Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchAI-Generated Hotels That Don't Exist, Airbnb Cuts Fees for Hosts Who Bring Their Own Demand, and Google Turns the Search Bar Into a Booking Engine
Episode 43
TikTok Go was supposed to turn creators into a hotel distribution channel. Instead, a Skift investigation found dozens of AI-generated fake videos at…
9 hours ago
Buying Hotels Off Bad Yelp Reviews & The Boutique Hotel Brand Obituary
Episode 42
Hotel sales in the US are up 28% in the first half of 2026 — and a meaningful chunk of that activity is chasing bad Yelp reviews, not trophy assets.…
1 week ago
Google Buys Spirit’s Data, Timeshares Are Cool Now, and Alice Sherman on the Future of Hiring in Hospitality
Episode 41
On this week's episode the guys are joined by Alice Sherman, CEO of HVS Executive Search! Alice Sherman has placed some of the most powerful executiv…
2 weeks ago
Airbnb & Trip Advisor Partner, IHG's Owner Gambit, and a Loyalty Program Worth More Than the Airline
Episode 40
Airbnb just partnered with TripAdvisor to bring 425,000 experiences onto its platform — a move that signals Brian Chesky isn't just dabbling in exper…
3 weeks ago
Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit on The Great Hotel Owner Squeeze, Aman's YouTuber Fiasco, & Marriott's Owner Concession
Episode 39
This week we're joined by Sarah Kopit, Editor-in-Chief of Skift — the publication that fuels basically every episode of this show — and she came read…
4 weeks ago
Sonder is back, Fora hits a $1B valuation, The Odyssey drives travel & Google’s AI booking grab
Episode 38
Sonder is back — sort of. Eight months after going bankrupt and stranding guests mid-stay, the brand name has been bought by a Vancouver affiliate fi…
1 month ago
Hot Takes on Hilton, What Hotels Should Learn from the World Cup, and Shark Tank for Route 66's Last Surviving Motels
Episode 37
Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta went on record defending the brand's 28-property portfolio — and the panel has thoughts. Is the multi-brand arms race reall…
1 month, 1 week ago
How Norwegian Air Went Viral for Losing, Should Airbnb and Ennismore Hook Up? and the Slow Death of Organic Discovery on Vrbo
Episode 36
This week, the squad breaks down Norwegian Air's World Cup Instagram stunt that cost next to nothing and generated more brand equity than campaigns w…
1 month, 2 weeks ago
Ideas, Stories, and Hot Takes with James McBride, Co-Founder & CEO of NIHI Hotels
Episode 35
James McBride, Co-Founder & CEO of NIHI Hotels, joins the core four for a wide-ranging conversation on what it actually takes to build a legendary in…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Airbnb Founder's Secret AI Lab, Bass Pro's $300M Resort Bet & The Economy Hotel Franchise Revolt
Episode 34
Zach, Scott, and Edwin dig into three stories reshaping the industry this holiday week. First: Skift's The Big Squeeze Part 2, which spotlights a fam…
2 months ago