How to feel “At Home Around The World” and how to protect that experience: New book sheds light on short-term rentals
Robert Rosenstein, co-founder and chairman, Agoda and Peter Allen, managing director of Agoda Outside, have co-authored a book, “At Home Around The World”. Positioned as “the short-term rentals handbook for guests, hosts, neighbours and governments”, the book addresses the world of alternat [...]
2019 – the bridge to something new. Will it be fat years, winter or a fundamental cultural shift?
In his interview on BBC’s World Book Club last month, Chinese author Chan Koonchung spoke about “the importance of the year ending with a 9”.
“Next year (2019) is an important year because 1949 was the beginning of the People’s Republic so it’s the 70th anniversary and we have other [...]
Defiance by design and the big themes for 2019. Happy new year
After a year of intense travelling, it seems fitting to end my letters with a missive from my home island of Penang. If there’s one place that has been transformed by travel, this is it.
In my lifetime, I’ve seen it go through what I call the three ages of tourism – the first wave, that of [...]
How Expedia Group is building diversity through Leading 4 Change
As Expedia Group globalises, with a third of its business now coming from outside the US, the company recognises the need for a more diverse workforce. Melissa Maher, senior vice president and innovation at Expedia Group, is responsible for the “Leading 4 Change” programme which includes drivin [...]
Curious about diversity in 2019? Me too
My first encounter with the author, Ursula K Le Guin, was through “The Left Hand Of Darkness” which I read, growing up in Penang, Malaysia. In a society where one was defined by not only gender but also race, my imagination was fired by her portrayal of a world without gender where one accepted [...]
GuestReady positions itself to drive consolidation in short-term rental market
Short-term rental management service company GuestReady has been in full throttle, growing its portfolio worldwide through acquisitions and taking on the challenge to be a driving force in the consolidation of the supply end of this industry.
“On the supply side, the market is highly fra [...]
Letter from Las Vegas: Travel will soar and new tech will rule but keep love and instinct close
“Want a night out with sluts?” solicited a tout on the strip, as a group of men walked past. Getting no interest, he changed his tack. “We have bible studies too.”
Welcome to Las Vegas, a place for every taste and desire. You want it, you will find it. I wanted Korean food. I got it in C [...]
Time for tech giants to grow up as power of platforms coalesces
Never has so much power been in the hands of so few over so many. As such, there’s a need for more governance and for tech giants to take their responsibilities seriously. Yeoh Siew Hoon reports from Explore 18, Las Vegas, where tech giants like Amazon, Uber and Expedia Group were interviewed by [...]
Expedia closing in on $100b as it aims to be world’s largest travel platform
Fifteen years after its first partners' conference, Expedia Group has re-named its annual gathering in Las Vegas to Explore because “it reflects who we have become and aspire to”.
Opening the event yesterday, which is being attended by more than 4,500 delegates, Mark Okerstrom, president and [...]
From Odisha to Bay Area, how Ritesh Agarwal built OYO Rooms into a unicorn
If you believe that like leaders, entrepreneurs are either born or they are made, then Ritesh Agarwal, founder and CEO of OYO Rooms, belongs to the former.
Growing up in the second most undeveloped district of India in Rayagada, Odisha, the young Ritesh tried his hand at many businesses including [...]
