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 [...]
Letter from Berlin: Brexit woes, hard truths about aviation and hail the good guys of globalisation
Flying across from Cardiff to Berlin via Amsterdam over the weekend of the Brexit negotiations made me mindful of how fragile and uncertain the social, political and economic landscape of Europe is.
As I read the headlines – how the Europeans have agreed to the Brexit deal and now Prime Ministe [...]
Letter from Los Angeles: Of last mile mobility, teenage dreams and Chinese ambitions
The day I landed in Los Angeles, there was a heavy smell of smoke in the air. The California wildfires were raging and the winds were blowing smoke towards the city.
It didn’t stop the city’s residents from getting out and about. The LA Live area was teeming with crowds. A Lakers game was on, [...]
From Singapore to Shenzhen, from Youbibi to Skyscanner, Steven Pang makes seamless transition from startup to global play
While others were still dreaming about the China travel opportunity, Steven Pang, a Singaporean living in Hong Kong, took the plunge back in 2010 to start a travel search business specialising in comparing flights, hotels and package holidays. He chose the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen as his s [...]
Tushar Khandelwal: An entrepreneur’s Interstellar-inspired voyage into tours & activities
We remember Tushar Khandelwal, COO & co-founder, when he first pitched the idea of Voyagin at a WiTNext event aimed at future leaders. Since then, the tours & activities startup has gone places, been acquired by Rakuten and claims a solid footing in the most exciting space in online travel. [...]
Teenage Tesloop founder switches direction from ride sharing to data connectivity: Here’s why
Ahead of their on-stage conversation at Phocuswright next Wednesday in Los Angeles, teenage founder of Tesloop, Haydn Sonnad, reveals to Yeoh Siew Hoon a change of direction for the company he founded in 2015 when he was 16.
Tesloop, the Tesla ride-sharing service started by teenager Haydn S [...]
As Accor hits 1,000 in APAC, Issenberg ponders China softening, tech impact and talent
What does it take to grow a hotel group to 1,000 properties in Asia Pacific? Well, if you ask Michael Issenberg, CEO, AccorHotels APAC, it takes time and investing in people on the ground, helped of course by a handful of acquisitions.
“When I joined Accor 24 years ago, we had fewer than 50 [...]
The story of Mary Li: From ASLAN to Mystifly, from China to India, and truths in between
I first met Mary Li when she was introduced to me as the co-CEO of Mystifly, the India-based global airfares marketplace. My curiosity stirred, I did some research on her and found her back story. With no background in travel, she founded ASLAN, China's first data-driven travel technology company, c [...]
WiT Singapore 2018: Whatever it takes to design and build for the customer: Ponde
When asked to pick a song that best describes his personal journey with Facebook, its head of global travel strategy Nikhilesh Ponde, chose “Whatever It Takes” by Imagine Dragons.
“Whatever it takes, 'cause I love the adrenaline in my veins/I do whatever it takes 'cause I love how it feels [...]
