United Airlines Teams Up With Clorox for CleanPlus Cleanliness Initiative

After telling investors that the worst of travel’s Covid-19 woes may be over, airlines are continuing to formalize their new cleaning initiatives to earn traveler confidence. This morning, United Airlines announced a new sanitization and cleaning initiative called United CleanPlus that will include a partnership with the cleaning products company Clorox. United’s program is similar…

As States Start to Reopen, Travelers Still Feel Safest in Their Cars

When Americans are willing to travel again, whether the specter of Covid-19 is lingering or not, they’ll be doing it by car, and not traveling nearly as far as they used to. That’s according to an ongoing survey taken by the U.S. Travel Association, which has taken a biweekly survey among 1,200 U.S. residents who…

Vrbo Added to Expedia Group’s Advertising Platform

After more than a year without accepting advertising on its platform, Vrbo is once again opening up shop. The home rental brand, purchased by Expedia Group in 2015, will begin to slowly introduce advertising on its homepage and across the broader site. Previously, Vrbo was using its own media team, but everything will now be…

With Travel on Pause, Airbnb Looks to Long-Term Stays

For a brand that started out renting air mattresses, Airbnb’s business has grown substantially. It’s best known for its accommodation listings, ranging from an apartment in Downtown Brooklyn to Barbie’s Malibu Dream House. In recent years, it’s also developed an experiences business, which sends travelers on activities like accompanying cattle herders in Kenya or stargazing…

Hilton and Marriott See Profit in Q1, but Coronavirus’ Impact Was Already Clear

Despite managing to eke out a small profit in the first quarter, executives at two of the largest U.S. hotel brands are warning investors about the brutal damage to their financials to come. “We do not think our first-quarter results provide clear insight into the current environment,” said Chris Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton….

Carnival Plans August Return—4 Days After Congress Initiated Investigations Into the Company

Carnival, the world’s largest cruise line, announced that it would begin to “phase in” its service in North America beginning in August, only a week after the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) no sail order lifts for the industry. On Aug. 1, eight of Carnival’s 26 ship fleet will begin sailing out of its ports…

If You Won’t Ride Amtrak’s Trains, How About Drawing Them?

These are, to put it mildly, brutal times for the nation’s transportation sector. With airline passenger traffic down by 95%, even Berkshire Hathaway dumped its $6 billion stake in four carriers over the weekend. Car rental companies have taken less of a hit, but business is still off between 50% and 75%, with Hertz rumored…

Some Airlines Are Giving up the Middle Seat. Not Frontier

Most major U.S. airlines, including Delta, Alaska and American, are giving passengers the option to practice social distancing 30,000 feet in the air by making the decision to no longer sell the middle seat on their flights. Budget carrier Frontier Airlines, however, is taking a different approach: If customers don’t want anyone in the middle…

The OOH Billboard Will Become Prime Advertising Real Estate as States Reopen

When the federal government told the country to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic, it was inevitable that out-of-home advertising would take it on the chin, as 40% of out-of-home advertisements lost their usual audiences, according to the industry’s trade group. As the U.S. begins to slowly open back up and consumers crawl away from…

Preston Kelly Begins Purple Reign as AOR for Prince’s Paisley Park

Despite their genuine outward warmth and friendliness, Minnesotans are fiercely loyal to the natives who contributed to the state’s culture, especially after their deaths. In sports, for example, hockey icon Herb Brooks and Minnesota Twins star Kirby Puckett remain important fixtures. But ask any Minnesotan, and they’ll likely beam with pride at any mention of…

This Minimalist Ridesharing Ad Asks You to Visualize Your First Trip After Quarantine

With quarantine restrictions limiting the production of new video footage, one rideshare company is tapping a new type of visual medium: its audience’s imaginations. A new campaign from Cabify Argentina and Havas’ Buenos Aires-based Hoy agency asks viewers to imagine their first trip to visit a friend or loved one after lockdown measures eventually lift….

Hilton, Marriott and Airbnb Roll Out New Cleaning Initiatives to Reassure Consumers

Right now, nearly eight in 10 hotel rooms sit empty across the U.S. But when travel resumes, America’s top hospitality brands, including Hilton, Marriott and Airbnb, are making sure consumers know that rooms will be cleaner than ever. Today, Hilton announced a partnership with Reckitt Benckiser, manufacturer of the in-demand disinfectant Lysol, for a new…

Coronavirus Will Be ‘9 Times Worse Than 9/11’ for Travel Industry

The impact of Covid-19 will on the travel industry will be “nine times worse than 9/11,” the U.S. Travel Association said today. The trade organization commissioned a report detailing the expected economic damage caused by the infectious disease. The travel sector is bracing for a drop of $519 billion in domestic travel spending, a loss…

Puerto Rico Reassures Travelers That ‘Soon Enough, It’ll Be Time for Paradise’

The roll of a rising surf; a waterfall crashing on wet stone; a symphony of tropical bird calls. What was once the soundtrack to a tropical vacation is now a welcome relief in your social media feeds to the sounds inside the four walls you’re all too familiar with as the national shutdown carries on….

Brands Doing Good: Donations, Aid and Innovation During Coronavirus

Just as the coronavirus has spread around the world, its effects have been felt by companies in every industry. Yet even as we’re all adjusting to the new normal–both personally and professionally–brands are finding ways to do their part to help. Whether it’s easing the burden on frontline and other essential workers, helping struggling businesses…

With Tourism Stalled, Tiny Faroe Islands Found a Fun Way to Gamify Your Virtual Visit

It’s tough to outdo yourself as a destination marketer when you’ve already put yourself on the map, literally, by strapping cameras to free-roaming sheep to get footage for Google Street View. Or when you famously shut the island once a year to give it a spring cleaning, closing it to all visitors-except, in a stroke…

Airbnb Debuts Online Experiences With Unique Activities

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Airbnb to temporarily halt its Experiences business, but the home-sharing platform has introduced a new way for consumers around the world to attend off-the-beaten-path events from their couches. Airbnb has launched Online Experiences, which allows hosts to continue earning income by offering their experiences on video-conferencing platform Zoom. The virtual events…

Adweek Together: The Future of Travel

Only a few industries, services among them, have taken a harder hit from COVID-19 than the travel industry. The U.S. Travel Association predicts 5.9 million jobs will be lost by the end of April due to declining travel. Overall, the travel industry supports 15.8 million American jobs. In a U.S. workforce of approximately 156 million,…

DoubleTree by Hilton Releases Its Beloved Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

For everyone who’s been mourning a canceled trip, feeling the travel itch or longing for something–anything–less familiar than the living room couch where we all now live and work, DoubleTree by Hilton wants to help. The hotel chain today released an official at-home recipe for its famous chocolate chip cookies. More than 30 million of…

Tripadvisor Gives $1 Million in Coronavirus Aid

Travel recommendation and booking site Tripadvisor is launching several tools to help local and small businesses weather the coronavirus storm, as well as donating up to $1 million to COVID-19 relief efforts focused on the travel industry decimated by the crisis. Unlike the airline industry, which is set to receive more than $50 billion in…