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Today’s podcast covers Marriott’s partnership with Sonder, the decline in short-term rentals in Mallorca, and the airports with the most nonstop destinations.

Rashaad Jordan

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, August 20, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the travel business today.

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Episode Notes

Marriott International and Sonder Holdings have signed a 20-year strategic licensing agreement, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill.

Marriott will receive a royalty based on a percentage of Sonder’s gross room revenue. The deal also increases the number of locations where members of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program can earn and redeem points. O’Neill adds that Marriott will benefit from Sonder’s ability to operate apartment buildings as licensed hotels, which has allowed Sonder to operate in some neighborhoods with few hotels.

The license agreement gives Sonder new marketing and sales power. The company has been on shaky ground so far: it had to give up its Nasdaq listing, carried out several waves of layoffs and accumulated losses.

Next, global tourism reporter Dawit Habtemariam writes that a crackdown on short-term rentals in Mallorca has led to a decline in bookings.

According to data analytics firm AirDNA, bookings for short-term rentals in Mallorca’s capital, Palma, fell 8% in July compared to a year earlier. Mallorcan authorities imposed new restrictions on short-term rentals earlier this year, including heavy fines for apartment buildings with at least 12 short-term rental units. In addition, July saw large-scale protests against mass tourism, with many protesters blaming short-term rentals for making Palma unaffordable for locals.

Finally, data has been released detailing the number of unique nonstop destinations served from each airport in the first half of this year, with Istanbul taking the top spot, writes Airlines editor Gordon Smith.

According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, Istanbul Airport served 309 destinations nonstop in the first six months of 2024. Smith points out that the airport’s connectivity is enhanced by Turkish Airlines flying to more countries than any other airline – 130 in June 2024. Frankfurt Airport in Germany ranks second, serving 296 destinations nonstop.

The highest-ranked US airport is Chicago-O’Hare, which shares fourth place with Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.