Sean O'Neill

Sean O’Neill is Skift’s Senior Hospitality Editor. Sean’s forte is reporting, and he’s broken multiple hotel industry scoops. He has also conducted 1:1 interviews on stage with the CEOs of Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Hyatt, and Wyndham.

Hotels

U.S. Hotel Performance Is Revised Upward

CBRE has again raised its forecast for U.S. hotel performance, expecting average revenue per available room to be up 6 percent year-over-year. Plus, more highlights from this week's news in hotel deals and development worldwide.

Sean O'Neill | 3 years ago

Experiences

Arlo Hotels Still Wants to Be Hip – But With Larger Rooms

Arlo Hotels, a U.S.-based independent brand, first bet on micro hotels, which pack in more guests per property. But now it favors larger rooms. It's betting that creating "experiences" and charging extra may prove more reliably profitable.

Sean O'Neill | 3 years ago

Hotels

Analysts Skeptical of Choice Hotels Acquisition Interest in Wyndham

Analysts find more reasons to doubt a merger between Choice Hotels and Wyndham than supportive arguments. Yet the mental exercise reveals interesting dynamics in the U.S. hotel market today.

Sean O'Neill | 3 years ago

Hotels

Choice Hotels Explores Buying Wyndham: Report

It's unclear if talks between the two largest U.S. operators of non-luxury hotels are earnest. But even the idea that Choice Hotels is interested in a merger speaks volumes about how the sector is becoming a scale game.

Sean O'Neill | 3 years ago

Hotels

Boutique Hotel Brand Faraway Tests Campus Concept

Acquire a boutique hotel with charming buildings in a resort town's center, connect it with green space, and boom, you have Blue Flag Partners’ Faraway campus concept. Are immersive concepts like this a fad or a growth area?

Sean O'Neill | 3 years ago

Hotels

Why Every Hotel Company Wants an Extended Stay Brand Now

Forget spas and cocktail bars. Indoor kitchens are the must-have perk at U.S. hotels now. Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and Wyndham are smart to bet that the long-stay trend will be here for the long term.

Sean O'Neill | 3 years ago

Hotels

Hotel Groups Rebalance Portfolios to Shift Upmarket for Pricing Power

Inflation? What inflation? Pricing power and a shift upmarket are putting global hotel groups in a strong position long-term.

Sean O'Neill | 3 years ago

Hotels

Soho House Wants Members to Buy Extras in Path to Unlocking Profits

Know what's cool? Having cool people join your member's clubs. Know what's even cooler? Having members buy your high-margin upsells, like food and skincare products.

Sean O'Neill | 3 years ago

Hotels

Mall Operator Simon Property Group Bets on Adding Hotels

It's telling that a major U.S. mall operator wants to add more hotels to its mix of property development. Plus, other highlights from recent hotel deals and development decisions worldwide.

Sean O'Neill | 3 years ago

Online Travel

UK Online Travel Entrepreneur Hugo Burge Dies at 51

Burge's death leaves a void for those who worked with him in online travel and at startups he invested in. His more recent support of artists and other creators left a cultural legacy in the UK.

Sean O'Neill | 3 years ago