Booking.com Hit With $530 Million Fine From Spanish Regulators

Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel said the company would appeal the Spanish competition authority's $530 million draft decision if it becomes permanent. -Dennis Schaal

Aman Group CEO Talks Ultra-Luxury Hotel Strategy

Since Vladislav Doronin took the helm of Aman Group, he's scaled up the ultra-luxury hotel group. Here's what's next. -Sean O'Neill

Delta’s Revenues From Premium Travel Surged in 2023

The carrier took a gamble in betting that premium travel would last. Delta generated $19.1 billion in revenue from premium seating, a 26% increase from last year.

-Meghna Maharishi

Superyacht designed to be 'virtually invisible'

It's usually relatively difficult to fail to notice a superyacht, but this new concept from Jozeph Forakis Design has actually been designed to disappear into the background.

They bought a village in Italy then left it to crumble

The decaying Italian hamlet of San Severino di Centola has been bought by locals who say they hope to breathe new life into it but would prefer it to decay than be exploited by unscrupulous developers.

Meals

The Value of Travel Credit Cards in the U.S.: New Skift Research

Younger demographics drive growth in the U.S. travel credit card market – and bank brands dominate. -Varsha Arora

Sonder to Lay Off 106 Workers – 17% of Corporate Staff

Sonder is cutting its overhead while it works with external advisors to figure out how to handle underperforming units. -Dennis Schaal

IHG Forecasts Loyalty and Hotel Pipeline Growth

CEO Elie Maalouf pointed to early results suggesting that IHG's recent marketing efforts and brand development work are leading to growth in a virtuous flywheel for the hotel group. -Sean O'Neill

The State of Tourism Investment in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is investing billions into its tourism ecosystem. How can partners get involved? In this episode of the Skift Travel Spotlight podcast, executives from Riyadh Air and Dida Travel discuss investments in the nation’s travel infrastructure. -Saudi Tourism Authority

An eco-friendly stay at ‘the quietest ski village in Austria’

In the hamlet of Fontanella in the Grosses Walsertal valley, ‘leave-no-trace’ pop-up chalets offer an alternative for skiers looking for a back-to-nature stay in the Alps

On a steeply pitched road in Grosses Walsertal valley, it was snowing – heavily – as if the heavens had shattered. I was two hours west of Innsbruck, deep in the Alps in midwinter, but the view was free from the rows of snow-laden hotels, après-ski bars and resort chalets that I was used to seeing on previous ski trips.

I’d come to the hamlet of Fontanella, halfway between Sonntag and Faschina in Vorarlberg – a place few skiers would be able to pinpoint on a map – to experience a new type of holiday at Cabinski, a cluster of affordable, sustainable huts, which opened last December. Each of the 10 cabins comes with two double bunks, an ensuite and kitchen, and minimalist yet smart Scandi vibes. That might sound familiar enough, but the twist is that this accommodation is temporary – just about pop-up – and able to vanish as quickly as it appeared. It is a counter world to the typical chalet stay. Continue reading...

How to book a luxury break for less

Be flexible and bag the best bargains from start, in an airport lounge with free food and drink, to end, in a five-star hotel

Being flexible about destinations, and when you go, is a good way to save, says Rory Boland, travel editor at consumer group Which?. Continue reading...

Tell us about your favourite European garden – you could win a holiday voucher

Some gardens and parks are at their best in spring – share details of your favourite. The best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break

It’s the time of year when nature is waking up across Europe, with great gardens and parks coming into bloom. From multi-coloured tulip displays in Dutch gardens, to cherry blossoms in parks in Germany or freshly verdant chateaux gardens in France, we want to know where you’ve been impressed by floral displays in spring or early summer.

If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition. Continue reading...

Why Skift India Summit Should be on Every Travel Industry Professional’s Calendar

Taking place in Delhi on March 19-20, Skift India Summit will be the premier destination for insightful discussions, networking opportunities, market trend insights and inspiration that will empower industry professionals to stay ahead in the region’s ever-evolving landscape. -Nicole Meyer

This All-Luxury Airline is Expanding Fast: Should the Big Carriers be Worried?

If the business plan is to be believed, Beond Airlines could be a major threat to traditional operators before the end of the decade. -Gordon Smith

Blooming lovely: 12 of the UK’s best gardens to visit in early spring

From an 18th-century orangery in Manchester to a sunken fern garden in the Highlands, here are 12 places to get your floral fix

In the midst of winter with its low grey skies, the scents and colours of embryonic spring are a welcome morale booster. These gardens will offer spectacular views over the coming months, as banks of delicate snowdrops, and armies of budding daffs, bluebells and tulips return. Continue reading...

Andaz Brand Campaign: The Story of Hyatt’s Luxury Lifestyle Hotels

Hyatt's brand muse Crystal Vinisse Thomas reveals the thinking behind her seven-figure marketing campaign for luxury lifestyle brand Andaz. -Sean O'Neill

Right to Rome: why spring is the best time to visit the Italian capital

It’s warm enough to sit outside cafes and bars, and visiting before the crowds arrive in summer means that the queues are short

Forget Paris in spring: Rome is both warmer and cooler in the first few months of the year. The locals are in their winter black rollneck jumpers, accessorised with equally noir-ish sunglasses. With an average of 17C by March, it’s warm enough to sit outside cafés and bars, but not hot enough to fall foul of the “no shorts” rule enforced in Rome’s oldest churches.

Inside Villa Farnesina (€12; villafarnesina.it), there is just a handful of people admiring the murals by Raphael, while outside a grove of citrus trees is groaning with fruit. The Caffè Settimiano on nearby Via Garibaldi – where I stop off for my first Aperol spritz of the year – is full of mismatched vintage furniture, attracting equal numbers of Romans and blissed-out American students beginning a semester abroad. Continue reading...

Desperate Egypt sells off historic hotels as it dives deeper into debt

Amid biting austerity and rising inflation, the al-Sisi government is off-loading assets – some to a convicted murderer with Emirati cash

As dusk fell over the verdant grounds of the Marriott Mena House hotel, the reflection of the Great Pyramid of Giza grew darker in a pool built to reflect the last of the seven wonders of the world.

A band played a smooth jazz rendition of the Eagles’ Hotel California on the grassy lawns as guests assembled for dinner, while the staff attempted to project a sense of business as usual, despite the hotel’s recent acquisition by an infamous Egyptian real estate tycoon, Hisham Talaat Moustafa, and two powerful Emirati conglomerates. Continue reading...

Wyndham’s Latest Annual Report: 8 Things We Learned

Eight things jumped out at us from Wyndham annual financial filing. One surprise was that it has introduced an AI risk disclosure. That is something we expect will become commonplace in travel company filings. -Sean O'Neill

‘Time for dreaming’: five writers on the slow travel joys that bring them peace

Turning off the phone and focusing on wild camping, sailing, foraging, fishing or beachcombing puts our authors in a state of mindfulness

I was deep in the folds of the mountain of Tryfan when it first happened. When time seemed to stop ticking at the breakneck pace it always does when I’m sitting at laptop, working on a deadline. Instead of blue light from a screen, I was sitting at my tent door, basking in the purple glow of dusk as it crept into the Ogwen Valley, in Eryri/Snowdonia national park. The luscious green of the grass on the mountainside had turned a more muted shade and the blue of the Menai Strait in the distance had become barely distinguishable from the twilight sky. Continue reading...

After five years on a narrowboat, I’ve finally reached the end of the canal network

A quest to find the long-lost Cumbria stretch of the Lancaster Canal turns into an adventure in ‘extreme narrowboating’

“Once upon a time, not so very many years ago, it was possible to travel all over England, north, south, east and west, by river and canal; there was not a county you could not visit, hardly a town you could not reach by water, if you liked and if you were not (and what lover of boats and rivers ever was or will be?) in any particular hurry to get there.”
William Bliss, The Heart of England by Waterway (1933)

This is the end. I can’t go any further. I’ve come as far as possible; to the northernmost limit; the same latitude as Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula and parts of Alaska. It’s taken me years to reach here by boat. But in case you wonder, I’m not floating in pack ice in the Arctic; I’m in northern Lancashire, on the border with Cumbria at 54 degrees north, at today’s northernmost limit of the navigable network of inland waterways of England and Wales. Continue reading...

Ex-Google Marketer Takes Tourism Ireland’s Top Job

Google is a key pillar in destination marketing. So it's interesting that Ireland tapped one of the tech giant's execs to be the new leader of its tourism strategy. -Dawit Habtemariam

Latin America’s Despegar Opens Travel Agencies to Get Travelers to Book Online

If you work for an online travel agency and suggested it open brick-and-mortar stores to bring customers online, you would get very quizzical looks, at the least. Let's see if it works in Argentina and Brazil for Despegar/Decolar. -Dennis Schaal

‘What rules today is money’: Rome’s five-star hotel boom

High-end tourism is back in Italian capital but there are concerns over how ‘incredible rebirth’ is being managed

“Rome is now the city of luxury hotels,” said Giuseppe Botrugno as he served his loyal crowd of lunchtime customers, mostly office workers who pile into the humble bar and eatery for affordable, no-nonsense Roman fare.

“There is one opposite, one around the corner, and another planned next door to that one,” added Botrugno, who along with his brother has run Bar San Marcello on Via di San Marcello, a narrow street close to the Trevi fountain, for more than two decades. Continue reading...

Wyndham Results Take a Bit of a Hit

Today's podcast looks at the impact of Choice Hotels on Wyndham's fourth quarter, Expedia Group's controversial ad, and Bali's overtourism prevention tactics. -Rashaad Jorden

S&P Downgrades JetBlue’s Credit Rating

JetBlue’s credit rating was downgraded as the carrier struggles to return to profitability.
-Lex Haris

Bali Charges Tourist Tax to Address Overtourism

Bali hopes the new levy can help it address the growing pains of tourism. -Dawit Habtemariam

Oyo Denies Reports of Withdrawing IPO, Source Says It’s ‘Exploring All Options’

The nearly three-year wait for an IPO launch just goes to show the immense challenges Oyo has faced in its plans to go public. Now, should the company manage to secure funds from investors beforehand, it will undoubtedly choose that path without any hesitation. -Peden Doma Bhutia

Biden’s Billion-Dollar Boost for Airports: See 5 Projects Getting Funded

The latest round of funding is part of an effort to modernize U.S. airports.
-Meghna Maharishi

Skiing without clutter: on the eco-friendly slopes of Slovenia’s Julian Alps

The Vogel-Bohinj ski area lets nature do the talking: billboards and snow cannons are banned, and cable cars and car parks are tucked away in woods

Winding through Slovenia’s Julian Alps, it’s easy to miss the signs to the Vogel ski centre and carry on driving. The cable car and car park are concealed deep in woods above beautiful Lake Bohinj – a deliberate policy to keep the landscape free from tourist clutter and visible ski infrastructure. The result is one of the most natural skiing areas in Europe.

From its hidden entrance in the woods, the cable car ascends to Vogel and the views open up: mountains soaring above, snowy churches below, and the deep blue lake dropping away beneath until it’s the size of a puddle. Continue reading...

Airbnb and AI: Brian Chesky Sees New Verticals — Like Amazon and Apple

No, Brian Chesky isn't necessarily talking about launching flights on Airbnb when he refers to becoming a "cross-vertical company." Google Flights, relax. -Dennis Schaal

MGM Resorts Ups its Bet on ‘The Island’ in Dubai – But No Casino

MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle still hasn't got the greenlight for his casino in Dubai, but that isn't stopping him spending billions on the project. -Josh Corder

Taylor Swift Isn’t Playing Brisbane, So Why is Its Airport Braced for a ‘Swiftie Surge’?

The phenomenal impact of the 'Swift Lift' is being seen by travel and tourism companies around the world - even when Taylor isn’t visiting the city in question. -Gordon Smith

Airbnb Isn’t Running out of Hosts or Listings

Today's podcast discusses Airbnb’s host bonanza, Marriott’s earnings boost, and Carl Icahn’s JetBlue bet. -Rashaad Jorden

More than a Highland fling: making wedding rings on a romantic Scottish holiday

A beautifully decorated bothy amid ancient pinewoods in the Caledonian Forest is the setting for a relaxing creative break

Blanketed by snow, the forest is almost silent, with only the muffled crunch of boots, my frosty exhale and the occasional creak of laden branches. Low sunlight dazzles, glinting off curls of silver birch bark and branches festooned with lichen like forgotten tinsel. Ahead of us on the trail there are footprints of roe deer and red squirrel. This is Abernethy Forest, at 4,000 hectares the largest remaining section of the great Caledonian Forest that once covered much of Scotland. It’s worlds away from the monoculture of sitka spruce plantations and a balm to this urban dweller’s soul.

My partner, Euan, and I are staying on the edge of the woods in Arbor Bothy, a cabin for two in the village of Nethy Bridge. We’ve come to escape the city for a few nights, but our trip is more than a simple weekend away. The owners of the bothy, Amy and Graham Niven, a goldsmith and a photographer, offer creative workshops, and we’re here to make our wedding rings (and not from a twist of silver birch).

Amy and Graham loved holidaying in Nethy Bridge as children, and became year-round residents in 2019 shortly after starting a family. The property they found allowed them to have their own studio and had a bothy, a small dwelling for visitors, in the garden. Continue reading...

Carl Icahn Bet on a Struggling TWA in the 1980s. Now He’s Trying Again With JetBlue.

Icahn's stake in JetBlue now makes him the third-largest investor in the airline.
-Meghna Maharishi

This New Dubai Hotel Will ‘Bio-Hack’ You For $500 a Night

Ginger shots in the mini bar and IV injections with breakfast - Dubai's new Siro One Za'abeel wants to make bio-hacking more luxurious. -Josh Corder

Bahamas Bookings Fall After Safety Alert

Today's podcast looks at the Bahamas safety issue, Expedia’s bad business travel deal, and flying taxis in Dubai. -Rashaad Jorden

Flying Taxis in Dubai by 2026? Latest Plans Revealed

Dubai is no stranger to being a trendsetter, but if realized, this latest leap could propel the city into the transportation super league. -Gordon Smith

Sun, sea and rock’n’roll: how Torremolinos got its groove back

A February festival brings a touch of glamour to the Costa del Sol resort – and a welcome off-season tourism boost

I’m in Torremolinos. Yes, I know what you’re thinking – and you’d have a point. But I’m not here for the sun, cheap booze and a full English, although there are plentiful supplies of all the above. I’m here to relive my well-spent youth (albeit in a decidedly middle-aged fashion) at the 30th Rockin’ Race Jamboree, an international rockabilly festival that takes over Spain’s much-maligned resort for one wild weekend each February – and has been instrumental in boosting the town’s fortunes.

The Rockin’ Race is the creation of husband and wife, Guillermo Jiménez and Vivi Milla, from nearby Málaga, where they also run a record shop and label, both devoted to American music of the 50s and 60s. Like all the best festivals, it started out, back in 1994, as a gathering of friends sharing their love of the music. Three years later they had outgrown their venue in Málaga; the hunt for a new location took them the 10 miles along the coast to Torremolinos. Continue reading...

Share a tip on a spring holiday – you could win a holiday voucher

Tell us about your favourite spring break – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break

Mountain meadows are festooned with wildflowers come spring, and places like the Alps, the Dolomites and the Pyrenees are perfect for long walks below the snowline. Or you may prefer to take a rural break in the UK once the grey skies have lifted and the mud of winter has receded to reveal carpets of bluebells and daffodils. Meanwhile, southern Europe’s beaches and coves enjoy brilliant weather but without the crowds, the inflated prices and the heat of summer. Wherever you like to take a spring break in Europe, we’d love to hear about it.

If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition. Continue reading...

Saudi Arabia’s Latest Tourism Count – What the Numbers Show

Saudi Arabia has hit its tourism target seven years early, but there is still work to be done to be a global travel super power. -Josh Corder

Walking through the Yorkshire Wolds to a great village pub: the Goodmanham Arms

A saunter through a historic village and chalk hills to a quirky, rustic pub that brews its own ale

All Hallows Church in the village of Goodmanham is where the conversion of King Edwin of Northumbria’s kingdom to Christianity began in 627. Edwin had already embraced the new religion in nearby York, and to seal the deal the pagan temple that stood at Goodmanham was destroyed by his high priest, Coifi. This was a symbolic moment in the spread of Christianity in north-east England.

Matters spiritual often crop up along this walk, which takes in a holy well where people leave offerings to this day, and allows you to sample brews named after pagan witches and their victims. From the car park in Goodmanham, I turn left for the centre of this pretty East Yorkshire village, whose fine brick houses and whitewashed cottages surround the 12th-century church. The Goodmanham Arms stands on the corner, but I resist temptation for now and stop by the church to take in the story of Edwin and Goodmanham, told in stained glass. Continue reading...

Marriott’s Ad Network: Slow Rollout for Plan to Target Hotel Guests

In May 2022, Marriott said it would let non-hotel marketers place ads on its site, lobby TVs, and guest-room Wi-Fi portals. But it's been largely quiet since then. Here's an update. -Sean O'Neill

Cool for Catalans: 10 stylish places to stay in Barcelona

From boutique to industrial chic, and apartment hotels to dorms, here are rooms to suit every budget in Catalonia’s much-loved city

There’s always a buzz at Casa Bonay: its chic bars, reasonably priced rooms and restaurants – just a stone’s throw from the city’s imposing Arc de Triomf – are a draw for both visitors and locals. With mosaic-tiled floors, statement sliding doors and floods of natural light, sleeping quarters here are an oasis of cool and calm, complete with Mubi streaming and yoga mats. The rooftop is split between a seasonal dining space and guest-only urban garden, while downstairs there’s a restaurant, coffee shop and bustling cocktail bar serving into the early hours. Plus, bikes to explore the city are free of charge.
Rooms from £117, casabonay.com Continue reading...

From hill walks and yoga to foraging and wild swimming: 12 of the best active UK retreats

These short breaks from the Inner Hebrides to Bodmin Moor offer the chance to relax and recalibrate amid beautiful natural landscapes

Swimming coach Emma MacDonald set up Wild Hebridean Swimming in 2022 after moving back to Mull. The company offers holidays for open water swimmers, but also retreats for those who can only tread water or do a bit of doggy paddle. These involve short dips in the clear waters of the Inner Hebrides, where there are seals, underwater kelp forests and waterfalls. Longer swims can be arranged on request. The programme also includes a guided walk on Iona, the burial place of 48 Scottish kings including Macbeth. Guests stay at Achaban House, which has woodburners and a wood-fired hot tub, where there is a choice of activities, including yoga and massage.
From £895 including all meals and wine, next retreat 8-11 March, wildhebrideanswimming.com
Continue reading...

From surfing in Porto to Ljubljana’s fairytale architecture: readers’ favourite European city breaks

Our tipsters recall their adventures while exploring 10 of Europe’s finest cities

A museum store – but not as you know it... The minute you spot the enormous mirrored ark that is Rotterdam’s Depot, you know you’re in for something extraordinary. Open to the public, its Escher-like staircases are designed to encourage visitors to get lost; to discover objects from below, from above, to look at the backs of pictures. Tours (you get to wear a white coat for this bit) give visitors insight into the storage of objects and the complex process of a museum loan. And when you are full of wonder, you can fill up on delicious teas and food at the rooftop restaurant, enjoying city views from the roof garden. Tickets are €20.
Lydia Thornley Continue reading...

Electric Plane, Corporate Retreats, AI Trip Planner: Startup Funding Roundup

Multiple travel startups raised nearly half of a billion dollars a couple of weeks ago. It's a bigger group again this week, but they're all smaller numbers this time. -Justin Dawes

Journera Shuts Down Despite High-Profile Partners and Investors

Big travel companies had higher priorities than to share data among one another. That's one of the reasons Journera didn't succeed. -Dennis Schaal