$250M STR Deal Signals a Shift in Travel Profits
Good Morning Hospitality
04/13/26
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On Monday’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, and Jamie Lane break down a $250 million deal as TowneBank sells its vacation rental management business, signaling continued investor appetite for scaled STR operations even as the market evolves.
The team also unpacks mixed demand signals, from softer-than-expected travel spending despite rising tax refunds to growing friction around international travel to the U.S., while also exploring why OTAs still struggle to gain meaningful traction in experiences. The episode ties it all together with a look at where value is actually shifting across travel today.
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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.
Previous Episode
On this week’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down the growing loyalty balance at Marriott Hotels and Hilton, and what nearly $7 billion in outstanding points really means for the industry. Is it a liability or one of the most powerful tools in hospitality?
They also cover the race to expand midscale brands, Delta Air Lines raising bag fees as costs rise, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts passing 100 hotels in Mexico as growth shifts toward value-driven markets.
This episode is brought to you by Vrbo! Learn how you can earn OneKeyCash today.
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.
Next Episode
On this week’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk are live from Seatrade Cruise Global, breaking down how AI is reshaping the way travelers discover and book hotels and whether brands are starting to lose control of the funnel.
Expedia Group data shows that only a small percentage of bookings are currently driven by AI, but the shift in discovery behavior could have much bigger long-term implications.
They also explore how Minor Hotels is building out its AI tech stack to drive deeper personalization, Lemon Tree Hotels’ record year powered by an asset-light strategy, and Delta Air Lines’s first major Delta One upgrade in nearly a decade as airlines continue investing heavily in premium experiences.
This episode is brought to you by Vrbo! Learn how you can earn OneKeyCash today.
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.
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