Skift grip
Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at Ace Hotels’ plans, the unrest in Peru, and the state of six (now mature) startups.
Rashaad Jordan
Hello from Skift. Today is Tuesday, January 24. Here’s what you need to know about the travel industry today.
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Episode Notes
Hotel company Sortis Holdings recently announced that it will acquire Ace Group International, owner of Ace Hotels, for $85 million. So what are Sortis’ plans for Ace Hotels?? Hospitality editor Sean O’Neill reveals them in an interview with Sortis executives in this week’s Early Check-In.
O’Neill writes that Ace Hotels, which includes 11 lifestyle properties across the United States in its portfolio, won’t change much of its business model and DNA with Sortis as its new owner. O’Neill also notes that Ace Hotels could invest money in hotel development as a co-investor with other companies, helping it know where to open new properties. Sortis partner Kelly Sawdon said the company wanted Ace Hotels to be a place where locals gather regularly. The hotel company aims to expand its portfolio to 30 properties, the majority of which will be Ace Hotels.
Second, political unrest continues to hit Peru’s travel industry hard. The ongoing violent protests, which began after the impeachment of President Pedro Castillo in December, forced tour operators to evacuate travelers and suspend trips to Machu PicchuPeru’s most famous tourist destination, writes Selene Brophy, travel experiences reporter.
Intrepid Travel and G Adventures have confirmed that they will be canceling trips to Machu Picchu through February 5 due to political instability. Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail trek to the renowned site have been closed indefinitely. G Adventures said all of its itineraries for travelers to Peru were being rerouted while Gary Cohen, Intrepid’s general manager for Latin America, said his company plans to rebook or refund affected travelers.
Brophy reports that it is uncertain when tourism in Peru will return to normal as the state of emergency in the South American nation has been extended. Protesters have targeted tourist hotspots, including Machu Picchu, to attract international attention and undermine the government.
Finally, Associate Editor Rashaad Jorden looks at what happened to the six Skift travel startups featured in February 2015 in its first-ever weekly funding roundup, which lists startups receiving or announcing funding from investors.
Jorden reports that vacation rental distributor BookingPal and hotel booking platform Triptease continued to thrive, in particular. BookingPal has expanded to 48 US states and has provided properties to companies such as Airbnb and Marriott’s Homes and Villas. Triptease, which works with 12,000 hotels worldwide, has doubled the number of employees in its London and New York offices. However, Indian startups Stayzilla and iTraveller have both gone out of business since being featured in Skift’s first weekly funding roundup.
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