The next generation of travel: Trust, vibe and the coming AI wave
At the Next Generation Leaders event yesterday morning, held as part of WiT Singapore, four voices from across Asia’s travel ecosystem – Laura Houldsworth (Booking.com), Timothy Hughes (Agoda), Morris Sim (Montara Hospitality) and Jacinta Lim (Seek Sophie) – examined how the new travel [...]
A birthday gift like no other: Leah Lee’s Connoisseur exit to CapitaLand
When Leah Lee, CEO of Trinity D&C, sat down for our conversation, she was just about to celebrate her birthday. A small party was about to start at her home – a dozen friends gathering for food, laughter and music. But this year, she had more than cake and candles to celebrate.
On October 1 [...]
Cruising goes digital: Complexity, connectivity and the human touch
Did you know that in 2009, online travel penetration in APAC was just 17.4%? By 2025, it has surged to 65.4%. The growth is huge.
Cruise, however, has always been the laggard. Flights, hotels, tours and activities all went online earlier. Cruise, with its complexity, was the last holdout. That� [...]
Seek Sophie: Building a tribe around conscious travel
When Jacinta Lim talks about her startup, Seek Sophie, you can feel both the grit and the idealism running through her words.
Speaking at Travel Tech Thursdays in Kuala Lumpur late last month, the co-founder admits that creating the company has been the hardest thing she’s ever done, harder tha [...]
From family epic to future growth: How Dawn Teo is future-proofing Amara post-delisting
When I listen to Dawn Teo speak about Amara Hotels, I feel she’s not just describing a business but a Singapore family epic that spans three generations – one that started with a grandfather wanting to honour his roots, to her father building up a strong and proudly Singaporean brand and now her [...]
ZUZU raises fresh capital, bets on AI to scale soul of indie hospitality
ZUZU Hospitality has raised US$5.9 million in a Series B extension round which includes long-time backer Wavemaker Growth, with participation from Velocity Ventures and other existing investors.
The Singapore-based startup, founded in 2017 by former Expedia executive Vikram Malhi, is positioni [...]
The Untold Story of “The Untold Story” – Rewritten
The Projector closed this week. For many of us in Singapore, it was the only cinema that mattered – a quirky, independent space where you could be alone, yet not alone, and lose yourself in stories that mainstream theatres never touched.
Its sudden demise struck a nerve. If even movies can’t [...]
Leah Lee: Building hospitality that flows like water
When South Korean hotelier Leah Lee, CEO of Trinity D&C, first applied for a job at the Michelberger boutique hotel in Berlin, she was asked for a quote which defined her. She submitted “Be water, my friend”. The Bruce Lee mantra became her passport into hospitality, and years later, it re [...]
Building the future of air supply: Kelvin Fu’s global vision for AeroHub
When Kelvin Fu speaks about building, he doesn’t just mean companies. The AeroHub co-founder talks like an engineer, weaving systems, networks, and connections into every answer. “I cannot stop building,” he says. “Whether it’s companies, partnerships, or even transportation systems, I’m [...]
From chrome to current: How Singapore Sidecars is charging into the future
On a humid Singapore morning, deep in the basement of a luxury hotel, Simon Wong is preparing to launch something he’s been quietly building for six years – an electric sidecar fleet. For the co-founder of Singapore Sidecars, the retro-chic ride that’s become a magnet for celebrities and curio [...]
