Letter from Sydney: Of food made for instagram and the journey towards NDC, diversity and chatbots
At the Two Sis café in Pyrmont where I had lunch my last day in Sydney, the place was packed with youngsters from Asia – there’s a local university nearby and so it’s popular with students. Let’s say my friends and I brought up the average age substantially.
The café, owned by a Cor [...]
Small in size, big in dreams: Three hoteliers carving a niche in the boutique space
They are small and they are unique. And they are finding their niche in an overcrowded space that sees new and perhaps more unique properties coming up every other month.
However, what makes the Ambong-Ambong Rainforest Retreat and Ambong Pool Villas in Langkawi, and Ren i Tang and SINKEH in Pena [...]
In Amsterdam, lessons from noodles to mobiles, and Palma to privacy
Three more weeks before I head to Amsterdam to run WIT Europe as part of Phocuswright and I am looking forward to shared experiences and lessons between our two continents.
I’ve always seen Europe as more similar to Asia than any other region – it is multi-lingual, multi-cultural and steeped [...]
Fighting back with technology: 10 tips for independent hotels to compete
How can small independent hotels, with limited resources, survive in the world of hospitality where the big are getting bigger and the small are being eaten up?
“Technology is the answer,” says Jack Tan of IdeaWeaver Consulting, who shared 10 tips at the recent WIT Indie in Penang on how inde [...]
On the circle of life, scale and experience chase each other’s tails
In many ways I feel the industry is coming full circle – on one hand, you have the giants of scale talking about local experiences and community and on the other, independents and creatives talking about scale, each knowing you need the other to thrive in a digitally-driven world.
At the recent [...]
8 key takeaways from WIT Hospitality 2018: Cash flow and real estate may still rule but transform or be left behind
I am sure by now hoteliers must be tired of hearing people tell them they must change. But they do say if you say something often enough, it will happen sooner rather than later.
And It looks like something fundamental is shifting. It felt palpable at WIT Hospitality which took place in Hong Kong [...]
STB to unleash passionate marketers and storytellers to support and animate its new brand
Having launched its “Passion Made Possible” brand last year, the success of which depends on unleashing the passion of Singaporeans and residents, the Singapore Tourism Board is investing in building an industry of marketers and storytellers.
As a first step, it has opened its internal Ma [...]
Second European Mountain Travel Summit scales new heights
Top-level executives involved in mountain travel and tourism exchanged notes and gathered valuable information at the second annual European Mountain Travel Summit (EMTS) in Crans-Montana, Switzerland which concluded recently.
With over 160 senior executives from the mountain travel industry in a [...]
As spaces and customers evolve, hotels have to make booking and planning meetings easier
After corporate travel, the meetings market (or MICE as it is called) is the next most lucrative sector for hotels and is the slowest in tech adoption. With the convergence of new technology and changing customer demands and expectations, this space is next in line for disruption.
Hotels have man [...]
Future Leaders Series to be launched at WIT Hospitality 2018 in Hong Kong
WIT will launch a 'Future Leaders Series' aimed at nurturing outstanding individuals to become future leaders in the digital travel space as part of WIT Hospitality 2018, which will be held on 20 March at Hotel ICON in Hong Kong,
The half-day forum (from 2 p.m.- 5.30 p.m.) on 19 March, a day be [...]
