Getting real and more human is the only way we can beat the machines, AI included
I was at the Accor Hotels Showcase last week. This is an annual roadshow put together by the fastest-growing hotel company in Asia Pacific to showcase their range of hotels across the region.
It’s an event that’s been going for 13 years (formerly named World of Accor) and Singapore was the fi [...]
Exploring the power of emotional intelligence in online travel
The inaugural Tern Tables was launched on Wednesday last week at Spacemob, the co-working space in Singapore. Sponsored by The Travel Corporation and HotelsCombined and in partnership with Travel Massive, the travel career coaching session focused on the power of emotional intelligence in a high-tec [...]
Getting to the bottom of “big data” buzzword will help airlines fly higher
‘Big Data’ was a buzzword of choice at the CAPA Asia Aviation Summit in Singapore recently.
A panel, moderated by Stephen Pearse (managing director of CAPA – Centre for Aviation), explored what embracing big data could mean for the aviation industry going forward and anticipated what barr [...]
Ctrip buys out Skyscanner, first move into global meta-search territory
Following Jenny Wu, chief strategy officer of Ctrip's declarations of globalisation on stage at Phocuswright last week, this doesn't come as a surprise but it's a big deal – Ctrip acquiring Skyscanner for a valuation of £1.4b.
Edinburgh-based Skyscanner, which has built out a strong global bu [...]
Technology, travel and Trump – key takeaways from Phocuswright
Call it a funnel or a sieve or whatever, let’s face it, things are changing in online travel, lines are blurring even faster than you can say “revolution” and everyone, it seems, wants to be all things to all people.
Has specialisation died at the altar of growth – imagine, Airbnb getting [...]
My 15 Minutes of Fame (and Why Airbnb is Killing it)
In 2010, I was working on an update to our U.S. vacation rental market research, and one name kept popping up: Airbnb. I began digging in. The model was odd – people rent out their primary residences or spaces within their homes – but the product and founders were compelling. They took a very de [...]
Letter from Los Angeles: Globalisation and experiences are the new order in a Trump world
There were several elephants in the room during the Phocuswright conference in Los Angeles this week.
Airbnb launching Trips, taking it into Experiences and Places, with Flights and Services to be added in the future; Google Now being rolled out on top of Google flights now available in 27 co [...]
Letter from a traveller: What will it be like in the new America?
Two weeks ago, I was in Amsterdam and you couldn’t find a more liberal country than Netherlands where the coffee bars serve more than caffeine and where the people speak several languages just because they have to, situated as they are in the middle of Europe.
Even then, I sensed a growing unea [...]
Trends that matter in online travel
At WIT 2016 Conference in Singapore last month, Lorraine Sileo, vice president research of Phocuswright, shared the key trends that mattered in online travel with Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder, WIT.
Q. What are the big global trends that you’ve seen in the past year?
Consolidation, circle of d [...]
Three key pillars of any startup from Air Black Box’s Timothy O’Neil-Dunne
Timothy O’Neil-Dunne is no young chook in travel. His career history includes being part of the founding team at Expedia, head of technology at Worldspan, co-founder of VaultPAD Ventures, and a managing partner at T2Impact. Needless to say, he’s built an impressive CV over the years.
Neverthe [...]
