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.

sonder ceo francis davidson at skift global forum 2021 source skift

Venture Capital

Expect a Travel IPO Boom in 2022

This was the year of the travel IPO with 10 market debuts. But at least 10 more travel companies are likely to go public in 2022. Investors, despite disappointing Covid setbacks, continue to bet on the long-term strength of the travel industry.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Media and PR

Australia’s Travlr to Bring Travel-as-a-Service to U.S. Media Brands

Media brands that publish travel content are seeking enhanced monetization of their work and audiences. The story of one vendor serving them helps to highlight the questions that brands such as BBC and MTV face more generally.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

scoot tigerair rainbow of light on Boeing 787 Dreamliner source scoot

Airlines

PROS Gains Travel Tech Sales Uplift With United Airlines Deal

About four out of every ten passengers boarded worldwide have their trips touched by tech from the vendor PROS. The company's recent win in selling more enterprise software to United, along with this year's new products, acquisitions, and R&D spending, may catch the eye.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Airlines

Frankfurt Airport Boosts Home Delivery of Retail Merchandise

Frankfurt Airport is ahead of many other airports in offering passengers home delivery of retail goods, abandoning its unnecessary mobile app, and unifying its customer databases for savvier marketing.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Travel Technology

Trip.com Bolsters Flight Search Engine to Boost European Bookings

Western companies such as Hopper and Amadeus are lining up to sell enterprise tech solutions to Trip.com Group. That's because the Chinese travel powerhouse is in a shopping mood. It sees back-end technology as critical for making further market share gains in Europe.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

grand bohemian art gallery at kessler collection source kessler collection hotels

Travel Technology

RateGain’s Value Falls 15 Percent on Stock Market Debut in India

If, as a traveler, you've booked a hotel room online through price comparison, or metasearch, or through a corporate booking tool, you've probably used RateGain's technology without knowing it. Today's public listing gives RateGain cash for more mergers and acquisitions.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Casa Astral Luxury Hotel source guruhotel

Startups

Mexico’s GuruHotel Raises $2.1 Million: Travel Startup Funding This Week

This week, travel startups announced more than $200 million in funding, including GuruHotel, a startup that helps smaller hotels accept direct bookings and market their properties.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Travel Technology

Salesforce-Backed Mews Shifts Hotel Tech Focus From Room to Guest

The venture arm of enterprise giant Salesforce may see its investment in Mews as yet another way to get its array of services into the hands of hotel companies.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Travel Technology

Sabre Taps Former CWT Exec for Newly Separated President Role

Sabre's stock price is down 64 percent since the pandemic hit. To rebound, the travel tech company needs a better understanding of what its travel management customers need. Kurt Ekert can deliver that intel.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago

Ali Zarate oaxaca mexico tour run by el camino travel source el camino travel

Hotels

Startups El Camino and Regenerative Travel Tap Subscription Model

A couple more U.S.-based startups — El Camino Travel and Regenerative Travel — have recently announced subscription-based products. What's noteworthy is how they're using subscriptions to build communities.

Sean O'Neill | 5 years ago