1 OF 9
Hoarding Points and Chasing the Wrong “Deals”
2 OF 9
Skimping on Insurance
“Most cards only offer limited perks like trip delay or baggage coverage, not full protection for trip cancellations or emergency medical care,” shared
Suzanne Morrow, CEO of
InsureMyTrip. “The biggest misconception is assuming credit cards provide the same level of coverage as a comprehensive travel insurance plan, when in reality, the benefits are often minimal and come with strict limits or exclusions.” Skipping proper coverage might save upfront, but one missed flight can snowball into forfeited tours and costly rebookings.
A Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) policy, according to Morrow, adds flexibility, letting you “receive a portion (generally 50-75%) of your pre-paid, nonrefundable trip costs back for things like fear of travel, or simply changing their mind, which would not be covered under a standard travel insurance policy.”
3 OF 9
Being Inflexible About Transfers
Your transfer airport can make or break an “almost free” ticket. Routing through
Warsaw or
Helsinki often means lower fees and airport taxes than
Frankfurt, Munich, or London, where surcharges can erase any savings.
“When you book with miles, you’re only replacing the fare portion with points; the taxes and carrier fees are still owed,” explained
Tiffany Funk, co-founder of
point.me. “In the U.S., these are minimal (a $5.60 security fee), but in Canada and some parts of Europe,
airport improvement and departure taxes can add $25–$240 depending on the route, cabin, and carrier. European airlines also tend to have lower fares but higher surcharges, so the “almost free” seat booked with miles may cost more in cash.”
Think of cheaper transfer hubs as a bonus night’s stay at a hotel or an upgraded dinner. Use
this tool to break down fees and surcharges to help you pre-plan before booking.
4 OF 9
Booking “Cheap” Rental Cars
Photograph the car inside and out before and after, and time-stamp it using an app like
Proofr. Aside from using a
credit card with good rental car insurance coverage,
Chip Lupo, writer and analyst at
WalletHub, a personal finance website, advises reading the entire agreement before signing and asking questions about anything unclear, especially the total cost based on your itinerary prevent costly disputes later: “Be upfront about where you’re driving and who will be behind the wheel.”
5 OF 9
Counting on VAT Refunds to Bag a Deal
On paper, Europe’s
VAT refunds sound great: buy a
Chanel bag in Paris, reclaim 20%. In practice, the payout is closer to 10-12% once refund firms take their cut. Add paperwork, long queues, and strict rules—
use the item once and you forfeit the refund—and many shoppers leave empty-handed. Luxury brands also price with the refund in mind, dulling the deal.
6 OF 9
Believing Loyalty Programs Are Always Your Friend
Elite status isn’t the free upgrade machine it once was. Airlines and hotels are raising thresholds, cutting perks, and shrinking partner benefits. Forget suite upgrades and free breakfasts; these days, you may just receive a
complimentary $8 bottle of water. If you’re booking pricier rooms just to rack up points, you might be overlooking better deals outside your “loyalty lane.”
7 OF 9
Choosing Destinations Solely for Their Weak Currency
A weak currency doesn’t guarantee savings. In
Argentina, tourists wrestled with dual exchange rates and
€3 ($3.52) espressos despite a plunging peso. In
Japan, a soft yen drew record visitors, and hotels in
Tokyo and
Kyoto raised rates to match, neutralizing much of the currency “discount.” So what looks like a bargain can quickly turn into nickel-and-diming to save a few dollars.
8 OF 9
Mistaking Off-Season for a Bargain
Outbound bookings in Asia are
up more than 30% this year. Beyond Asia, Gulf travelers pack
Muscat and
Abu Dhabi resorts on weekends, while
Mexico’s coastal towns–once a shoulder-season bargain for Americans–are increasingly filled with high-spending regional travelers, driving up hotel and dining prices year-round.
In short, don’t count on the off-peak season to save you money. According to
Zincasso’s Luxury Travel Report, 41% of travelers said high season now lasts longer than it used to. In many popular destinations, so-called “shoulder” rates are catching up to peak-season prices as demand stretches year-round.
9 OF 9
The Myth of the Cheap Side Trip
A hop from
Dubai to Muscat looks cheap on the map. In reality,
Visa’s 2025 data shows affluent travelers now account for 55% of all cross-border trips in the
Middle East and
North Africa and 65% along routes between the Middle East and Europe, sending fares soaring for quick weekend getaways.
U.S. travelers know the feeling: inter-island getaways in
Hawaii or
Caribbean hops, once budget-friendly, now price like cross-country vacations. Don’t assume short-haul means cheap. In regions where
wealthier travelers dominate weekend demand, short flights and nearby stays are priced into luxury territory.
Kessler Collection, Highgate create management platform
https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/Deals/Management/Kessler-Collection-Highgate-create-management-platform?
Highgate assumes management of several Kessler properties; Kessler team transitions to new division.
ORLANDO, Florida – Orlando-based lifestyle hotel operator The Kessler Collection has announced a strategic alliance with owner-operator Highgate to create Kessler Hospitality, a luxury and lifestyle hotel management platform.
Under the alliance, Highgate will take over all seven owned Kessler hotels and one under development. Among the properties in the portfolio are the Casa Monica Hotel & Spa in St. Augustine, Florida, the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District in Georgia, and the Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville, South Carolina. Kessler’s property-level employees and key corporate leaders will transition to Highgate’s new division.
No further details about the deal were released. Hotel Investment Today will follow up with the principals to learn more about plans for the new platform.
The press release announcing the news suggested that the platform will leverage Kessler's creative vision with Highgate's operational prowess, revenue growth strategies and investment acumen to maximize asset performance and redefine excellence in the luxury and lifestyle space.
“Our mission has always been to create inspired guest experiences rooted in artistry, individuality, and purpose,” said Mark Kessler, president, The Kessler Collection. “When we looked for a partner to help us take the Grand Bohemian brand into its next chapter, Highgate stood out. Their operational discipline, deep revenue expertise, and ability to leverage technology to improve oversight and profitability made them the clear choice to complement our creative vision and expand our portfolio.”
“White-label management is often described as a customized approach, yet what’s frequently delivered feels standardized,” said Richard Russo, principal, Highgate. “At Highgate, we take a fundamentally different view. We build tailored platform solutions with partners like Kessler that align with each organization’s unique objectives and amplify their strengths, unlocking enduring value. We look forward to our association with Kessler and to forging new alliances with like-minded organizations that share our vision for innovation, empowering us to continually evolve our platform, drive best-in-class results, and shape the future of hospitality.”
https://www.mckinsey.com/Reshaping the marketing landscape
The chief marketing officer (CMO) is one of the most exciting—and most challenging—roles on a leadership team. The job is full of possibility but also constant pressure. CMOs are on the front lines of growth, tasked with figuring out how to invest in ways that will have demonstrable impact. These days, they are largely focused on three areas: aligning more closely with the rest of the C-suite, understanding what AI really means for marketing, and unleashing creativity.
This disconnect creates a fascinating dialogue. On the one hand, CEOs want more accountability and clearer metrics that prove marketing’s value. On the other hand, they know that breakthrough creativity and brand building are irreplaceable—and hard to quantify. The good news is that executives are becoming more aware of this tension and want to address it. Across C-suites, there is growing interest in working hand in hand on everything from ROI and performance measurement to making space for bold ideas that drive growth. There is a lot of interest in the duality of rigor and inspiration.
“The duality of rigor and inspiration defines marketing today.”
All these reactions are valid, and most leaders are feeling a mix of them. Foundational work is still required, but many organizations aren’t spending enough time on it. My message to the cautious is: Don’t get stuck worrying. Start today on mapping how the work gets done. Study the solutions already in the market—such as creative optimization, synthetic insight generation, and media analytics—and consider what the landscape could look like in three to five years. Then shape talent and workflows around that vision. The change is coming no matter what. The question is who will lead through it.
The third area on CMOs’ minds is creativity. Here, too, AI plays an important role. The future of creativity lies in human–AI partnerships. AI can handle much of the heavy lifting: resizing assets, localizing campaigns, refining copy. It can even accelerate brainstorming, helping teams to generate more raw ideas. But judgment—the ability to sense what will truly break through with people—remains distinctly human. In fact, in some companies, creatives are the most enthusiastic adopters of AI because it frees them up to focus on big ideas.
Looking ahead, progress in AI is likely to be uneven. In a year, we’ll see more examples of marketing leaders scaling the technology across specific domains, especially creativity and insights. In three years, it will be unusual not to have made moves in this space. And in five years, marketing organizations themselves will look different, with structures, roles, and ways of working all reimagined. That might feel daunting, but it could also be exhilarating.
I’m optimistic. AI is advancing quickly, and it’s not slowing down. The real choice for marketing leaders is whether they want to be out front shaping the journey or following from behind. This is an exciting inflection point for marketing—a moment to reimagine how to create growth and how brands can truly connect with people.
The US government is aiming to ease the pressure on air traffic controllers suffering shutdown-related woes by curtailing flights. But airlines have experience with this kind of sudden disruption.
Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the high-traffic airports that could see flight cuts starting Friday.Photograph: Michael Nagle; Getty Images
https://www.wired.com/story/faa-plan-to-cut-flights-might-not-be-an-utter-nightmare/?
The USFederal Aviation Administration plans to cut 10 percent of flights in 40 high-traffic airports on Friday morning if Congress fails to reopen the federal government by then, Transportation secretary Sean Duffy and FAA chief Bryan Bedford said Wednesday.
The announcement came days after the US agency said it faced widespread shortages of air traffic controllers in half of the country’s 30 busiest airports and hours-long security lines caused by absences of Transportation Security Administration agents. Federal workers have now gone 35 days without a paycheck amid the longest government shutdown in US history.
Which flights might be canceled, and where, “is data-based,” Duffy said Wednesday. “This is based on, where is the pressure and how do we alleviate the pressure?”
When passengers fly, “they are going to make it to their destinations safely, because we’ve done our work,” Duffy said.
The FAA did not immediately respond to WIRED’s questions, and it’s unclear whether the flight cut will affect only commercial airlines or cargo and private flights as well. A 10 percent reduction in scheduled commercial flights at 40 airports could lead to some 4,000 to 5,000 canceled flights per day.
For airlines and travelers, a sudden cut in flights will likely lead to some serious logistical headaches. Duffy earlier this week warned of air travel “mass chaos” should the shutdown drag on.
But airlines have some experience responding to sudden flight reductions due to staffing issues, says Michael McCormick, a former FAA official who now heads the Air Traffic Management program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
In the spring of 2023, during another period of air traffic controller shortages, the FAA allowed airlines to reduce their capacities in New York–area airports. (Such reductions usually force airlines to forfeit the right to a takeoff or landing; the FAA temporarily nixed that penalty.) In response, airline schedulers were able to quickly “up-gauge,” compensating for the reduced number of flights by replacing small aircraft with larger ones. That way, cutting flights didn’t necessarily reduce the number of passengers flying overall.
Should the FAA follow through on Friday, airlines will likely be able to pull off a similar up-gauging process, says McCormick. While flights will be canceled and passengers moved around, this could mean that plenty are still able to get to their destinations. The move might actually give airlines more time to prepare.
“Under the current state, it’s unpredictable which airports are going to be impacted tomorrow,” he says. “This restores some predictability.”
Airports most likely to be affected are those that have seen air traffic controllers shortages in the past days, which include Austin, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Nashville, Newark, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
Fliers, McCormick says, should check in with their airline and “be flexible in terms of their travel plans.”
The FAA responded to WIRED’s questions with an automated email, “due to a lapse in funding.” The email said: “As Secretary Duffy has said, there have been increased staffing shortages across the system. When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations.”
The federal government has faced air traffic controller shortages for years and is some 3,000 controllers short of full staffing levels.
Jennifer Homendy, the head of the independent National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates transportation incidents, praised the FAA’s decision to curtail flights, posting on X: “Conducting safety risk assessments and then using data to mitigate that risk is exactly what @USDOT and @FAANews should be doing to proactively ensure safety for the traveling public.”
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