Skift Daily Briefing

Loyalty Programs Are Now How Travel Companies Find New Customers

July 23, 2026·5 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Travel's biggest companies are trading loyalty members directly with each other as Google's dominance over customer acquisition breaks down, three hotel giants launched debit cards in the UK and only the UK, and a legendary Tokyo hotel just reopened after a 19-month renovation. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down why loyalty programs are becoming the primary customer acquisition channel in travel, what the UK hotel debit card trend reveals about the limits of credit card economics outside the U.S., and whether Park Hyatt Tokyo's renovation got one of the world's great hotels right. Articles Referenced: Honorable Mention: @AskAConcierge on IGTravel Customer Acquisition Is Moving Into Private TreatiesHilton, Marriott, and IHG Have All Launched UK Debit Cards. Here's Why.Returning to Park Hyatt Tokyo: How a Great Hotel Survives a Renovation Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.

Podzilla Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Skift Daily Briefing and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.