Good Morning Hospitality
Skift
The hospitality industry is constantly growing, changing, and innovating! This podcast will bring you the top news and topics from industry experts in different hospitality fields. Good Morning Hospitality publishes two thirty-minute weekly episodes, starting Monday and Wednesday at 7 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. EST. Presented by VRBO.
This podcast is a part of Skift. Go to Skift.com to hear and see more industry-leading content!
This podcast is a part of Skift. Go to Skift.com to hear and see more industry-leading content!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 4, 2026 • 37min
GMH Hotels: Disney’s CEO Shift, Marriott’s AI Push & Ryanair Drama
On this episode of Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, hosts Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down the latest power shifts, brand battles, and cultural moments shaping travel and hospitality.
The discussion opens with The Walt Disney Company tapping parks chief Josh D’Amaro as CEO, signaling a growing emphasis on experiences, operations, and guest loyalty. Sarah and Steve then unpack Marriott International CEO Anthony Capuano’s strategy—from midscale expansion and global growth to navigating AI disruption and defending premium brands.
They also examine whether independent boutique hotels can survive as corporate lifestyle brands scale the aesthetic, and what Accor’s ChatGPT integration says about the fight for early-stage travel discovery.
The episode wraps with a viral Ryanair fashion debate and this week’s Unhinged Story featuring a TikTok-famous in-flight moment that only travel could deliver.
Connect with Skift
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/
WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/
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Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
Feb 2, 2026 • 30min
Lost Opportunity for Intl Travel, Booking Site Lawsuits & STR Headaches
On Monday’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, and Jamie Lane break down the latest headlines shaping travel and lodging.
They cover concerns that the U.S. is missing a major opportunity for international tourism growth, a new lawsuit targeting major booking platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com, and Expedia Group’s latest round of layoffs.
The episode wraps with a look at how Super Bowl travel is impacting short-term rentals and local communities as big events continue to stress housing markets.
Jan 28, 2026 • 33min
GMH Hotels: Capital One Travel’s Card Push, Public Hotels Growth & Travel Turmoil
On this episode of Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down the latest moves and disruptions in travel and hospitality.
They start with Capital One Travel’s decision to open its platform to Discover cardholders in a bid to challenge Chase and American Express on points, perks, and travel spend. Then they discuss iconic hotelier Ian Schrager’s partnership with Highgate to expand the Public Hotels brand and what this says about lifestyle hospitality growth.
The conversation shifts to ongoing operational stress in travel: American Airlines is taking a bigger hit from a looming government shutdown, and Expedia Group announced job cuts as part of its restructuring. Sarah and Steve close the show with this week’s Unhinged Story!
A dramatic Embassy Suites ceiling collapse caught on TikTok in Oklahoma, underscoring that in travel, sometimes the headlines are as wild as the industry news.
Connect with Skift
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/
WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews
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Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social
X: https://twitter.com/skift
Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
Jan 26, 2026 • 2min
New from Skift: Executive Conversations Shaping the Travel Industry
We’re sharing a preview of a new podcast from Skift called Skift Take Sessions.
Skift Take Sessions is a weekly, journalist-led podcast built from the most important conversations shaping the global travel industry. Each episode features candid interviews with CEOs and senior leaders across airlines, hotels, and travel platforms, recorded live at Skift events and expanded with context around why the conversation matters now and what we learned.
Hosted by Wil Slickers, the show brings listeners inside executive-level thinking from leaders at companies like Hilton, Expedia Group, Airbnb, JetBlue, and more.
New episodes drop every week.
Listen and follow Skift Take Sessions:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/skift-take-sessions/id1871511773
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4oKApv7z0I65VpySjh9rqP?si=2e8f1e3e83e8459d
Skift.com: https://skift.com/skift-travel-podcasts/
Jan 26, 2026 • 31min
Weather-Guarantee Funding, Winter Chaos, Airbnb Meals & Skift Megatrends
On this morning’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers is joined by Michael Goldin and Jamie Lane for a quick-hit look at the stories shaping travel and hospitality to start the week.
The team covers WeatherPromise’s latest funding round, the massive winter storm disrupting U.S. flights, and what it could mean for short-term rental demand, and Airbnb’s newest services push with ready-to-heat meals from celebrity chefs.
They also touch on Mews’ recent momentum and wrap the episode by digging into a favorite Skift Megatrend and why it matters right now.
This episode is brought to you by Guesty!
Connect with Skift:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/
WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social
X: https://twitter.com/skift
Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
Jan 23, 2026 • 42min
Why Mews Raised $300M and Thinks Hotel Tech Has Been Built Wrong for 30 Years
Richard Valtr, founder of Mews and a leader in hospitality tech strategy, discusses why Mews raised $300M and what that funding unlocks. He critiques legacy PMS gatekeeping and argues for open APIs, data standards, and AI-ready systems. Conversations cover redesigning hotel systems, measuring guest experience over RevPAR, and what automation should and should not do.
Jan 21, 2026 • 38min
GMH Hotels: Hotels, AI Travel Tools, Extended Stay Deals & More!
On this episode of GMH Hotels with Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk, as they break down four major developments shaping where lodging and travel are headed in 2026.
They start with Outsite’s new private-equity backing, a big vote of confidence in social extended stays and flexible work-travel lifestyles. Then they explore Google’s latest push into AI-powered travel planning and how big tech continues to encroach on discovery and booking channels.
From luxury pipeline news, they look at The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts' third hotel addition since its IPO, signaling strength in high-end hospitality. Finally, they discuss the Sphere Entertainment Co. National Harbor’s impact on meetings, events, and destination demand.
And of course, it wouldn’t be GMH without this week’s Unhinged Story: a Delta Air Lines passenger who literally plugged in a curling iron mid-flight and proceeded to style her hair section by section.
Connect with Skift
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/
WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social
X: https://twitter.com/skift
Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
Jan 19, 2026 • 34min
Hotels vs Airbnb 2.0: Innovation Fatigue & the Fight Back
On this episode of Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Brandreth Canaley, Michael Goldin, and Jamie Lane unpack the idea that the thrill is gone for Airbnb and short-term rentals, a growing conversation about innovation, product fatigue, and where the sector goes from here.
Then they look at Hilton’s latest strategic move with the launch of Apartment Collection by Hilton, its 26th brand targeting furnished apartment-style stays, a direct challenge to the traditional STR category through a major hospitality player.
The team also dives into the Kasa acquisition of Mint House and what that signals about consolidation and operational scale in urban rental-style lodging.
Finally, they break down Airbnb’s efforts to build a hotel-focused team. A more direct sign that the company is trying to compete more directly with OTAs and traditional lodging channels.
This episode is brought to you by Guesty!
Connect with Skift:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/
WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social
X: https://twitter.com/skift
Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
Jan 14, 2026 • 19min
Breaking News: Kasa CEO on Acquiring Mint House After Sonder’s Collapse
Kasa has acquired Mint House at a moment when much of the urban apart-hotel sector has collapsed. In this GMH special, Wil Slickers sits down with Kasa Founder and CEO Roman Pedan to break down how the deal came together, why Mint House chose Kasa, and what this acquisition signals about the future of urban short-term rentals and apart-hotels.
With Sonder now gone and capital having pulled back from the category, Roman explains how Kasa survived the shakeout, what it did differently, and whether consolidation is just getting started. They also discuss how Kasa plans to use the Mint House brand, what this means for property owners, and whether more acquisitions could be coming in 2026.
This conversation offers a clear look at one of the last scaled players standing in urban lodging and what comes next for the sector.
Read more about this news here!
Connect with Skift:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/
WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social
X: https://twitter.com/skift
Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
Jan 14, 2026 • 32min
GMH Hotels: Slumping Inbound Travel, Airline M&A, AI Bookings
On today’s GMH Hotels, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk cover the latest shifts shaping travel and hospitality in early 2026.
They break down continued weakness in overseas travel to the U.S., the Sun Country Airlines–Allegiant airline merger, Google’s move toward agentic AI checkout, and Marriott International’s expanding loyalty strategy tied to global cricket events.
The episode wraps with this week’s Unhinged Headline! A bizarre story involving a fake flight attendant on a Batik Air flight that proves travel is never boring.
Connect with Skift:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/
WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social
X: https://twitter.com/skift
Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
