Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, February 27. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
All major hotel loyalty programs have registered a significant membership increase in the past six years. Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill delves into the state of the loyalty program membership race.
While Marriott currently has the sector’s most dominant loyalty program with roughly 228 million members, O’Neill notes its rivals are closing the gap. Hilton Honors is the fastest-growing major program, having grown 147% to 210 million members. If current growth rates remain the same, Hilton could surpass Marriott’s membership count by the end of next year.
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Next, Amazon’s voicebot Alexa is getting an upgrade that the company says will enable it to plan travel and book Uber rides, writes Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes.
Amazon says Alexa+, which it unveiled at a live event on Wednesday, is more conversational and smarter than the original version of the voicebot. Alexa+ can gain access to products developed by several of Amazon’s travel partners — including Priceline, Tripadvisor, Uber, and OpenTable — to complete requests.
Amazon also said that Alexa+ can share information about travel destinations and provide recommendations through its partnership with Fodor’s Travel Guide.
Finally, Southwest Airlines flights will be available on Expedia. This marks the first time customers will be able to book trips with the carrier through an online travel agency, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi.
All Southwest flights across the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean will be available to book on Expedia and its brands Travelocity, Hotwire, Orbitz, and CheapTickets. Maharishi notes the move to Expedia represents a significant shift in Southwest’s business model as customers could traditionally book flights only through the carrier’s website.
In addition, Southwest also reached deals with Google Flights and Kayak to allow its flights to be displayed on the two meta search platforms.
