Ken Chenault runs nothing in travel, yet his fingerprints are everywhere.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Read online Travel's Hidden Hand Ken Chenault runs nothing in travel, yet his fingerprints are everywhere. GOOD DAY, READERS. While digging into the $6.3 billion Amex GBT take-private, Skift CEO Rafat Ali kept finding one name in the fine print: Kenneth Chenault. The former American Express CEO hasn't run a company since 2018, but his fingerprints are everywhere in travel. He's chairman of General Catalyst, which backs Long Lake Management, the company taking Amex GBT private. He's the lead director at Airbnb. He chairs Bilt Rewards, the $10.75 billion loyalty startup. And he sits on Berkshire Hathaway's board.     Skift Global Forum The decisions reshaping travel rarely happen in public. The people behind them show up in one room. Sébastien Bazin, Group Chairman and CEO of Accor, joins Skift Global Forum, September 22-24 in New York, alongside the CEOs of Hilton, Booking Holdings, Expedia, and Wyndham, and 1000+ senior leaders from 600 companies. Register Now         DON’T MISS THESE STORIES How Ken Chenault Became Travel’s Most Consequential Non-Operator By Rafat Ali One person connects the Amex GBT take-private, Airbnb’s board, a $10.75 billion travel loyalty startup, and Berkshire Hathaway’s governance committee. GET THE STORY Aviation’s 2050 Net-Zero Target Could Slip: ‘The More Likely Outcome’ By Darin Graham Willie Walsh has acknowledged that the industry's flagship climate target may need to move, but a revised timeline will only mean something if it comes with binding commitments, not another round of aspirational pledges. GET THE STORY MakeMyTrip Co-Founder on India IPO and the AI Question Investors Stopped Asking By Peden Doma Bhutia MakeMyTrip is trying to answer three questions at once: can it stay relevant as AI reshapes travel discovery, can a string of small acquisitions build real value rather than just organizational sprawl, and does a domestic listing finally make sense after 16 years on Nasdaq? GET THE STORY         The Alaska Experiment That Could Reshape How Cruise Lines Navigate Wildlife MSC CRUISES + SKIFT A million cruise passengers a year sailing through humpback feeding grounds. MSC Cruises just put a marine biologist on the bridge to figure out who gives way. GET THE STORY         For $7 a week, Skift gives you something the industry is missing – the full picture. Subscribe today for 25% off.         MORNING HEADLINES Cathay Pacific CEO: Summer Demand Is Holding Up Despite Fuel Price Shock GET THE STORY The Most Interesting Thing Hoshino Resorts Is Doing Isn’t Luxury GET THE STORY Lighthouse Launches AI Assistant for Hotel Commercial Teams GET THE STORY Why A&O Hostels Is Buying Europe’s Empty Buildings GET THE STORY Klook Co-Founder Bets AI Can Finally Fix Travel Experiences Discovery GET THE STORY         SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK Cloudbeds CEO Explains AI’s Biggest Weakness AI might sound human, but hotels run on hard facts. In this bonus episode of Good Morning Hospitality, Wil Slickers sits down with Cloudbeds CEO and co-founder Adam Harris to break down one of the biggest challenges facing AI adoption in hospitality. The conversation explores why hotel data is often scattered across dozens of systems and why AI's probabilistic nature can clash with an industry built on deterministic answers like room availability, occupancy, and rates. As AI becomes more integrated into hotel operations, solving the data problem may be just as important as building the technology itself. GET THE PODCAST         SKIFT TRAVEL 200 How are public travel companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to understand global market movements. Paid subscribers get full access here. GET TODAY’S INDEX SCORE         See more essential travel news in your search results. ADD SKIFT ON GOOGLE         Thanks for reading. We are switching to a new email platform to improve delivery. What does this mean for you? During this transition, these emails might land in your promotions or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss out, please move this newsletter to your primary inbox.       DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Skift 35 W 31st St. New York, New York 10001, United States Terms of Service