Skift

09/09/2026

The owner of The Connaught and The Berkeley has hired the man who scaled Six Senses to build an operating company for luxury lifestyle hotels it owns and doesn't own.

The unifying idea is to layer “lifestyle” – the bars, restaurants and social energy that draw locals as well as guests – on top of ultra-luxury service.

“We talk about upper luxury in one conversation, and we talk about lifestyle hotels in another conversation, but nobody ever really puts the two together,” Jacobs said. “There’s no brand that I can think of that really does that well. We can fill the gap.”

The owner of The Connaught and other hotels has hired the man who scaled Six Senses to build an operating firm for luxury lifestyle hotels.

09/09/2026

Club Med was founded in 1950 and helped pioneer the all-inclusive resort model, spending the decades since becoming the most recognizable name in that business.

The company now being sold to public investors in Hong Kong is different: a brand and operating system that mostly does not own its resorts, attached to a growth plan that adds no resorts it will own.

How Club Med got that shape, and who decided it, is inside the filing.

Here’s how it breaks down:

ClubMed Lifestyle Group, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Fosun International, filed an application for an IPO in Hong Kong on August 28.

09/09/2026

Next summer, expect to see more long-haul flying on single-aisle jets. A flurry of airlines, including American, United, and Air Canada, have already unveiled their summer 2027 schedules — and all are dependent on the Airbus A321XLR, the plane maker’s longest-range narrowbody.

However, Delta is not convinced

Of the Big 3 U.S. airlines, It is the only airline that’s not sold on the aircraft.

Delta is the only one that’s not sold on the aircraft —executives have argued that the A321XLR can’t provide a premium experience.

09/09/2026

AI agents could reshape one of travel’s biggest untapped opportunities: the time between trips.

By retaining context beyond a single booking, agents can create a continuous customer relationship - connecting planning, booking, loyalty and post-trip engagement. For travel companies, that could unlock more relevant offers, stronger loyalty, more direct bookings and greater customer lifetime value.

At Skift Data + AI Summit Europe, 250 senior travel executives will come together to explore where opportunities like these are emerging - and how AI is changing the economics of travel.

📍 London | October 6
🎟️ Join us: https://hubs.li/Q04wVKJb0

08/09/2026

“Living a longer, fuller, happier life should be accessible to everyone.” —Jean-Yves Minet, Global Brand President, Midscale and Economy, Accor

Longevity has often been associated with expensive retreats, specialized treatments, and the luxury end of travel. Novotel is taking a different route by embedding practical wellbeing habits into the kinds of hotel stays people already take.

Its Longevity Everyday model centers on Sleep, Eat, Move, and Meet, using familiar hotel experiences to encourage small, repeatable choices guests can carry into daily life.

Explore how Novotel is bringing longevity into mainstream hospitality: https://hubs.li/Q04wWz650

In partnership with Novotel

Novotel is promoting longevity travel through everyday wellness habits around sleep, nutrition, movement, and connection.

08/09/2026

Hurricanes have become boilerplate in risk disclosure. Hospitality companies tend to bundle climate repair costs and damage with other capex projects. Host Hotels & Resorts’ 2025 end-of-year filing, however, puts a price tag on the damage hurricanes Helene and Milton caused when they hit The Don CeSar in 2024: an estimated $105 million, 30% of which related to remediation.

Host spent $75 million — roughly 11.6% of its overall capex — on hurricane and other restoration work in 2025, including in restoring the Florida St. Pete Beach hotel.

Hurricanes have become boilerplate in risk disclosure. Hospitality companies tend to bundle climate repair costs and damage with other capex projects.

08/09/2026

Google is stripping various search features for European travelers to avoid fines from antitrust regulators.

Google said a revamped search results page for Europe will show two distinct units for searches on flights, hotels, or restaurants: one exclusively for third-party aggregators and booking sites, and an accompanying unit for direct suppliers. Google said its supplier unit has also been restricted, and users within the European Union can no longer filter by travel dates, check live pricing, or use descriptive tags like “budget” or “boutique” directly within the results.

Google has removed various search features for European travelers to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).

08/09/2026

“Long-running AI agents are designed to stay with both the customer and the task over time.” —Erik Zahnlecker, Agent Product Manager, Sierra

Travel journeys rarely happen in a single interaction. Planning can stretch across days, disruptions can create new needs in real time, and months may pass before the next booking.

AI agents that retain context across those moments can help airlines connect service, loyalty, and commercial opportunities more effectively, while reducing the need for travelers to start from scratch each time.

Get the full story: https://hubs.li/Q04wWyvS0

In partnership with Sierra

Long-horizon AI agents could help travel brands connect customer interactions and turn service moments into bookings, loyalty, and growth.

08/09/2026

Kenneth Chenault doesn't operate a single travel company. That hasn't stopped him from becoming one of the industry's most consequential figures.

As chairman of General Catalyst, lead director at Airbnb, and chairman of Bilt Rewards, his name ran through the $6.3 billion take-private of Amex GBT. Bilt Rewards, which he chairs, is now valued at $10.75 billion.

At Skift Global Forum, Chenault takes on a harder question: what gives a travel brand permission to exist in a reordered world.

He joins the stage September 22 to 24 in New York City: https://hubs.li/Q04wQmbt0

08/09/2026

Is it time for a tour operator roll-up? Private equity-backed Flagship Group thinks so and just announced its first acquisitions: day tour and excursion provider Amigo Tours; food and culture operator WalksDevour; and cultural and archaeological specialist Askos Tours. The trio give Flagship coverage across North America, Europe, and Japan.

Appetite for an experiences roll-up has long existed, but Covid put plans on ice. Now P&Ls have had a chance to rebound, and the timing is perhaps even better today, with experiences positioned as a counter-AI play.

Is it time for a tour operator roll-up? Private equity-backed Flagship Group thinks so and just announced its first acquisitions: day tour and excursion