World Cup Update, Startup Slowdown & the Vanishing Middle-Class Hotel
Good Morning Hospitality
12/08/25
•39m
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On today’s Good Morning Hospitality, Wil Slickers, Jamie Lane, Brandreth Canaley, and Michael Goldin dig into the trends shaping the start of the week across travel and lodging. Jamie brings fresh World Cup host-city data with early demand and pricing signals, along with his top takeaways from the DARM conference.
The team then looks at the slowdown in travel startup funding and how tighter capital is influencing innovation, competition, and the types of companies most likely to break through in the months ahead. They close by unpacking a new article on how U.S. lodging has shifted away from serving the middle-class traveler.
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Follow the Hosts: Brandy Canaley – LinkedIn Jamie Lane – LinkedIn Michael Goldin – LinkedIn
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Previous Episode
Expedia’s AI Game, TSA Fees, Loyalty Reinvented & Hotel Capital Moves
December 3, 2025
•37m
On this episode of GMH Hotels, Wil Slickers and Steve Turk cover a busy week in travel!
Expedia Group taps former Google AI leader Xavier (Xavi) Amatriain as its first Chief AI and Data Officer, TSA introduces a new $45 fee for travelers without a Real ID or passport, hotel loyalty programs undergo a major reinvention, and Marriott International expands into branded residences with its Ambar Orlando partnership.
The episode wraps with an outrageous travel story you won’t want to miss!
This episode is brought to you by Amazon! To learn more, go to advertising.amazon.com
Follow the Hosts: Brandy Canaley – LinkedIn Jamie Lane – LinkedIn Michael Goldin – LinkedIn
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
GMH Hotels: 2025 Predictions Review: What We Hit & Missed
December 10, 2025
•34m
On this episode of GMH Hotels, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk bring back one of the show’s favorite traditions: the annual predictions review.
At the start of the year, they each made bold calls about the trends, challenges, and opportunities that would shape hotels and travel in 2025.
Now, with December here, they’re revisiting every forecast to see what actually happened, what completely surprised them, and what they never saw coming.
From loyalty and labor to tech, guest behavior, and industry performance, this episode is a fun, honest, and insightful look at how the year unfolded — and how well their early instincts held up.
Perfect way to close out 2025 and set the stage for what’s next!
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