An apology from Mews’ Richard Valtr: “We should be 20 times bigger than we are”
Most founders, asked how they feel about what they’ve built, say proud. Or exhausted. Richard Valtr says disappointed.
Not because Mews hasn’t grown. It has, from a Prague start-up in 2012 into one of hospitality’s most talked-about operating systems. But because, in his view, it should be fa [...]
Food, identity & tourism: The story grown when no one is watching
A soil scientist by accident, a MasterChef alum turned custodian of culture, and a data analyst who’s read 1,300 diners’ minds walked into a Queenstown pre-lunch session – and ended up agreeing on the same verdict: New Zealand’s food story is still “emerging”.
That was the key takeawa [...]
AI wave, local reckoning: Four trends cruise can’t ignore
Confession first: the woman opening a cruise conference is not, by her own admission, a cruiser.
“I am not a big cruiser,” Yeoh Siew Hoon told delegates at Cruise World Asia in Singapore on Wednesday morning, before explaining why she was on stage anyway – WiT, the travel platform she found [...]
From idea to pilot in 7 weeks. Why ZUZU Hospitality picked Queenstown for its new hotel tech platform
ZUZU Hospitality's new "Kea" platform wants to fix the data mess independent hoteliers deal with daily, and Queenstown is the testing ground before it goes global
Singapore-based ZUZU Hospitality is piloting a new AI platform for independent hotels in Queenstown, just seven weeks after founder and [...]
The next generation of hotels: Software companies that happen to have beds
Robots delivering room service in San Francisco, a 200,000-square-foot wellness floor in Athens with a longevity clinic attached. At WiT Queenstown, a panel of operators, owners and investors tried to work out what actually matters once the gadgetry is stripped away.
Travellers now have multitud [...]
Local grit, global impact: four Kiwi founders on building tech from the world’s edge
Some people eat to live. Some people live to eat. All startups though live and die by solving the pain points they’ve chosen to tackle.
Which was how I kicked off the panel, “Local Grit, Global Impact: Kiwi Innovation in Travel & Hospitality Tech” at WiT Queenstown. I asked the question � [...]
Resilient travel demand for GCC destinations signals recovery potential through the end of 2026
Travel intelligence analysis by The Data Appeal Company finds that, while the February escalation triggered an immediate shock to travel sentiment and hotel demand across the GCC, travellers have progressively become less reactive to renewed tensions—pointing to strong recovery potential if disrup [...]
Why empathy, not argument, is Airbnb’s approach to short-term rental regulation
Mich Goh on listening her way through hostile hearings, and what governments across APAC actually want when they talk about short-term rentals
Every APAC market wants something different from tourism, and that's the challenge Mich Goh (Director of Public Policy, APAC, Airbnb) has built her career a [...]
The next transformation: Inside Ascott’s agentic AI leap of faith
Chief Commercial Officer Tan Bee Leng on the mindset shift that took the company from owner to operator – and the one she says is even bigger
Ask Tan Bee Leng, chief commercial officer of Ascott, what her immediate challenge is and her answer was not what I had expected.
“Parity,” she says [...]
Expedia Group acquires Layla to bolster its AI-powered trip planning and booking strategy
Acquisition accelerates Expedia Group’s AI-native trip planning offerings spanning the full journey – from inspiration, to planning, booking, and support for travelers worldwide
Expedia Group announced that it has acquired Layla, an AI-native trip planning and booking platform that helps tr [...]
