Skift Travel News Blog

Hotelbeds, which reportedly hired bankers a couple of months ago to ready an initial public offering, has appointed a new general counsel, and the hotel wholesaler touted her experience in compliance and taking companies public.

Source: Hotelbeds

Sagrario Fernández, who now leads Hotelbeds’ legal and compliance teams, “brings a wealth of experience in IPO processes gained at private security services firm Prosegur Cash and Indra, a Spain-based IT and defence systems company, as well as in M&A and capital markets transactions,” the Hotelbeds announcement stated.

Fernández most recently was general counsel at Dia Group, a publicly traded Spain-based food chain with more than 30,000 employees.

Palma, Spain-headquartered Hotelbeds, which offers wholesale hotel rooms to tour operators, travel agents and airlines, was acquired by private equity firm Cinven and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board from TUI Group in 2016 for 1.17 billion euros. Its valuation is said to currently be in the range of $4.9 billion to $6 billion (4.5 billion and 5.5 billion euros), according to the publication Expansion.

The company offers hotels from some 1995 destinations, and has more than 3,000 employees.

“Sagrario will play a key role in leading our strategic initiatives and will take Hotelbeds to new heights,” said Hotelbeds CEO Nicolas Huss said in a statement. “We are confident that, thanks to her extensive knowledge and experience, she will further strengthen our position as a leader in the global travel industry.”

Perhaps Fernández is another piece in Hotelbeds’ IPO considerations.

The Royal Mansour Marrakech has launched a new culinary school for guests who are looking to elevate their cooking knowledge under the expert guidance of the hotel’s chefs.

Located just a five minute walk from the famous Djemaa El Fna square, The Royal Mansour Marrakech – hotel, which is widely regarded for its culinary offering – is extending its passion for food to guests through immersive two-hour cooking classes, focusing on three main culinary themes: Moroccan, Italian, and Pastry.

Taking place around a large central island, the classes have been designed to allow guests to cook alongside the chef, with the experience culminating in a tasting at the end.

The culinary school is open to hotel guests and also food enthusiasts staying outside of the hotel, with the classes taking place throughout the week between the hours of 10AM and 12PM. 

To learn more about the cooking experiences, visit the website.

At Skift, we are looking to unearth the most creative and forward-thinking innovations in travel through our Skift Ideas Franchise, which includes the Skift IDEA Awards, Skift Editorial Hub and the Skift Ideas Podcast.

You can listen and subscribe to the Skift Ideas Podcast through your favorite podcast app here.

Radisson Hotel Group has partnered with Charge Point Operator PowerGo to provide electric vehicle charging solutions at 300 hotels across Europe.

Forming part of the Hotel Group’s Green Mobility Mindset initiative, the new venture will see hotels offered the opportunity to work with PowerGo on the operation and management of the charging facilities at their locations.

The first eight charging stations are currently being installed at Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel, Oslo and will be ready for use in mid-July.

With the European Commission’s 2022 agreement that all newly registered cars and vans in Europe must be zero-emission by 2035, the need for an enhanced electric vehicle charging infrastructure in locations such as hotels is crucial.

“Over 70% of clients indicate they want to choose sustainable travel options. E-mobility is becoming an essential part of the guest experience. At Radisson Hotel Group, we recognize this trend and want to be at the forefront of promoting a green mobility mindset by making responsible stays easier. The cooperation with PowerGo will help us go beyond the 700+ EV chargers currently installed in our hotels and reach our aim to equip all eligible hotels in Europe and beyond with EV charging facilities by 2025,” said Inge Huijbrechts, global SVP sustainability, security and corporate communications at Radisson Hotel Group.

At Skift, we are looking to unearth the most creative and forward-thinking innovations in travel through our Skift Ideas Franchise, which includes the Skift IDEA Awards, Skift Editorial Hub and the Skift Ideas Podcast.

You can listen and subscribe to the Skift Ideas Podcast through your favorite podcast app here.

Moxy Hotels, the experiential hotel brand from Marriott Bonvoy, has opened Moxy Tromsø in the Arctic playground of Northern Norway.

Designed by the Danish Mette Fredskild Studio, the hotel features an industrial design combined with local inspirations, including murals that have been created by local artists.

Moxy Tromsø boasts 208 guest rooms equipped with all of the usual amenities, such as walk-in showers, flat-screen TVs, and LED guide lights. Yet, what truly sets it apart is its breathtaking floor-to-ceiling windows that have been designed to ‘maxmize the beauty beyond,’ offering unspoiled vistas of the surrounding fjord and mountains.

At Skift, we are looking to we are looking to recognize the impactful and inspiring projects that are redefining the travel industry, with a focus on design, creativity, and innovation.

Join the conversation and subscribe to the the Skift Ideas Podcast here.

Sonesta International Hotel Corporation announced the debut of two soft brands within its expanding portfolio, Classico, A Sonesta Collection, and MOD, A Sonesta Collection. These two new brands offer independent hotel owners the opportunity to affiliate with Sonesta’s network while retaining their iconic hotel names, identities, designs, and established styles.

Marketed by Sonesta’s Luxury and Lifestyle Lodging Development Team, each Classico property will have a distinct identity and offer signature local cuisine, traditional high-touch service, and refined interiors.

The first Sonesta Classico brand property is the 40-room Z Ocean Hotel in Miami, Florida’s South Beach neighborhood, which opened on May 1, 2023. Each MOD, positioned within Sonesta’s upscale portfolio, will feature eclectic interior designs and amenities, such as curated food and beverage options. The first MOD property will launch as Hotel 11 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 

As the global hospitality industry continues to bounce-back post pandemic, Hilton has launched a new brand campaign to boost hiring inspired by the very individuals that make your stay happen – Hilton team members.

The campaign, which has been designed to showcase ‘the jobs, the people, and – most importantly – the impact and joy that hospitality jobs offer’, features real Hilton employees and takes inspiration from what the team love about their jobs.

Far more than just their front-line job titles, when employees were asked about their roles they saw themselves as ‘Flavor Maestros’, ‘Date Night Directors’ and ‘Cocktail Creation Artists’, with these playful titles cleverly integrated into the campaign imagery and supporting video, which you can take a look at below.

“What makes Hilton such an amazing place to work is the passion and dedication of our people, and we’re continuing to build on that through our new ‘Every Job Makes the Stay’ campaign,” said Laura Fuentes, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, Hilton.

“We chose to make team members the stars of this campaign because who better than them to speak authentically about what’s it’s like to work at Hilton. They are the heart of our business and the best ambassadors to help us find talent for our growing teams.”

Hilton have also released a Q&A with Fuentes regarding the campaign.

The campaign was created in partnership with advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day\New York, which also assisted in developing the “Hilton. For The Stay” platform, which we previously reported on here.

At the 2023 Skift IDEA Awards, we are looking for advertising campaigns that have been created with the intent to drive action.

Do you have a marketing campaign that deserves to be celebrated? Head to the Skift IDEA Awards and start your submission today.

Budget hotel chain operator Oyo has announced its intention to expand its UK presence with plans to increase its number of hotels to over 200 by the end of this year.

As part of this expansion, Oyo will be adding more than 50 properties to its portfolio in the country by 2023, including in Leeds, Brighton, and Plymouth.

Oyo is currently in advanced-stage negotiations with over 30 hotels as it plans to bring more hotels into its platform this year, said Puneet Yadav, head of Oyo UK.

The company presently operates over 150 small hotels in 65 cities throughout the UK, with Otterburn, Folkestone, Worcester, Swansea, Crewe, Kidderminster, Solihull, Peterhead, and Boston as its latest additions.

In 2022, the company’s UK operations generated revenue that surpassed 2019 levels, with a 140 percent increase from 2021. Additionally, Oyo observed a 50 percent rise in revenue per available room compared to 2021.

Last year, the company expanded its platform in the country by adding 40 hotels. London, Birmingham, Torquay, Great Yarmouth and Manchester are its top markets in UK, according to Oyo.

The company currently has 27 hotels in London region on its platform and 38 in the Midlands region.

Talking about the interest from hotels owners, Gautam Swaroop, CEO of OYO International, said, “Our result-oriented tech stack has been a draw for many entrepreneurs in the UK who are looking to improve and scale their hotel business,”

Swaroop said the expansion would enable many small businesses in the region to manage their business with ease.

Oyo has presence in over 35 countries globally. It owns a vacations home business in the European Union called Oyo Vacation Homes, which operates legacy brands such as DanCenter and Belvilla.

Strengthening its portfolio as a full-stack vacation homes provider, last year the company acquired Croatia-headquartered Direct Booker and Denmark-based vacation rental operator — Bornholmske Feriehuse.

Rating agency Moody’s Investors Service stated this week that Oyo is expected to maintain sufficient liquidity buffers to sustain its operations until it becomes cash flow positive over the next 12 to 18 months, supported by a robust recovery in travel demand and cost optimization measures.

The leisure and hospitality sector was among the largest job gainers in the U.S. in April, but the 31,000 jobs it added amounted to a deceleration from March, when it added 40,000 positions to the workforce.

The vast majority of the additions in April were not in hotels, but in food service and drinking establishments, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics‘ monthly jobs report Friday.

“The average wage in the industry now averages $20 an hour, well above minimum wage — a key indicator that the H-2B program, on which many travel businesses rely, does not take jobs from U.S. workers,” said Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of Public Affairs and Policy, U.S. Travel Association. 

Leisure and hospitality, which employed 2.4 percent fewer workers in the U.S. in April than it did in pre-pandemic February 2020, grew at a considerably faster pace during the prior six months when it added 73,000 jobs per month on average.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported all of these figures in its April jobs report on Friday.

There were 16.54 million people employed in leisure and hospitality in April. The unemployment rate in the sector was 5 percent, higher than the the 3.4 percent nationally for non-farm employees.

The air transportation sector in the U.S. added a modest 3,300 jobs, bringing its ranks to 537,400, the report found.

Travel arrangement and reservations services boosted its workforce by 800 jobs, bringing the entire roster of travel agents and similar roles to 179,400.

Travel arrangement and reservation services increased by 10,400 over the previous 12 months, and increased from 178,600 in March 2023 to 179,400 in April 2023.  

Skift’s Dennis Schaal contributed to this report.

Despite a couple of rounds of layoffs since the middle of last year, Sonder hired 97 new, non-executive employees, and gave them all stocks options, as is the company’s practice.

A Sonder apartment in Rome, Italy. Source: Sonder

These were mostly city positions and customer service jobs, and were a combination of back-filling roles and new ones because of property and building openings, a spokesperson said.

Sonder’s careers page lists around 75 open positions from housekeeping leads to front desk hospitality agents and a vice president of design, development and openings in a variety of global destinations.

In its Tuesday announcement, the hospitality company said it granted a total of 327,600 shares of stock options to the 97 new employees as a whole.

Sonder’s share price at the Tuesday close was 58 cents, down 3.69 percent for the day.

Online travel agency Wheel the World, which serves travelers with disabilities, announced on Thursday that it’s offering guaranteed accessibility and price match for hotel rooms booked on its website.

“We have identified those details of accessibility and the rooms that have those details,” Wheel the World CEO and co-founder Alvaro Silberstein said, adding that the company also offers price matches for hotel rooms booked on other platforms, including Booking.com, Expedia and Travelocity.

The new features come after the company secured $6 million in what it describes as pre-Series A funding. Venture capital firm Kayak Ventures led the investment. Detroit Venture Partners, REI Co-op Path Ahead Ventures, former Booking.com CEO Gillian Tans, Dadneo, CLIN Fund, Amarena and WeBoost also participated in the round.

Travel companies have long struggled to cater to travelers with disabilities. Disability rights activist Tanzila Khan addressed challenges members of the segment face in a speech at Skift Global Forum East in Dubai last year.