In The Big Chair – Brian Chesky of Airbnb
This article was originally published in Phocuswire. Written by Jill Menze.
In just 10 years, Airbnb has grown from a modest home-share site into one of the biggest disruptors in travel. It's enjoyed the kind of success most startups can only dream about - and with a new slate of product offerin [...]
Asian tours and activities platform KKday closes US$10.5M in series B funding
Asia’s tours and activities platform, KKday has raised an impressive US$10.5 million in Series B funding, led by Japanese travel agent H.I.S., and current investor MindWorks Ventures (a Hong Kong-based venture capital firm) in participation. KKday previously raised US$4.5 million in series A fundi [...]
Building talent and brand identity main challenges facing hospitality, says Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore’s Roy Liang
From a distance, the Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore looks and runs like any longstanding branded accommodation property in the city; smoothly and seemingly effortlessly, like a duck floating on the water.
As many in the industry know, this reality is often far from the case as each property faces [...]
Singapore sees record tourism growth for two years running, according to STB
Singapore saw growth in visitor arrivals by 6.2% (to 17.4million) across all of its top ten markets as well as higher-spending markets like China, South Korea, the USA and the UK. Tourism receipts rose by 3.9% to S$26.8 billion. It marks the second consecutive year of record tourism levels in Singap [...]
Letter from Penang: As Year of the Dog dawns, so will new travellers and citizens with different aspirations and expectations
Tomorrow, February 15, will be the peak of travel as millions of Chinese and their diaspora make the journey to wherever home is to gather for their Lunar New Year reunion dinners.
You can already feel it in Penang, when the population of the island more than triples with the return of Penangites [...]
TrustYou puts review data into one platform, invests in new tech to boost hotels’ ROI
Following its acquisition in June last year by Recruit Holdings Co Ltd, TrustYou has stepped up its expansion in Asia Pacific with the appointment of Alex Tan as managing director, who will oversee development in key Asia markets (excluding Japan and Korea), as well as New Zealand and Australia.
[...]
Parikh gets scrappy at Hotwire and says, “never say never” to Asia
In August 2017, Neha Parikh left Hotels.com where she’d been since April 2008 to become president of Hotwire and it's clear she's bringing her own style and personality to the brand which calls itself “a leading discount travel site that offers ridiculously low prices”. Last November, she anno [...]
SIA launches loyalty digital wallet: Travel retailers are clearly hoping blockchain is their Internet 3.0 moment
The hottest word on the block these days is blockchain. Even though it’s been on the periphery for a few years, it’s been in the shadow of the other hotter word, cryptocurrency.
But as the technology underpinning cryptocurrency, it’s been getting more attention of late.
Like everyone els [...]
Now you can use your face to check-in with AirAsia in Malaysia
Everyone can now literally use their face to board an AirAsia flight at Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru, the low cost airline’s southern hub in Malaysia, with the launch of the Fast Airport Clearance Experience System (FACES).
The airline, which owns and operates FACES, proudly touts [...]
How Aaron Sarma ventured into Touristly and a 50% deal with AirAsia
Other than a little exposure to travel during his stint as country manager at Street Deal, a group buying company in Malaysia, Aaron Sarma knew very little about the vertical.
But when he was looking to do his own thing after leaving the daily deals company, the first industry he looked to was tr [...]
