Trump’s First 100 Days, Hilton's Optimism and Airbnb's Victory
Skift Take
On today’s podcast we look at Donald Trump’s first 100 days through the lens of travel leaders, check in on Hilton’s earnings, and explain why Airbnb disagreed with coach Nick Saban.
Skift Daily Briefing Podcast
Listen to the day’s top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday.Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, April 30. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
The second of U.S. President Donald Trump’s first one hundred days have left a mark, reports Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit. Along with other Skift editors and reporters, Kopit surveyed over five dozen travel industry leaders for their three-word summary of the Trump administration’s job so far. 60% of the answers could be described as negative, with 18% positive and 22% neutral.
The most common word in the survey was “uncertainty,” a challenge for an industry build on confidence. One meetings executive described the period as “tariffs, turmoil, Tylenol,” and an airline exec said “wholesale global shakedown.”
Outside of “uncertainty” the other running theme was the opportunity the upheaval holds for non-U.S. markets, with one airline CEO saying “Make ASEAN great again,” and a travel tech CEO saying, “makes Europe even stronger.”
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In our next story, Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta says he believes people are too worried about recession risks and the impact on demand for travel. He’s optimistic about the economy despite short-term uncertainty, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.
Nassetta acknowledged some weakness during an earnings call on Tuesday. But Nassetta laid out what could go right in the coming months, such as the passage of legislation with deregulation and tax cuts, and possible trade deals that may reduce the need for high tariffs. He also called the underlying economy strong, citing factors like solid wage growth and employment.
The hotel operator did trim its outlook for the full year. Hilton projected revenue per available room will fall somewhere between flat and an increase of 2%.
And lastly, Vrbo needs to modify or take down its commercials featuring iconic college football coach Nick Saban after Airbnb won a challenge against the campaign, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.
The BBB’s National Advertising Division found the campaign falsely “conveys the message that Vrbo competitors, like Airbnb, always require cohabitation with hosts.” The division said the claim is unsupported and urged Vrbo to remove the “host-free” claim in the commercials or change it.
Vrbo has said in a statement that it will comply with the division’s recommendation.
