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 — without standardizing it.
Khosrowshahi said there's the usual tension with partners about Uber's travel ambitions, and he obliquely cited Expedia's shortcomings post-booking. If Uber gains traction in travel, you can expect Khosrowshahi to one day step away from the Expedia board, and all of those conflicts to get exacerbated.
Airlines have turned to partnerships in recent years to boost their loyalty programs as they focus more on high-spend travelers. Loyalty programs and high premium demand have fueled much of the industry’s profits since the pandemic.
As hotel brands compete on scale, technology, and loyalty ecosystems, Accor is positioning culture as a long-term source of differentiation. By investing in heritage preservation and creative partnerships, the group is betting that cultural credibility will shape hospitality’s next phase.
For Eight Continents, India is a key market. However, it is not investing significant capital, especially as India has a gold mine - a significant number of keys that still remain unorganized.
Today’s airline loyalty programs are critical business drivers shaping both company profitability and traveler engagement. American Airlines is pioneering yet another frontier in loyalty through evolutions to its long-standing AAdvantage program.