Marriott-Sonder Deal, Mallorca and Short-Term Rentals and Most Connected Airports

Skift Take

Today’s podcast looks at Marriott’s partnership with Sonder, Mallorca’s short-term rental shrinkage, and the airports with the most non-stop destinations.

Rashaad Jorden

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

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Episode Notes

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

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

Sonder gets new marketing and distribution power through the licensing deal. It has been on shaky ground: It has faced a Nasdaq delisting, conducted several rounds of layoffs and piled up losses.

Next, Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam writes that a crackdown on short-term rentals in Mallorca has led to a drop in bookings.

Short-term rental bookings in Mallorca’s capital Palma fell 8% in July from last year, according to data analytics firm AirDNA. Mallorcan authorities enacted new restrictions on short-term rentals earlier this year, including imposing heavy fines on apartment buildings with at least 12 short-term rental units. In addition, large-scale protests against mass tourism erupted in July, with many protestors blaming short-term rentals for making Palma unaffordable for locals. 

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

Istanbul Airport served 309 destinations nonstop during the first six months of 2024, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Smith notes the airport’s connectivity is helped by Turkish Airlines flying to more countries than any other carrier — 130 as of June 2024. Frankfurt Airport in Germany takes the runner-up spot, serving 296 destinations nonstop.

The highest-ranking U.S. airport is Chicago-O’Hare, which is tied for fourth place with Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.