Patrick Andres, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Sabre Hospitality Solutions

Q: What are the three things you think will happen in the hotel space in 2011?
• Consolidation, particularly with mid-sized regional players.
• Thailand will rebound strongly.
• China will slow after the Expo Year.
• More hotels in Asia will realize that their future is in carving out a strong brand identity on the web.

Q: What are the three things hotels should invest in in the new year?
• Web presence – Including SEM
• Mobile web
• Social Media

Q: What are your predictions for hotel distribution and marketing next year?
• The GDS is not going to die (again!).
• Web-direct will continue to grow YOY 20% to 30% overall. More for the many playing catch-up.
• Mobile and Social Media will continue to be a great branding mechanism, bookings might follow.

Q: Which hotel groups are the ones to watch next year, and why?
• Langham, they are really doing some cool things. How fast will they continue to grow?
• Ascott and Frasers, changing the game in the long-stay service residence segment.
• Regent Hotels, will they reestablish themselves as the pinnacle of luxury?

Q: Three important events that happened this year that you think will have significant impact on travel in the future.
• The iPad
• Liberation of Aung San Suu Kyi, will it lead to further liberalization in Asia’s next great travel market?
• Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Q: Most over-used word/s of 2010?
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Siew Hoon

Q: Most under-estimated word of 2010?
• Gaming
• Using a phone to actually call someone at a Call Centre (yes, you can do that!)
• Indonesia

Q: What word/s will disappear from the hotel vocabulary?
• In-Room paper satisfaction questionnaire
• Anything above a 5 Star hotel (6-star, 7-star…)
• Paying for Internet in a hotel

Q: As the year winds to an end, what will you remember most about 2010?
• The rebound – full flights and full hotels in Most Asia-Pacific Markets
• The fall in the US dollar – overall volatility in the currency market
• Web In Travel 2010

Q: What are you most looking forward to in 2011?
• Continued strong business for the hospitality industry worldwide
• A meaningful rebound in Thailand, the return of travelers to Myanmar
• Web In Travel 2011

Grahame Tate, Managing Director, IDeaS Asia Pacific

Q: What are the three things you think will happen in the hotel space in 2011?
• The big brands will continue to homogenize and the independents will increase focus to individualise
• Rates and Revpar will head back towards the levels in early 2008
• Second tier hotel groups will cross the Chasm where analytics and social media are concerned

Q: What are the three things hotels should invest in in the new year?
• Their own website
• Getting to know who are truly their most valuable guests
• Anti bedbug measures

Q: What are your predictions for hotel distribution and marketing next year?
• That it will go back to paper and flyer promotions
• Walkins, fax and telex rule
• Directors of sales and marketing will become redundant

OR

• Get online or fall off line
• OTA’s will get smarter about their pricing models
• Traditional wholesale makes a massive move towards online

Q: Which hotel groups are the ones to watch next year, and why?
• Lemon Tree in India – aggressive and smart
• Jin Jiang China – watch them ramp up their investment
• Retirement Villages – we are all in an aging population

Q: Three important events that happened this year that you think will have significant impact on travel in the future.
• Improvement of airports in India
• At least three Tiger flights left on time in 2010
• We will find out if A380’s can fly with only 2 engines

Q: Most over-used word of 2010?
F…..ck
Second most over used word – online

Q: Most under-estimated word of 2010?
F……ck
Second most underestimated word = loyalty

Q: What word/concepts will disappear from the hotel vocabulary?
Paris Hilton
Fax
Free

Q: As the year winds to an end, what will you remember most about 2010?
• The night when ……..
• Asian recovery – particularly Singapore
• The WORLDHOTELS conference in Bali
• The Brand Karma night at Senso during Web In Travel
• My two-week trip on holidays to New York with my wife

Q: What are you most looking forward to in 2011?
More beach time – I wish
My 2-week trip surfing in the southern atolls at a secret remote Indian ocean location with 10 close friends
Writing at least 1 more romance of travel blurb
Eating at Tetsuya
Taking off and landing safely at least 40 times
My daughter coming home from Chicago after an extended trip
We more than doubled our revenues this year compared to last – another 50 points please in 2011 is not too much to ask from the team – is it ?
Going to WIT 2011 – that was fun this year and was worthwhile commercially as well
Getting a cat

Featured image credit (Hotel Reception Interior Scene): Ockra/iStock