The Wrap: AccorHotels expands Singapore presence with new John Paul office, more properties
In the news: AccorHotels’ expansion in Singapore, Ctrip's car rental business, Amadeus Airport Pay for Lufthansa Group
HOSPITALITY: ACCORHOTELS EXPANDS SINGAPORE PRESENCE WITH NEW JOHN PAUL OFFICE, MORE PROPERTIES
On June 12 AccorHotels launched its subsidiary John Paul, a concierge and c [...]
Letter from Karuizawa: Of domestic sausages, chowa and online battles
Karuizawa is an hour’s train ride from Tokyo. The hill resort is a popular summer retreat for Tokyo folks looking to escape the heat and stress of city life. At WIT Japan & North Asia, there was a lot of talk about the need to disperse tourism beyond the main centres of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto [...]
Deal sealed: Tourico is now part of Hotelbeds
US-based Tourico Holidays officially became part of global bedbank and B2B provider of services, Hotelbeds Group, on June 8 following the closure of regulatory and legal procedures.
This completes the deal following announcement by Hotelbeds Group last February to acquire Tourico Holidays and mer [...]
The Wrap: LUXE City Guides introduces directory for agents and hotel concierges
In the news: New directory from LUXE City Guides, Travelport’s new managing director for Greater China, Agoda’s ‘travel smart’ study
TRAVEL PRODUCTS: LUXE CITY GUIDES INTRODUCES DIRECTORY FOR AGENTS AND HOTEL CONCIERGES
LUXE City Guides has launched LUXE Directory, a new tool for h [...]
The Future of Hotel Distribution in Asia: The Opportunities
The second annual WIT Hospitality Think Tank took place last March in Hong Kong. Powered by Expedia and TravelClick, this year’s edition drew its attention to “The Future of Hotel Distribution in Asia: The Opportunities”.
Its purpose was to build on last year’s Think Tank, wherein it was [...]
Letter from Tokyo: Why did you come to Japan? A tale of Japanese influence on youthful dreams
On the Japan Airlines flight over from Singapore, I caught a television programme made by Tokyo TV called “Why did you come to Japan?”
Clearly launched on the back of the inbound boom to Japan, it basically catches visitors at Narita airport unawares, asks them their reason for coming to the [...]
Niccolo and Marco Polo hotels are now known as Wharf Hotels
Two Hong Kong-based iconic hotel brands - Niccolo Hotels and Marco Polo Hotels are, from today (June 6), officially grouped as ‘Wharf Hotels’ under Wharf Hotels Management Limited, the management company for the hotel group.
“This marks an exciting new chapter in the company’s evolution, [...]
Sojern and Google’s Japan Travel Report reveals top inbound market trends
Sojern and Google have just released the “Japan Travel Report”, offering an analysis of inbound consumer travel trends to Japan.
The report utilises Google search data, coupled with Sojern’s ‘travel intent’ and booking data from a pool of roughly 350 million anonymised traveller profile [...]
Mobile shopping spend in Asia Pacific to surge this year, research reveals
‘Shop till you drop’ is a common phrase among most Asians as shopping is a favourite past time and, for some, an indispensable part of their life.
With the ‘invasion’ of technology into so many aspects of our lives and the proliferation of mobile gadgets, shopping online has become very p [...]
The Millennial Traveller: Lost in your own re-imagination?
I do not fast but I have always had fond memories during Ramadan as a child. My mother would take us to our cousins’ apartment late at night, where we’d sit around a table and help my aunt bake a phenomenal number of batches of sugee cookies and honey cornflakes, which she would later sell to he [...]
