The Skift Travel Podcast

Get the latest from the most-trusted travel industry news source.

Skift sits down with creatives, executives, and entrepreneurs from across travel to discuss their insights and perspectives on the hows and whys of travelers’ habits, industry patterns, and the seismic changes happening across the industry.

Listen for exclusive conversations with travel leaders and Skift's own in-house editors and analysts.

Read the latest news every day at skift.com/news.

News
Business News
Society & Culture
1
Airbnb Is Becoming a Real OTA
Sarah and Seth Borko break down why Airbnb increasingly looks like a full-service OTA, what Expedia’s latest acquisition says about the future of travel commerce, and how AI, creators, and social shopping are reshaping travel discovery.
34 min
2
America’s Travel Problem Is Getting Worse
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down the growing perception problem facing the U.S., the pressure hotel owners are feeling from major brands, and why TikTok may become a major player in travel booking and discovery.
42 min
3
Trump's Tourism Envoy: Inside Nick Adams' Plan ...
America has never had the equivalent of a tourism minister — until now. In March, President Trump created the role of Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values, and handed it to Nick Adams: conservative commentator, self-styled "alpha male," and the loudest pitchman U.S. travel has ever had. 
12 min
4
Spirit Airlines Collapsed. What Happens to Budg...
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down what killed Spirit, what it means for budget travel in the U.S., and why Skift Research found that travelers don’t necessarily return to destinations simply because they loved them.
33 min
5
The Fight for Control of Online Travel Has Started
Seth Borko and Dennis Schaal break down Booking’s earnings, the Capital One–Hopper deal, and what it all means for the future of online travel.
46 min
6
How TV and AI Are Reshaping Travel Demand
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down how culture and technology are changing who controls visibility, demand, and bookings in travel.
34 min
7
The Crisis Crushing America’s Hotel Owners
Hotel brands are winning while owners face rising costs and softer demand. Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down the growing pressure on hotel owners and what it means for the future of the franchise model.
35 min
8
Why Flights Stay Cheap While Travel Costs Rise
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down the economic forces driving up travel costs — and what it means for travelers, hotel owners, and the future of the industry.
42 min
9
What’s Really Changing Inside the Airline Industry
Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down what these changes mean for how the industry operates — and how travelers choose where to go.
38 min
10
3-Hour Airport Lines and a System Under Pressure
Sarah Kopit and Lex Haris break down a week where multiple pressures hit U.S. travel at once — and what it reveals about the system’s ability to handle stress.
30 min
11
The Iran War Broke More Than the Middle East
In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down the latest travel fallout and explain why Latin America may be the most important market to watch next.
36 min
12
Oil Hit $100. What Happens to Travel Now?
In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko unpack what higher fuel prices mean for airline economics, how this week’s travel chaos felt in real life, and why new Skift Research suggests Gen Z may force the industry to rethink some big assumptions.
43 min
13
War, Airspace, and Oil: The Risks Facing Travel...
Conflict in the Middle East is once again raising questions about the resilience of global travel. In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Seth Borko is joined by Skift Airlines Editor Gordon Smith to examine how escalating geopolitical tensions could ripple through the aviation industry.
43 min
14
The Hidden Risks Hotel Owners Never Planned For
Hotels are facing political pressures they were never built to handle. In this episode, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko examine how immigration enforcement, protests, and franchise agreements are forcing hotel owners into impossible decisions.
41 min
15
Marriott Is Worried About AI. Should They Be?
Marriott expects 35% growth in co-branded credit card fees next year. At the same time, it’s warning investors that AI could disrupt its entire loyalty ecosystem. In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down what’s happening at the intersection of loyalty, artificial intelligence, and geopolitics.
32 min
16
Ozempic, Travel, and the End of the Old Vacatio...
Weight loss drugs may be one of the most underestimated forces reshaping travel. In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko unpack how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are quietly changing who travels, where they go, and how they spend.
33 min
17
Why Travel Companies Are Staying Silent on Poli...
This week on the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko tackle a wide-ranging conversation that sits at the intersection of geopolitics, growth, and brand identity in travel.
43 min
18
Airbnb, OTAs, and the Fight for Control of Travel
This week on the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko break down a set of travel industry flashpoints that all connect back to one thing: trust. They start with the industry’s most hated topic, fees. Resort fees, junk fees, and the reality that “transparent pricing” usually just means the cost moves around, not that it disappears. They dig into what travelers actually notice, what regulators are trying to fix, and why hotels keep getting stuck in the middle of disclosure, taxes, and pricing optics.
32 min
19
New from Skift: Executive Conversations Shaping...
Skift Take Sessions is a weekly, journalist-led podcast built from the most important conversations shaping the global travel industry.
1 min
20
What Happens When Convenience Beats Brand in Tr...
In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Sarah Kopit and Seth Borko unpack a wide-ranging week in travel, starting with Hilton’s launch of its 26th brand and the growing question of brand fatigue in hospitality. They explore whether having dozens of brands actually helps in an AI-driven world, or if it risks making brands less visible as search and discovery become more concentrated.
36 min
21
Is Travel Headed for Another Shock in 2026?
In this first episode back of the year, ⁠Sarah Kopit⁠ and ⁠Seth Borko⁠ break down the forces quietly reshaping travel right now and why many of the industry’s assumptions may already be outdated.
35 min
22
Skift Megatrends 2026: What’s Next for Travel, ...
As the year comes to a close, ⁠Sarah Kopit⁠ and ⁠Seth Borko⁠ unpack ⁠Skift Megatrends 2026⁠ and what the next phase of global travel could look like. The conversation spans some of the industry’s most consequential shifts, from declining alcohol consumption and its surprising upside for hospitality, to the growing dominance of luxury travel and whether it represents a lasting structural change or a fragile bubble.
39 min
23
How Pyramid Global Is Rethinking Hotel Management
In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, Editor-in-Chief ⁠Sarah Kopit⁠ and Head of Research ⁠Seth Borko⁠ sit down with Warren Fields, CEO of ⁠Pyramid Global Hospitality⁠, one of the largest hotel management companies in the world.
46 min
24
Inside Soul Community Planet, the Hotel Brand B...
On this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, hosts ⁠Sarah Kopit⁠ and ⁠Seth Borko⁠ sit down with ⁠Ken Cruse⁠, CEO and Co-Founder of ⁠Soul Community Planet⁠, one of hospitality’s most unconventional emerging brands.
41 min
25
Inside Saudi’s Big Tourism Bet and Google’s Boo...
In this episode of the Skift Travel Podcast, ⁠Sarah Kopit⁠ and ⁠Seth Borko⁠ unpack one of the biggest stories in global tourism right now: Saudi Arabia’s explosive push to become a world travel hub.
39 min