Ensemble Travel Group Adds Carbon Offset Tool for Agencies

Ensemble Travel Group

Participants in the Jacunda Forest Preserve in Brazil, a sustainability project to protect the rainforest and support local communities, thank Ensemble Travel for a donation made through Cool Effect. Ensemble Travel Group

Skift Take: Ensemble Travel’s partnership with Cool Effect enables travel advisors to help clients offset their carbon footprint by donating to sustainability projects. It’s a step that other travel agency groups should take as well.

— Maria Lenhart

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Greta Effect Felt on Climate Talk at Ensemble Travel Group Conference

Ekaterina Vladinakova  / Flickr.com

Tourists in an overcrowded Venice on June 17, 2017. Ensemble Travel Group CEO David Harris said it is the responsibility of travel advisors to send people to some of the less-touristed destinations. Ekaterina Vladinakova / Flickr.com

Skift Take: Sustainable travel was the overriding theme at Ensemble Travel Group’s 2019 International Conference, which CEO David Harris called the most important issue facing travel advisors and their clients. The importance of capturing sales data and strong alliances with travel industry organizations also emerged as top priorities.

— Maria Lenhart

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Accor and Alibaba Form Partnership to Attract Chinese Travelers

Accor

Accor is partnering with online retailer Alibaba to appeal to Chinese travelers. This is a dining room at the Sofitel Shanghai Hyland Hotel. Accor

Skift Take: Accor has formed a partnership with online marketplace Alibaba to make it easier for Chinese travelers to book rooms and other services. It’s a smart move to appeal to Alibaba’s 700 million high-spending consumers who are eager to travel around the world.

— Nancy Trejos

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New Insights Deck — The State of Loyalty: 2019 Hotel Ancillary Report

Skift Take: Ancillary products are becoming increasingly important to hotels’ marketing, branding, customer loyalty, and revenue goals. This new insights deck from iSeatz offers a detailed audit examining how today’s leading hotels brands are using ancillaries in 2019, helping sector executives make smarter decisions about how to use such products in the future.

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Oyo Founder Describes U.S. Owner Concerns as ‘Teething Issues’

Oyo Hotels and Homes

Ritesh Agarwal: “We just need to improve in every line item of our business.” Oyo Hotels and Homes

Skift Take: A deeper engagement with owners is definitely one of the key things Oyo needs to achieve to address some of its problems. CEO Ritesh Agarwal, who recently took a larger stake in the company, seems to be on the case.

— Raini Hamdi

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Is Lufthansa’s Coolness on Stakes in Alitalia and Condor a Ploy?

Lufthansa Group

A Lufthansa a350. The carrier group has been linked with bids for two other airlines. Lufthansa Group

Skift Take: What are the chances that Lufthansa ends up owning at least parts of Alitalia and Condor? It doesn’t seem enthusiastic about either, but it might be better than letting a competitor get hold of them — as long as regulators agree.

— Patrick Whyte

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