Ctrip removes hotels from Qunar – competition intensifies as China’s online market soars
One of the things that’s most exciting about being in travel in Asia these days is that you can now see and feel the palpable effects of Chinese travellers.What was just talk and numbers a couple of years ago is becoming tangible. From Dominican Republic to Paris to Bhutan to Dublin, Chinese outbo [...]
A new kind of fast is happening at FastBooking
It’s all happening at FastBooking .com these days. A new website launched last week; a new generation booking engine, Attraction, launched; a new managing director for Asia Pierre-Charles Grob who moved to Singapore couple of months ago, a regional conference in Singapore just wrapped up late last [...]
Meet Singapore’s new “secret” hotel
“Sofitel So, please, the new hotel on Robinson Road,” I told the taxi driver.“Ah, the secret hotel,” he replied.That’s how the new Sofitel So in the financial heart of Singapore is being called by taxi drivers. Secret because the driveway is pretty hard to find if you’re driving to it � [...]
In Search of Groove Inspiration
You could say I travelled the world and the seven seas in search of inspiration for this year’s conference programme although unlike Annie Lennox, I didn’t have a lot of sweet dreams about it. (Picture shows the bit of ocean that divides Morocco and Spain as we flew close to Gilbraltar)In fac [...]
Little things update: Here’s one of those little things
The other day I posted about little things mattering.Yesterday I was on the MRT and was listening to my iPod. I didn’t take my iPad that has on it the books I am currently reading. But into my journey I suddenly felt an urge to read a couple more pages of my book, which, of course, is on my i [...]
The war for talent: It’s going to get really tough out there
I was sitting at the swanky spanky new Booking.com office at Marina Bay Financial Centre waiting for my appointment. Next to me was a young Singaporean-Malay man, looking somewhat nervous. At my age, everyone looks young.“You here for a job interview?” I asked.He nodded. “Yes, for a customer s [...]
Goodbye, Mike
Yesterday I got the news that my very first mentor in travel journalism, Mike Annetts, died.I felt heavy in heart because strangely enough, I had been asking after him just a month ago and had been told he was sick and I had been thinking a lot about him – the first time we met, the things I learn [...]
The difference between a truly mobile app and one that is merely mobile
Last time I blogged (or was it the time before) I mentioned briefly the subject of mobile applications. I think I said then that a mobile application could (probably) be much more than an application built for the Apple’s IOS platform or the increasingly dominant Android stage or something that [...]
Groupon-type deals don’t make sense for OTAs; ZUJI works on refreshed branding
Expedia made a lot of noise with its AirAsia joint venture. Wotif made the news with its joint venture in Vietnam with Buffalo Tours. Meanwhile, ZUJI/Travelocity’s been rather quiet, leading many to wonder what the OTA’s been up to. Is it losing steam? Is it being tethered by its parent s [...]
Authentic’s way to go in designing experiences but what’s authentic?
I was quite getting into his speech until the part when he cited the example of drinking coffee at the Piazza San Marco in Venice as “authentic” and that he didn’t mind paying almost 10 euros for a cuppa.That’s when I realised that one man’s authenticity may not be another man’s cup of t [...]
