*By Samantha Errico*
Your days to travel in 2018 may be numbered, but 2019 beckons. So what's ahead for the travel industry next year? Lola.com CEO Mike Volpe joined Cheddar to present his predictions for travel in 2019.
**Day-Rate Hotels**
"In this world where everyone wants to be faster and more agile, your needs around business are changing," Volpe told Cheddar Friday. Hotels are incorporating flexible check-in times for travelers who take red eyes, and offering hourly rates for visitors who are only in town for the day. Hotels are adapting to the pace of the modern travel and the growing demand of customers.
**Out with Corporate Travel, in with Consumer Travel**
The business travel industry is expected to hit $1.6 trillion by 2020, and more companies are trying to exploit the market. Companies are meeting the growing demands of the market by "taking the consumer speed and agility from the consumer travel world into the corporate travel world," Volpe said. Travel companies are racing to find the easiest booking system possible, Volpe said. "The average corporate travel system takes a person about an hour to book their flight and hotel for an upcoming trip," he added.
A new report said the private sector added 103,000 jobs in November while refinance applications climb as mortgage rates dip. Plus, the FTC is once again looking to block the Microsoft-Activision deal and McDonald's is looking to buy 10,000 new locations by 2027.
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Tax season is around the corner as soon as we conclude the holiday festivities. Mark Steber, chief tax information officer with Jackson Hewitt, joined Cheddar News to discuss some tax changes that people should be aware of and what to expect during next year's tax filing season.
