Hilton Glimpses a Recovery in Decimated Conventions and Corp Travel Business

Matti Blume  / Wikimedia

Leisure travel still leads the recovery at Hilton, but business and group travelers are signaling a return to booking rooms. Matti Blume / Wikimedia

Skift Take: If Hilton sees reason to be optimistic around a faster-than-expected travel recovery, that’s a major boost to all hotel companies, especially ones with less exposure to convention and business-transient customers.

— Cameron Sperance

Read the Complete Story On Skift

Nearly Half of U.S. Travelers Plan to Use Travel Advisors Post-Pandemic, Survey Shows

C Watts  / Flickr Commons

A bigger number of U.S. travelers interested in international trips will use travel advisors post-pandemic. C Watts / Flickr Commons

Skift Take: There’s cause for optimism for this at-risk segment of the industry, just as National Travel Advisor Day hits. Travel agencies that are quick to adapt have the potential to capture a new customer base that outlasts the travel recovery years.

— Lebawit Lily Girma

Read the Complete Story On Skift

Majority of Airlines Miss Environmental Efficiency Targets: New Skift Research ?

Sylvia Gorajek  / Unsplash

Airplane flying over natural vista in the U.S. Sylvia Gorajek / Unsplash

Skift Take: Fuel efficiency is integral to the bottom line of airline operators. Skift Research found that efficiency improvements fluctuate considerably by year and between companies. Most were unable to achieve efficiency goals set by the industry.

— Wouter Geerts

Read the Complete Story On Skift

Italy to Open to Vaccinated Travelers as Soon as Mid-May, Ahead of European Union

Hard Rock Cafe

The exterior of the Hard Rock Cafe in Venice, Italy. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on May 4, 2021, that his country would launch travel passes for vaccinated travelers by mid-May. Hard Rock Cafe

Skift Take: Forza, Italia! Prime Minister Mario Draghi (nicknamed “Super Mario”) said Italy would debut passes for vaccinated travelers by mid-month. But will the nation’s airports be ready to cope with a surge in passengers and new certification-related processing?

— Sean O’Neill

Read the Complete Story On Skift

Hotel Lenders Rush Back in Even With Growing Labor Shortage Crisis

Engin_Akyurt  / Pixabay

The active hotel lender market is throttling back to pre-pandemic levels. Labor is a different story. Engin_Akyurt / Pixabay

Skift Take: Hotels face massive worker shortages this summer, but investors don’t care and still want to buy up assets. Chalk this up to taking the long view and hoping hotels find a way to win back workers from other industries.

— Cameron Sperance

Read the Complete Story On Skift