10 truths for luxury hotels in 2026
Overheard at ILTM Cannes this month were these delicious quotes about luxury hospitality from Julia Perowne, who is the CEO of the PR firm Perowne International. (Thanks to Arnie Weissmann from Travel Weekly for the coverage)
“Travellers are spending more than ever before, hotel rates are at an [...]
Why Accor is rethinking personalisation, partnerships and guest loyalty
When you’re operating across MEA and APAC, “data hygiene” quickly becomes more than a buzzword. Speaking in the WiT Studio, Kerry Healy, Chief Commercial Officer (Premium, Midscale & Economy MEA & APAC) at Accor, unpacked how the group is working toward a single, connected guest id [...]
Inside the hidden mechanics of rate leakage with Expedia Group’s Steve Quan
Steve Quan, SVP of Hotel Enterprise Partnerships at Expedia Group, lifts the lid on one of hospitality’s most persistent revenue problems - rate leakage. Expedia’s latest survey found that 98% of hoteliers are affected, but what’s really behind the problem? Steve challenges the obvious assumpt [...]
Booking Holdings’ Rob Ransom on disruption, distribution and the next travel unicorn
At Phocuswright, in a conversation that oscillated between realism and optimism, Rob Ransom, Chief Strategy Officer of Booking Holdings, laid out how the world’s largest online travel company is thinking about the most consequential shift since the dawn of online travel: the rise of AI-powered dis [...]
Letter from Seoul: High anxiety, hard questions and high stakes
“Don’t worry about the next 20, worry about the next six months”
Back in Singapore, after landing at 1am and walking my dog through tropical humidity six hours later, I found myself reflecting on the strange magic of travel.
Just 24 hours earlier, I had been in Seoul, pacing along the Han [...]
From photography, influencing and storytelling, travel’s creative minds reimagine the future
“Always go a little further into the water” – David Bowie
While much is written about the technology toys of the future, the part that too often seems to be lacking is an exploration of just how creative tomorrow’s talent needs to become, in order to help master the challenges ahead of us.
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Secondary cities, smoother visas and digital adoption dominate 2026 travel outlook
Digital travel platform Agoda has released its 2026 Travel Outlook Report, offering a data-driven analysis of the evolving travel landscape across Asia. Drawing on an extensive survey of Agoda customers in key Asia-Pacific markets, the report highlights shifts such as the rising popularity of second [...]
Hotel CEOs on AI, distribution, and the next battle for direct
For years, hotel CEOs have talked about the power struggle between brands and online travel agencies (OTAs). But now, a new force is reshaping that battleground – Artificial Intelligence.
During the “Views from the Boardroom” panel at the HICAP conference held in Singapore in October, leader [...]
The Next 20: What will shape travel’s new era?
Global Travel Tech Thinktank identifies trust among 3 key battlegrounds - here's a summary
If the past 20 years were about putting travel online, the next 20 will be about rebuilding travel entirely — powered by AI, reshaped by demographics, and tested by global risks we can no longer ignore.
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The future isn’t about channels, it’s about guests
At WiT Singapore, hotels and OTAs find common ground in a new battleground: trust, experience, and emotion.
Twenty years on, the old debate between direct versus indirect bookings still echoes through hotel conference halls. But at WiT Singapore 2025, the message was clear: the future of hospitali [...]
