Danielle Hyams

In hospitality news this week, hotels are finding it confusing to straddle state and federal laws when it comes to marijuana. Is legal pot a liability or opportunity? Plus, fast-rising Oyo Hotels & Homes has slammed on the brakes in the U.S., laying off a third of its team and switching up its strategy.

This week in digital news, swiping a credit card to make a purchase suddenly seems dated. In a field rife with options, travel brands should take care to make sure customers can pay by their preferred method. Plus, a wave of new regulatory reviews of online travel platforms could reveal key business practices that were previously shrouded.

This week in aviation news, carbon offsetting has become a popular way for airlines to improve their image, but the reality is they are still pumping millions of tons of CO2 into the air. In addition, the coronavirus continued to hamper travel, including cancelled flights for airlines.

Once thought of as one of the world’s most dangerous countries, Pakistan is back in the spotlight, but this time as a budding tourist destination. The government — led by former cricket star Imran Khan — has an amazing opportunity to leverage this interest into economic development, but in a country prized for its natural beauty, sustainable growth must be a priority.

Tripadvisor — in a fight to maintain its share of the travel market — is beefing up Viator and will start treating the tours-and-activities booking agency as its own brand. Plus, after years of criticism for prioritizing its own travel products above others, Google is changing the way it monetizes its flight search.

In hospitality news this week, the travel industry is inextricably intertwined with human trafficking. Hotels companies have taken note, and many have partnered with organizations to implement training. But is that enough? Also, the Ace Hotel group consolidated its ownership structure after years of in-fighting following the death of its co-founder.

In aviation news this week, JetBlue's CEO thinks the flight shaming movement is headed toward the U.S. What's more, twice a year Skift looks at the best of the best in travel and hospitality. For the 2020 winter edition, Finnair, Cathay Pacific, and Alaska Airlines received shout-outs for best innovators in airlines.

This week in aviation news, global distribution systems battle for struggling Air India's business, plus Ethiopian Airlines plans to build a new $5 billion airport outside of Addis Ababa.

This week in digital news, swiping a credit card to make a purchase suddenly seems dated. In a field rife with options, travel brands should take care to make sure customers can pay by their preferred method. Plus, a wave of new regulatory reviews of online travel platforms could reveal key business practices that were previously shrouded.

This week in hospitality news, former SoftBank darling Ritesh Agarwal is paring back his ambitions for Oyo, beginning with cutting more than 1,000 staff. Plus, Skift predicts that 2020 will be the year of subscription travel.