Checking Out by Katherine Doggrell

The hospitality industry is facing its biggest disruption since the invention of the airplane. In Checking Out, award-winning journalist Katherine Doggrell dissects the explosive rise of Airbnb and the sharing economy, revealing exactly why traditional hotels are scrambling to survive. If you work in travel, hospitality, or business strategy, this book is your survival guide.

What is Checking Out about?
Doggrell takes you behind the glossy facades of global hotel chains and into the boardrooms where panic is setting in. She traces the perfect storm - from the 2008 financial crisis that birthed the sharing economy, to the tech-savvy millennial travelers who now prefer "living like a local" over sterile lobbies. The book doesn't just describe the problem; it explores the ingenious counter-attacks by major players who are buying into the very platforms that threaten them.

Key takeaways you will learn from this book:

• The Airbnb Effect: How a startup disrupted a trillion-dollar industry without owning a single room.
• Regulation Wars: The fierce legal battles between cities, local housing markets, and short-term rental giants.
• Future Trends: Predictions on how AI, sustainability, and "bleisure" travel will reshape where we stay next.
• Survival Tactics: What legacy brands are doing right (and wrong) to win back the modern guest.

Whether you are a hotel owner, an investor, or a frequent traveler who simply wants to understand where your money goes, this book offers a sharp, journalistic, and deeply engaging analysis of the battle for your overnight stay.

Author Bio:
Katherine Doggrell is an award-winning travel and hospitality journalist with over twenty years of experience. She is the former editor of Hotel Analyst and has contributed to The Times, The Guardian, and The Telegraph. Her unparalleled access to CEOs and industry insiders makes her the definitive voice on the business of hotels. She lives in London and continues to speak globally on the future of travel.