Marketing
The Wrap: AccorHotels wraps up concierge deal with John Paul
01/12/2016 by WiT
The weekly news roundup: Accor’s acquisition of John Paul completed, CarTrawler and IdealWorksCompany forecast of 2016 ancillary revenue, partnership between China’s PKfare and Amadeus, virtual payment solution for agents from Sabre HOTELS: AccorHotels wraps up concierge deal with John Paul [...]
Getting real and more human is the only way we can beat the machines, AI included
01/12/2016 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
I was at the Accor Hotels Showcase last week. This is an annual roadshow put together by the fastest-growing hotel company in Asia Pacific to showcase their range of hotels across the region. It’s an event that’s been going for 13 years (formerly named World of Accor) and Singapore was the fi [...]
The Wrap: Air Black Box has two new investors – ANA and Cebu Pacific
24/11/2016 by WiT
The weekly news roundup: Two new investors for Air Black Box, Chinese airports’ investments in technology for improved experience, destinations made almost famous through film tourism STARTUPS: Air Black Box has two new investors - ANA and Cebu Pacific  Air Black Box (ABB), a dedicated [...]
Ctrip buys out Skyscanner, first move into global meta-search territory
24/11/2016 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Following Jenny Wu, chief strategy officer of Ctrip's declarations of globalisation on stage at Phocuswright last week, this doesn't come as a surprise but it's a big deal – Ctrip acquiring Skyscanner for a valuation of £1.4b. Edinburgh-based Skyscanner, which has built out a strong global bu [...]
Technology, travel and Trump – key takeaways from Phocuswright
24/11/2016 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Call it a funnel or a sieve or whatever, let’s face it, things are changing in online travel, lines are blurring even faster than you can say “revolution” and everyone, it seems, wants to be all things to all people. Has specialisation died at the altar of growth – imagine, Airbnb getting [...]
My 15 Minutes of Fame (and Why Airbnb is Killing it)
23/11/2016 by Douglas Quinby
In 2010, I was working on an update to our U.S. vacation rental market research, and one name kept popping up: Airbnb. I began digging in. The model was odd – people rent out their primary residences or spaces within their homes – but the product and founders were compelling. They took a very de [...]
Predictions: The 8 hot travel trends in 2017 
21/11/2016 by WiT
In just over a month 2016 will come to an end, and we will welcome in a new year. This is also the time when many companies, regardless of the nature of their business, will come out with their predictions for what 2017 will bring. Booking.com has done just that with eight travel predictions for [...]
Letter from Los Angeles: Globalisation and experiences are the new order in a Trump world
19/11/2016 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
There were several elephants in the room during the Phocuswright conference in Los Angeles this week. Airbnb launching Trips, taking it into Experiences and Places, with Flights and Services to be added in the future; Google Now being rolled out on top of Google flights now available in 27 co [...]
Airbnb launches Trips platform, giving guests more direct access to local insights and experiences
18/11/2016 by WiT
Airbnb has ventured beyond the accommodation space after eight years with the launch of Airbnb Trips – a mobile platform designed to give consumers a new resource for local information, tours and activity bookings and travel itinerary planning. Trips focuses on three key areas, being: Experiences, [...]
The Wrap: Rome2rio adds onsite bookings, announces new partnerships
17/11/2016 by WiT
The weekly news roundup: Rome2rio's new booking model and partnerships, Travelport’s merchandising technology for Fly365.com, AirAsia’s enhanced one-click payment MARKETING: Rome2rio adds onsite bookings, announces new partnerships Travel search engine Rome2rio is reaching a key mi [...]