Skift

Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) has long stressed the independence of its brands, but it is introducing BKNG Ads Thursday as a way for partners to advertise in a consistent way across Booking.com, Priceline, and Agoda. The parent company is touting it as a way for advertisers to access the company’s large scale: “The global reach of Booking, the mobile-first expertise of Agoda in Asia, and Priceline’s brand loyalty in the U.S. value-driven market,” the company said. It’s billed as a simpler way for partners to advertise across these three OTA brands. Previously, advertisers would have to manage separate relationships and processes for each brand. https://hubs.li/Q04hs8LW0

Leaving financial distress behind matters, but Capital A is no longer selling an airline turnaround story, it’s pitching a diversified travel-tech future. Its bigger test is convincing global investors it is more than the airline business it left behind. https://hubs.li/Q04hqYvY0

Rakuten Travel, the online travel arm of Japan’s sprawling tech and retail conglomerate, has set its sights on the U.S. “U.S. is one of the markets that we wish to enter,” James Park, CEO of Rakuten Travel Xchange and director of Rakuten Travel Singapore, told Skift in an exclusive interview. But Park knows America is not a single market. https://hubs.li/Q04hqPPD0

From this week‘s Per Diem newsletter: Cathay Pacific has scrapped its much-heralded plush and spacious cabanas in its first class lounge at Hong Kong International. The replacement says a lot about the evolving needs of long-haul travelers. https://hubs.li/Q04hqWNh0

Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat unpack how Iberia engineered one of the most dramatic financial turnarounds in modern airline history. Plus: Singapore Airlines posts a solid start to the year, but its Air India Limited stake is shaping up to be a costly bet.

Airbnb is now in the rental car business, the hotel business (again), the landmark experiences business, the grocery delivery business, the airport pickup business, and the luggage storage business. All of it was announced Wednesday by CEO Brian Chesky as part of the company’s annual Summer Release in San Francisco. For the newest of the offerings, users will be able to book rental cars directly through the Airbnb app for the first time. Airbnb introduced scheduled airport rides in March, and with the addition of rental cars, it is entering a category that rivals Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) and Expedia Group have used for years to bundle trips and keep travelers inside their booking ecosystems. https://hubs.li/Q04hr7wf0

Choice Hotels International said Tuesday that Patrick Pacious is stepping down as president and CEO after nearly nine years running the franchising giant, with Chief Growth & Strategy Officer Dominic Dragisich taking over on an interim basis effective immediately. A leadership swap at one of the world’s largest hotel franchisors, with no permanent successor named and an outside search underway, signals a company in transition. https://hubs.li/Q04hqH9l0

New York City just made history. A new eight year deal is raising housekeeper pay from under $40 an hour to $61 an hour by 2034, covering 24,000 workers across the city's biggest hotels. But on Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk are asking the question nobody else is: who actually pays for this? When housekeepers hit $61 an hour, the whole pay scale moves. Front desk. Concierge. Engineers. Dishwashers. Every department shifts up and hotel owners still have mortgages, energy bills, and supply costs that are not going down. So where does it all go? Straight to the guest.

Winning a Skift IDEA Award does not end with press coverage or a LinkedIn post. The real impact shows up in sales conversations that move faster. Hiring pipelines that strengthen. Client relationships that skip the trust-building phase entirely. Mandarin Oriental. Abode Worldwide. Matador Network. These are companies that turned industry recognition into commercial momentum. Here what actually happens after you win. And why the gap between saying you innovate and proving it has never mattered more 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04h6Gkw0 Begin your entry: https://hubs.li/Q04h7n5k0

RARE India's partnership with SAMHI Hotels is a measured bet on a familiar problem: how to build commercial infrastructure around a product that derives its value from resisting it. The opportunity lies in scaling access while preserving the experience. Skift Studio spoke with RARE India Founder Shoba Rudraabout how the company plans to scale its curated hospitality model following investment from SAMHI Hotels. Full interview here: https://hubs.li/Q04hjfsP0 In partnership with RARE India