Inside the Math of Fora’s $1 Billion Valuation
Fora’s $1 billion valuation rests on one bet: its existing advisors will keep booking more, allowing the platform to grow without taking more from them or from hotels.
News
Iran War Dents Royal Caribbean’s Revenue Forecast
Cruise line operators are underperforming the market for the first time post-COVID as war in the Middle East weighs on bookings.
Jay Carney to Exit Airbnb. Lime Veteran Appointed Policy Chief
The choice of a cities-and-operations operator to succeed a former White House press secretary on policy strategy signals that Airbnb could be reverting to a more of an aggressive regulatory ground game in the years ahead.
IHG Joins Hilton and Marriott With AI Search
IHG is the latest major hotel group to test natural-language search in its site and app. An equally notable move is its upcoming content platform to help ensure that its hotels' unique qualities are visible in AI-powered search results.
Skift Meetings
Portland Bets Its Comeback on Conventions
Destination marketing runs on comeback stories, but Portland's was recently tested by an audience with the hardest bar to clear: 2,000 people who book conventions for a living.
Why American Express Wants to Buy TheFork: New Cardmembers
In acquiring TheFork, American Express wouldn't be merely adding some dining reservations' bookings. Instead, it's adding valuable data about discretionary spend, expanding its global footprint, and enticing nonmembers to become cardholders.
Amazon’s Alexa+ Is Trying to Sell Trips Inside a Chat. Priceline Is an Early Test
Amazon is betting that stored payment credentials, new MCP support and 180 million Prime members can solve the problem that stopped OpenAI cold: getting travelers to complete a purchase inside an AI conversation.
Trip.com Killed Tool at the Center of China’s Antitrust Case — and It’s Already Hitting Profits
Trip.com will now have to prove that it can keep hotels, sustain growth, and defend its market position without the commercial tools that regulators ruled crossed the line.
Airbnb Has Car Rentals Now. What Does That Make It?
Airbnb wants to be the only travel app you'll ever need, but its new car rental tie-up hands the wheel to Expedia — the same OTA that's buying CarTrawler, the partner now filling that gap.
What the World Cup Could Have Been
The travel industry bet billions that the 2026 World Cup would bring throngs of international travellers to North America. Instead, it got lower hotel occupancy, price spikes, and fewer travelers. It’s a warning the United States shouldn’t ignore twice.
China’s Hotel Investment Surge Isn’t Just a Distress Sale Story
A regulatory change most investors are still catching up to is reshaping how China’s hotel assets get bought, sold and valued.
Sonder’s Brand Name Bought Out of Bankruptcy, but the Management Business Is Gone
A Vancouver company that runs hundreds of niche travel sites bought the Sonder name. The brand carcass has value for its residual search traffic.