Every App Wants Your Booking. Nobody's Cracked It Yet.

GMH Hotels: Marriott Just Entered the Apartment Business… Again?

On this week's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodmorninghospitality/]: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdandashy/] and Steve Turk [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelturk/] break down a week where hotel brands are redefining what they actually are. The conversation opens with Hyatt [https://www.linkedin.com/company/hyatt/]'s lifestyle chief, Amar Lalvani, [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amar-lalvani-409a08372/] making the case that the smartest brand strategy is sorting guests by taste rather than price point — and showing what that discipline looks like in practice, including killing a high-profile Miami project because the developer wouldn't listen. From there, Sarah and Steve dig into Marriott International [https://www.linkedin.com/company/marriott-international/]'s move into branded apartment rentals under the W Hotels [https://www.linkedin.com/company/w-hotels/] flag, a genuinely new direction for a business that already commands 30% premiums over unbranded properties. They also unpack what week one of FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States [https://www.linkedin.com/company/fifa-world-cup-2026-united-north-america-canada-usa-mexico/] data actually tells hotel operators, with RevPAR up 24% to 133% across host markets but occupancy down in six of nine cities. And they close with Carnival Cruise Line [https://www.linkedin.com/company/carnival-cruise-line/]'s Q2 earnings, which posted record revenue while trimming its outlook, and with what the Middle East conflict tells operators about building geopolitical risk into forward-booking strategy. This episode is presented by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cloudbeds⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloudbeds/] & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bilt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/biltrewards/]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cloudbeds.com/gmh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://cloudbeds.com/gmh] to learn more. And for hotels with restaurants and restaurant owners, Bilt Hospitality is finally here. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠joinbilt.com/gmh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://joinbilt.com/gmh] to learn more. And if you're leaving direct bookings on the table, StayFi turns your wifi into a guest relationship engine. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stayfi.com/goodmorninghospitality/⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://lnkd.in/gFzCttsg] to learn more.

Airbnb's New Feature Is Great for Guests. What About Hosts?

On Monday's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodmorninghospitality/], Brandreth Canaley [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandrethcanaley/], Michael Goldin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgoldin1/], and Jamie Lane [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiehlane/] break down three platform moves that sound host-friendly on the surface but deserve a much closer look. The conversation opens with Airbnb [https://www.linkedin.com/company/airbnb/]'s first fintech product — a cancel-for-any-reason feature that auto-enrolled hosts without requiring an opt-in. Hosts still get paid, but still have to scramble. From there, the team unpacks what one week of FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States [https://www.linkedin.com/company/fifa-world-cup-2026-united-north-america-canada-usa-mexico/] data actually tells operators about pricing strategy for the knockout rounds, with RevPAR up across all host markets but occupancy down in six of nine. They close with American Express [https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-express/]'s $700 million acquisition of TheFork [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-fork/] and why dining reservations might be the next front in the battle for the guest relationship. This episode is presented by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Cloudbeds⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloudbeds/] & ⁠⁠⁠⁠Bilt⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/biltrewards/]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠cloudbeds.com/gmh⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://cloudbeds.com/gmh] to learn more. And for hotels with restaurants and restaurant owners, Bilt Hospitality is finally here. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠joinbilt.com/gmh⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://joinbilt.com/gmh] to learn more. And if you're leaving direct bookings on the table, StayFi turns your wifi into a guest relationship engine. Visit ⁠⁠⁠https://stayfi.com/goodmorninghospitality/⁠⁠⁠ [https://lnkd.in/gFzCttsg] to learn more.

GMH Hotels: Why an Airline Just Bought a Hotel Company for $843 Million.

On this week's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodmorninghospitality/]: Hotels Edition, Steve Turk [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelturk/] and guest host Katie Cline [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiecline13/] break down a week where consolidation is happening at every layer of the hotel industry at once. The conversation opens with NORWEGIAN AIR UK LIMITED [https://www.linkedin.com/company/norwegian-air-uk-limited/]'s $843 million bet to acquire Nordic Leisure Travel Group AB [https://www.linkedin.com/company/nordic-leisure-travel-group-ab/] Group and own the entire travel value chain from flights to hotels. The number that explains the deal: NLTG's owned hotels are 25% of its holiday volume but 60% of its gross profit. From there, Steve and Katie dig into IHG Hotels & [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ihghotels&resorts/]Resorts [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ihghotels&resorts/]' CEO, making the case that eight years of tech investment is finally showing up in franchisee margins, and close with RealTime Reservation [https://www.linkedin.com/company/realtimereservation/]'s acquisition of STAY and what unified ancillary revenue tech actually means for total RevPAR. This episode is presented by ⁠⁠⁠Cloudbeds⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloudbeds/] & ⁠⁠⁠Bilt⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/biltrewards/]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠cloudbeds.com/gmh⁠⁠⁠ [http://cloudbeds.com/gmh] to learn more. And for hotels with restaurants and restaurant owners, Bilt Hospitality is finally here. Go to ⁠⁠⁠joinbilt.com/gmh⁠⁠⁠ [http://joinbilt.com/gmh] to learn more. And if you're leaving direct bookings on the table, StayFi turns your wifi into a guest relationship engine. Visit ⁠⁠https://stayfi.com/goodmorninghospitality/⁠⁠ [https://lnkd.in/gFzCttsg] to learn more.

The World Cup Surge Isn't Here Yet. Here's What STR Operators Need to Know.

On Monday's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodmorninghospitality/], Brandreth Canaley [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandrethcanaley/], Michael Goldin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgoldin1/], and Jamie Lane [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiehlane/] break down where STR demand is actually coming from right now and who controls the guest relationship as platforms make their next big bets. The conversation opens with the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States [https://www.linkedin.com/company/fifa-world-cup-2026-united-north-america-canada-usa-mexico/] booking story every operator in a host market needs to hear. Hotels priced up and set minimums and the surge has not arrived the way anyone expected. Short-term rental bookings tell a different story, with host market reservations more than doubling since April. From there, the team digs into Vrbo [https://www.linkedin.com/company/vrbo/]'s launch of sponsored listings and what a paid visibility layer means for independent hosts, and closes with Brian Chesky [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianchesky/]'s bet that creators are Airbnb [https://www.linkedin.com/company/airbnb/]'s next big Experiences opportunity and what that means for the operators already building businesses on the platform. This episode is presented by ⁠⁠⁠Cloudbeds⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloudbeds/] & ⁠⁠⁠Bilt⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/biltrewards/]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠cloudbeds.com/gmh⁠⁠⁠ [http://cloudbeds.com/gmh] to learn more. And for hotels with restaurants and restaurant owners, Bilt Hospitality is finally here. Go to ⁠⁠⁠joinbilt.com/gmh⁠⁠⁠ [http://joinbilt.com/gmh] to learn more. And if you're leaving direct bookings on the table, StayFi turns your wifi into a guest relationship engine. Visit ⁠⁠https://stayfi.com/goodmorninghospitality/⁠⁠ [https://lnkd.in/gFzCttsg] to learn more.

GMH Hotels: Hotel AI Is Cutting Costs. It Should Be Making Money.

On this week's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodmorninghospitality/]: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdandashy/] and Steve Turk [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelturk/] break down why hotel AI is stuck on the wrong side of the ledger and what it will take to flip it. The conversation opens with Mews [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mewssystems/] founder Richard Valtr [https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-valtr-79541410/] making the case at Skift's Data and AI Summit that fragmented hotel data is the reason AI keeps cutting costs instead of driving revenue. From there Sarah and Steve dig into what Apple [https://www.linkedin.com/company/apple/]'s rebuilt Siri means for how guests will find and interact with travel, Alaska Airlines [https://www.linkedin.com/company/alaska-airlines/]' bet that Starlink wifi is a better loyalty driver than points for basic economy travelers, and why Delta Air Lines [https://www.linkedin.com/company/delta-air-lines/] is expanding American Express [https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-express/] card benefits without raising fees while every competitor goes the other direction. This episode is presented by ⁠⁠Cloudbeds⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloudbeds/] & ⁠⁠Bilt⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/biltrewards/]. Visit ⁠⁠cloudbeds.com/gmh⁠⁠ [http://cloudbeds.com/gmh] to learn more. And for hotels with restaurants and restaurant owners, Bilt Hospitality is finally here. Go to ⁠⁠joinbilt.com/gmh⁠⁠ [http://joinbilt.com/gmh] to learn more. And if you're leaving direct bookings on the table, StayFi turns your wifi into a guest relationship engine. Visit ⁠https://stayfi.com/goodmorninghospitality/⁠ [https://lnkd.in/gFzCttsg] to learn more.