Travel Market Insights
IHG Woos Business Travelers Through Emirates and Other Deals

Key Points
- IHG signed a partnership with Emirates to offer joint benefits to small and medium-sized business travelers.
- The collaboration is part of IHG’s broader Business Edge strategy, targeting SMEs with pre-negotiated rates and easy enrollment.
- Similar partnerships with airlines and rental car companies aim to create a network of services for businesses lacking dedicated travel managers.
Summary
IHG has entered a marketing partnership with Emirates to attract small and medium-sized business travelers, allowing these companies to access benefits from both brands. This initiative is part of IHG’s Business Edge program, which offers SMEs pre-negotiated rates, instant enrollment, and reporting tools, addressing their limited resources compared to larger corporations. IHG’s growing network of airline and rental car partnerships is designed to help SMEs manage travel more efficiently, though the integrations remain relatively simple and focused on promotional collaborations.
Travel Market Insights
Delta Says It Will Not Use AI to Target Customers

Key Points
- Delta Air Lines clarified it does not use AI to set individualized airfares based on personal data, following criticism from lawmakers.
- The airline uses AI, via a partnership with Fetcherr, to assist in dynamic pricing for a growing portion of its domestic flights, but claims all fares are determined by market dynamics and are publicly available.
- Lawmakers and officials have expressed concerns about potential predatory or ‘surveillance’ pricing, prompting Delta to stress its commitment to fair, competitive pricing and data privacy.
Summary
Delta Air Lines has publicly stated that it does not use AI to set individualized prices based on personal customer data, responding to recent criticism and inquiries from U.S. lawmakers. The airline acknowledged using AI technology, through a partnership with Fetcherr, to assist analysts in setting fares for a portion of its domestic flights, with plans to expand this use. However, Delta emphasized that fares are determined by market competition, not personal data, and all prices are transparently published, aiming to dispel concerns about privacy and potential predatory pricing.
Travel Market Insights
U.S. Dollar Slide Hurts Accor, Minor, and MeliĆ”

Some of the worldās largest hotel companies saw their earnings dented by currency swings in the first half of 2025, as euro and baht-reporting groups absorbed losses while U.S.-based chains appeared largely insulated from the volatility.
Accor, MeliĆ” Hotels, and Minor International all reported currency-related losses that offset solid operational performance. Meanwhile, U.S.-based Hilton and Wyndham, which report in dollars, did not mention foreign exchange impacts in their earnings calls and appeared shielded from the same pressures.
The U.S. dollar index dropped 10.8% in the first half of 2025 following the Trump administrationās April tariffs and public clashes with the Federal Reserve. The resulting investor pullback caused the dollar to weaken sharply against the euro, baht, and other currencies.
Accor: Currency Among Its Biggest Headwinds
Paris-based Accor repo
Travel Market Insights
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