasmin LockwoodAirbnb Sells IP to AI Lab Owned by Its CEO and CTOHard Rock Hotels Plug Into Accor Without Selling a StakeDear Robot: How Travel Is and Isn’t Talking to AI Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

Tripadvisor loses its top two executives as the outgoing CEO admits the experiences overhaul fell short, KLM cuts nearly 15% of its workforce in a push to find another billion euros a year, and a wave of bomb hoaxes is grounding flights across Europe. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift’s Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why combining the Viator and Tripadvisor experiences teams hasn’t proved out as expected, why KLM’s management is betting a smaller, simpler airline is the way to stay competitive, and why even fake bomb threats are costing Europe’s airlines real money. This episode is brought to you by ZS Articles Referenced:Connect with Bailey SchulzTripadvisor Cuts Jobs, Outgoing CEO Says Experiences Overhaul Fell ShortTripadvisor CEO Matt Goldberg and Board Agreed to His ExitKLM to Cut Workforce by Nearly 15% in Major Cost-Saving DriveBomb Hoaxes Test Europe’s Airlines as Geopolitical Pressures Mount Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

The FTC orders Delta, United, and JetBlue to hand over data on how they set fares, cruise lines are putting megaships on weekend trips with economics that aren’t proven yet, and Mexico opens a $1.5 billion luxury theme park built for people who hate theme park lines. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift’s Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why the FTC’s surveillance pricing study puts airline fare-setting under a new microscope, why more passengers on short cruises doesn’t automatically mean better economics, and what BON Luxury Theme Park means for incentive planners weighing Mexico’s safety concerns. This episode is brought to you by ZS Articles Referenced:Connect with Bailey SchulzWhat the FTC Wants to Know About How Airlines Set FaresThe Unproven Economics of the Weekend CruiseMexico’s New $1.5 Billion Luxury Theme Park Wants Your Incentive Group Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

Airbnb pours millions into Los Angeles elections ahead of the 2028 Olympics as Mayor Karen Bass pushes to expand short-term rentals to second homes, Skift’s Rafat Ali argues the hotel brands versus OTAs fight has been misread because the owner often pays both, and JetBlue becomes the first U.S. airline to raise bag fees twice this year. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift’s Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Airbnb sees megaevents as a way to build supply, why hotel owners can end up paying both the OTA commission and the brand royalty on the same booking, and what JetBlue’s second bag fee hike signals about where airline pricing is heading. This episode is brought to you by ZS Articles Referenced:Connect with Bailey SchulzWhy Airbnb Is Spending Big on LA ElectionsWhy We’ve Been Looking at the Hotel Brands vs. OTAs War All WrongJetBlue Raises Bag Fees for the Second Time This Year Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

Marriott’s gross fees jump 14% to $1.52 billion just as hotel owners push for a bigger share of loyalty income, Ryanair’s CEO warns of pay freezes and says a pilot strike next spring might actually save him money, and a Skift investigation looks inside the unraveling of the 104-year-old Tollman family travel dynasty. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Bailey Schulz, Skift’s Global Tourism Reporter, breaks down why Marriott’s strong quarter gives it leverage in talks with owners, why Ryanair’s thin 2027 fuel hedge means higher fares and a harder winter for rivals, and what the sale of The Travel Corporation to Apollo reveals about how the Tollman family business really came apart. This episode is brought to you by ZS Articles Referenced:Connect with Bailey SchulzMarriott’s Fees Jump 14% as Hotel Owners Seek a Bigger CutRyanair Warns of Pay Freezes and Labor Unrest as Fuel Costs SurgeInside the Unraveling of the Tollman Family Travel Dynasty Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

MGM Resorts ends merger talks with Barry Diller’s People Inc. and limits his stake with a new voting pact, Marriott quietly cuts corporate jobs days before earnings, and nearly half a million travelers in Asia Pacific are paying Accor for the privilege of loyalty. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why MGM now has to fix a sliding Las Vegas business on its own, what Marriott’s back-office cuts signal about cost discipline heading into Monday’s earnings, and why paid hotel loyalty works where subscriptions are already second nature. This episode is brought to you by ZS Articles Referenced:Connect with Tasmin LockwoodWe’re Done: MGM Resorts Ends Merger Talks With Barry Diller’s People Inc.Marriott Confirms Corporate Job CutsWould You Pay for Hotel Loyalty? 485,000 Accor Members in Asia Pacific Already Do Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

Hilton Wants to Be Valued Like a Tech Company Hilton hires an Uber engineering leader, moves to the Nasdaq, and pitches itself as a tech company plugged directly into AI agents, Agoda becomes bookable through Meta’s Muse in Singapore and Japan while nobody says who pays, and Waymo picks Ramp for its first business travel expense integration. On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why hotel owners will judge Hilton’s tech pitch by whether lower distribution costs show up on their bills, why the fight over who pays for AI agent bookings is just getting started, and why corporate travel adoption of robotaxis follows the back office. This episode is brought to you by ZS Articles Referenced:Connect with Tasmin LockwoodA New CTO, a Nasdaq Move, and AI Agents: Hilton Makes Its Tech PitchAgoda Plugs Into Meta’s Muse in Singapore and JapanWaymo Picks Ramp for Its First Business Travel Expense Integration — Exclusive Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.