From family epic to future growth: How Dawn Teo is future-proofing Amara post-delisting
When I listen to Dawn Teo speak about Amara Hotels, I feel she’s not just describing a business but a Singapore family epic that spans three generations – one that started with a grandfather wanting to honour his roots, to her father building up a strong and proudly Singaporean brand and now her [...]
ZUZU raises fresh capital, bets on AI to scale soul of indie hospitality
ZUZU Hospitality has raised US$5.9 million in a Series B extension round which includes long-time backer Wavemaker Growth, with participation from Velocity Ventures and other existing investors.
The Singapore-based startup, founded in 2017 by former Expedia executive Vikram Malhi, is positioni [...]
Booking.com and hotels increasingly go their separate ways
Hotels are reporting a significant recent drop-off in sales from online travel agencies (OTAs), particularly Booking.com, after “leaning” away from them in recent years, alongside other broader industry trends.
The relationship with Booking.com has especially soured in Europe as the embattled [...]
From antelope to evolutionary explorer: Ho Kwon Ping on 30 years of Banyan and the next chapter in travel | Conversations On Turning 20
When you get to the ripe young age of 20, you’re bound to collect lots of stories – not only about the past but lessons for the future.
As WiT marks its 20th year in 2025, we turn the spotlight on our community, our tribe pioneers and leaders, to tell their stories and share their views on th [...]
Leah Lee: Building hospitality that flows like water
When South Korean hotelier Leah Lee, CEO of Trinity D&C, first applied for a job at the Michelberger boutique hotel in Berlin, she was asked for a quote which defined her. She submitted “Be water, my friend”. The Bruce Lee mantra became her passport into hospitality, and years later, it re [...]
Renaissance, luxury, freedom: The three faces of hospitality at WiT Indie
You couldn't find three more different hoteliers if you tried but Chris Ong, Doris Goh Nixon Chin, sharing their stories at WiT Indie in Penang, share one thing in common – they are each driven by a common mission to create spaces that matter to today’s travellers.
One wants to bring about a [...]
Tokyo named world’s best ‘workcation’ city; Singapore ranks fourth in Asia
Tokyo has been named the world’s best workcation city for 2025 in International Workplace Group’s (IWG) third annual Work from Anywhere Barometer, with Singapore ranking among Asia’s top cities where flexible working enables professionals to stay productive while travelling.
The ranking sees [...]
Tech, heart and hospitality: Three hoteliers, three roads to the future
From the polished corridors of a luxury hotel to the barefoot vibes of Potato Head Bali, and the brainy back-end of Lighthouse, three hoteliers – Christine Tan, Jack Tan, and Sharon Chen – embody different worlds of hospitality. But beneath the surface, they share a common goal: making sense o [...]
Rewriting travel: From anti-loyalty to creators’ power
At WiT Indie, where travel’s rebels and rule-breakers come to play, the conversation isn’t just about distribution channels or loyalty metrics – it’s about dismantling the old world of travel and building a new one grounded in community, creativity and traveller-centric thinking.
That’s [...]
Crisis to calling: A son returns with hopes to rebuild family agency
When Allan Aung Khang Kyaw returned to Yangon in 2023 to take over his family’s travel agency, he never imagined he’d be doing so under the shadow of civil war.
“Talk about timing,” said Allan, who had spent six years studying business/management and working in the UK before deciding to joi [...]
