As 2017 draws to a close, it’s time to look ahead to what awaits us and we ask our panel of industry leaders to share their thoughts and personal wishes for the year to come.
Dr Jennifer Cronin, President, Wharf Hotels, Hong Kong
One word to describ
e 2017: Collaboration
One word to describe 2018: Positive
One key lesson I learnt in 2017: Importance of China’s One Belt One Road initiative
I am most concerned about … talent recruitment and retention
I am most excited about … contribution of our millennials as future hoteliers
The tech I want to invest in/or find out more about: RPA (robotic process automation) so our people can focus on meaningful activities
One destination I want to visit for leisure – Iguassu Falls
I predict … 2018 will be a year of positive change and growth, especially in APAC, bring it on!
Louise Daley, Deputy CEO, AccorHotels Asia Pacific
One word to describe 2017: Tumultuous
One word to describe 2018: Hopeful
One key lesson I learnt in 2017: The ever greater value of trusted connections (in business)
I am most concerned about … Speed – things are moving so quickly
I am most excited about … Marriage equality in Australia
The tech I want to invest in/or find out more about: Anything AI
One destination I want to visit for leisure: My home!
I predict … There will be more scandals.
Bobby Healy, CTO, CarTrawler
One word to describe 2017: Trump
One word to describe 2018: Impeachment
One key lesson I learnt in 2017: Mortality Sucks
I am most concerned about … Google
I am most excited about … Computer Vision
The tech I want to invest in/or find out more about: Computer Vision powered businesses across industries. (eg. Autonomous driving)
One destination I want to visit for leisure: Anywhere on the West coast of Ireland
I predict … Disappointment but volume success in IOT and Voice across travel and Alexa/Home applications.
Douglas Quinby, Senior Vice President Research, Phocuswright
One word to describe 2017: Over (almost)
One word to describe 2018 : Slower
One key lesson I learnt in 2017: Having lots of customers is much better than two customers
I am most concerned about … Not the price of Bitcoin
I am most excited about … Am I allowed to say not blockchain or voice?
The tech I want to invest in/or find out more about: AI really, once the hype cycle settles
One destination I want to visit for leisure: Anywhere my kids want to go
I predict … Google gets bigger, growth gets slower, travel gets better
Kei Shibata, CEO, Venture Republic, Japan
One word to describe 2017: Confusing
One word to describe 2018: Transformative
One key lesson I learnt in 2017: Changes in the market come much faster and larger than we hoped or could imagine.
I am most concerned about … risks around China that are enormous but almost invisible. They could trigger another market crisis on a global scale.
I am most excited about … The power of content & influencers. They can be the next engine for growth and differentiation in travel & tech space.
The tech I want to invest in/or find out more about: Blockchain and its applications to new businesses; AI/machine learning especially in the areas of translation and personalization.
One destination I want to visit for leisure: Mongolia for Naadam Festival and horseback riding.
I predict … A tough time for the established players in North America, Europe, Japan to grow their business. A maturing market in those regions will become evident while Google continues to seize their market share. More cross boarder acquisitions by Chinese players will be seen. The South-east Asian market will gain momentum by attracting investment.
Lorraine Sileo, Senior Vice President Research, Phocuswright
One word to describe 2017: Trump
One word to describe 2018: Shift
One key lesson I learnt in 2017: The next digital age is almost here, so pay attention
I am most concerned about … the latest tech bubble bursting/stock market “correction”; regulators shutting down Airbnbs
I am most excited about …Travel’s wild ride as tech redefines loyalty, hospitality, and business models; Amazon and Apple doing more in travel
The tech I want to invest in/or find out more about: Voice-controlled hotel room
One destination I want to visit for leisure: Vietnam
I predict … a new and improved “tour package” industry emerges (that combines air, lodging, ground and experiences); Amazon teams up with more travel providers to reward travelers; AI becomes real and improves customer acquisition
Morris Sim, CMO, Next Story Group
One word to describe 2017: Unexpected
One word to describe 2018: Unpredictable
One key lesson I learnt in 2017: Start small and get the basics right
I am most concerned about … Big fish getter bigger (and some without having the right fundamentals)
I am most excited about … Disruption potential
The tech I want to invest in/or find out more about: AI
One destination I want to visit for leisure: Anywhere in Japan
I predict … There will be a lot of errors in the predictions for 2018
Debby Soo, Chief Commercial Officer, KAYAK
One word to describe 2017: Surprising.
One word to describe 2018: Win.
One key lesson I learnt in 2017: Stay nimble. We had many exciting moments at KAYAK this year between adding new brands to our portfolio (momondo, Cheapflights, Mundi), hundreds of new colleagues and four new offices – staying nimble made all the difference.
I am most concerned about … international travel restrictions adding more complications for travelers.
I am most excited about … Our team. I believe it’s our strongest bench yet.
The tech I want to invest in/or find out more about: Voice assistants. We were the first to make hotel rooms bookable via Alexa. Next up, flights.
One destination I want to visit for leisure: Santorini
I predict … A big year for our industry – more advances with AI, personalisation and consolidation.
Melissa Yang, Co-founder, Tujia, China
One word to describe 2017: Change
One word to describe 2018: Opportunity
One key lesson I learnt in 2017: How important network helps, getting connected with wise people and learning from them.
I am most concerned about … my adventure next year, which I am still trying to figure out.
I am most excited about … my adventure next year, which I am still trying to figure out.
The tech I want to invest in/or find out more about: AI
One destination I want to visit for leisure: Barcelona
I predict … AI and big data will continue to grow and we will see more adoption in industries in 2018.
• Featured image credit: marchmeena29/iStock-Getty Images
