Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, April 29. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Marriott International announced on Monday it’s buying hotel brand CitizenM as part of its strategy to strengthen its select-service and lifestyle offerings, write Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill and Hospitality Reporter Luke Martin.
The two companies expect the deal to close later this year, subject to regulatory approval. Marriott believes acquiring CitizenM’s 36 hotels will enable it to approach 5% net room growth for 2025. Marriott also expects to generate roughly $30 million in annual fees from CitizenM’s existing portfolio and pipeline.Â
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Next, Expedia Group is restructuring three of its teams and laying off roughly 3% of its workforce, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal.Â
Most of the job cuts will take place in the product and technology teams, which – along with the finance team – will be restructured. Schaal notes the affected teams won’t see any leadership changes, adding that the job cuts target mid-level employees.
Expedia’s moves follow its restructuring of its marketing team in early March.
Finally, Spain and Portugal were hit Monday by a major power outage that has significantly impacted travel in the two countries, writes Global Tourism and Experiences Reporter Jade Wilson.
Wilson notes the outage delayed flights, caused traffic jams, and shut down public transportation on the Iberian Peninsula. Without cell service, stranded travelers couldn’t easily book a place to stay for the night, and without credit cards or access to cash machines payment was difficult. Portugal’s grid operator said the blackout was caused by a rare atmospheric phenomenon, adding it could take up to a week for the network to normalize.Â
The Spanish government has declared a state of emergency while the country’s drivers were urged not to use their cars unless necessary.Â
