09 Nov
Travel

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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09 Nov
Travel

Responsible Tourism Is Top Issue for Travel Advisors: Ensemble CEO

Tony Silveira / Flickr

Shown here are the endless crowds in Barcelona. At the Ensemble Travel Group’s 2019 International Conference Oct. 22–27 in Seattle, CEO David Harris called upon travel advisors to assume responsibility for directing clients to less heavily touristed destinations. Tony Silveira / Flickr

Skift Take: Ensemble Travel Group demonstrated a clear commitment at its 2019 International Conference by driving home the message that sustainability and climate change are the biggest issues facing the travel industry today. That the consortium took steps to offset the conference’s own carbon footprint shows it’s talking the talk.

— Maria Lenhart

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09 Nov
Travel

Travel Advisor Newbies Benefit From Expanding Array of Training Options

Matt Writtle

The opening of the new Thomson store at Bluewater Shopping Centre, Kent, England in 2013. New entrants to the travel agent field have an abundance of training options.
Matt Writtle

Skift Take: With an influx of newcomers seeking careers as travel advisors, host agencies and consortiums are responding with new professional development options. Much of it emphasizes business skills, giving a reality check to those who view a travel career as an easy endeavor with lots of perks.

— Maria Lenhart

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09 Nov
Travel

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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09 Nov
Travel

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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09 Nov
Travel

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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09 Nov
Travel

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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