Good morning, readers.

Thomas Pritzker announced his retirement as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels, citing "terrible judgment" in his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. We spoke with several metasearch executives to get their opinions on how AI will reshape their sector. And the largest U.S. hospitality workers' union blasted the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown.

EVENTS

Skift Data + AI Summit

The travel industry is moving from AI experimentation to execution, with real impact across distribution, operations, and customer experience. The Skift Data + AI Summit returns June 3 in New York City, bringing industry leaders together to share the next wave of AI applications and data strategies shaping travel.

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Hotels

Sean O'Neill

Senior Hospitality Editor

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Image by Flickr/Center for Strategic & International Studies

Hyatt Executive Chair Tom Pritzker Steps Down

Billionaire Thomas Pritzker announced he's retiring as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels effective immediately, citing the need for "good stewardship" and expressing regret for his past association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

"I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner," Pritzker said in a letter to the board.
Pritzker is among the business leaders facing fallout after the Justice Department released files detailing the scope of Epstein's network.
Pritzker exchanged emails with Epstein from at least 2010 to early 2019, according to the Justice Department files.

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Online Travel

Dennis Schaal

Executive Editor

Image by Trivago/Youtube

The Impact of AI on Travel Metasearch

Travel metasearch is facing a new reality in the agentic AI era, and Skift spoke with several executives from metasearch companies to get their takes on how the future will shake out.

The most likely scenario includes AI agents automatically comparing prices using APIs from Google Flights and Skyscanner for airfares.
Former Momondo CEO Martin Lumbye said travelers will still learn towards trusted brands to ensure they aren't getting ripped off.
Trivago CEO Johannes Thomas said he expects to see a metasearch interface that would compare rates from AI agents and those from hotels and OTAs.

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travel technology

What It Takes to Scale Sustainable Travel

Trip.com

Sustainable travel intent is high, but action depends on clarity and guidance

92% of travelers value sustainability, but only 57% act on it when booking
Clear signals, AI guidance, and benchmarks are key to closing that gap

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Hotels

Sean O'Neill

Senior Hospitality Editor

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Image by SEIU Local 26

Largest U.S. Hotel Union Calls Out President Trump

Unite Here, the largest U.S. hospitality workers union, said the Trump administration's immigration crackdown is depressing tourism, with a knock-on effect of reducing jobs across the hotel sector.

"It's a threat to our members, to all hospitality workers, regardless of where they were born," said Unite Here president Gwen Mills.
Those comments came as hotels lost 10,600 jobs in January, according to government data released last week.
Mills argued that media coverage of military-style deployments in major cities has depressed tourist volumes from Canada and other international markets.

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