Sean O'Neill

Sean O’Neill is Skift's senior hospitality editor, reporting on hotels. Send him news tips at [email protected]. He's been a full-time journalist for two decades. He lives in Washington, D.C. Stop him before he starts another home improvement project.

Latest Stories

Online Travel

5 New Travel Startups From China That Challenge the Status Quo

Chinese travel startups are innovating, not cloning, these days. For instance, Zanadu is using virtual reality to sell luxury travel in real world shops, Baoku is bringing integrated workflows to corporate travel planners, and Aipinji is applying an Uber-like user interface to an old-school wholesaler model.

Sean O'Neill, Skift | 7 years ago

5 New Travel Startups From China That Challenge the Status Quo

Airlines

American Airlines Expects to Catch Up to Delta With Its Basic Economy Strategy

Airfares in the U.S. are still near historic average lows, and a transatlantic fare war should last for more than a year. But after a delay, American is copying Delta's playbook. It aims to fix its profit margin problem by coaxing business travelers to pay more on routes worldwide by 2018.

Sean O'Neill, Skift | 7 years ago

Business Travel

WorldMate’s Retreat Leaves Itinerary-Organizing Rivals in Dogfight

WorldMate suffered as many smartphones and other services added free travel notifications. But TripCase and TripIt still have fans among many frequent travelers.

Sean O'Neill, Skift | 7 years ago

WorldMate’s Retreat Leaves Itinerary-Organizing Rivals in Dogfight

Online Travel

TripActions Raises $14 Million to Trim Rogue Bookings: Travel Startup Funding This Week

TripActions' funding adds buzz to a category of startups aiming to incentivize travelers to book travel more cheaply, while Bluesmart's fresh funding validates the electronic luggage category.

Sean O'Neill, Skift | 7 years ago

TripActions Raises $14 Million to Trim Rogue Bookings: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Hotels

5 New Travel Startups Put Niche Spins on Short-Term Rental Booking

Airbnb and HomeAway clones are a dime-a-dozen. But we found a handful carving out niche market segments that seem promising. These startups focus on travelers interested in corporate-friendly lodgings, architecture and design properties, Asia's top destinations, and exclusive luxury residences.

Sean O'Neill, Skift | 7 years ago

5 New Travel Startups Put Niche Spins on Short-Term Rental Booking

Airlines

United Signals It Wants a Better Deal with Reservation Middlemen

If United were Facebook friends with reservation systems like Sabre and Amadeus, it would have just changed its relationship status from "Friends" to "It's complicated." New President Scott Kirby is worried how those companies will display its new basic economy product to travel agents and (indirectly) to ticket buyers.

Sean O'Neill, Skift | 7 years ago

United Signals It Wants a Better Deal with Reservation Middlemen

Hotels

Stay Alfred Raises $15 Million to Bring Hotel Service to Short-Term Rentals: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Stay Alfred's $15 million Series A funding may pale next to the roughly $3 billion that Airbnb has raised. But the company — which services apartment rentals and aims for hotel-quality service — is part of a thriving wave of vendors providing an ecosystem of services around short-term urban rentals.

Sean O'Neill, Skift | 7 years ago

Stay Alfred Raises $15 Million to Bring Hotel Service to Short-Term Rentals: Travel Startup Funding This Week

Online Travel

ReviewPro Acquired by China’s Shiji at $35 Million Valuation

This is a decent exit for the investors in ReviewPro and a wake-up call to a Western hotel industry ignoring China's tech scene. But it is also a validation of ReviewPro's particular approach of giving hotels actionable analytics on guests for sales and marketing, and revenue management -- and not just monitoring TripAdvisor ratings.

Sean O'Neill, Skift | 7 years ago

ReviewPro Acquired by China’s Shiji at $35 Million Valuation