The power of travel reviews to hurt the small guys
I have been thinking about the power of travel reviews – especially as it relates to small, independently-run businesses.Travelling in New Zealand last week, I did what I normally don’t – read reviews before making a decision where to stay.I did it just once because I was going to a place I ha [...]
The rise of Asia and the death of traditional airline cabin classes
Asia will rise, traditional airline cabin classes will disappear, business travel will decline and delivering a total travel experience will be paramount. That’s how a new industry report, The Travel Gold Rush 2020, sees the future of travel.Developed by Oxford Economics, a prominent economic for [...]
The story of China told in a hotel brand
In many ways, the story of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in China parallels that of the most populous nation on earth.Consider this. Shangri-La’s first hotel in China was in Hangzhou – it took over a government-owned hotel, renovated and restored it, and opened it in 1984. Early signs of a regi [...]
The story of The Tender Bar at Hotel Pont Royal
I suppose it’s fitting that I happened to be reading the book “The Tender Bar” by JR Moehringer while I was staying at the Hotel Pont Royal in Paris.The book, an autobiography, is about a boy who spends most of his childhood in a bar, surrounded by the most colourful characters from whom he [...]
Shark-el-Sheikh?
Flying from Cairo to Sharm el Sheikh, over the Sinai peninsula which geographically is the beginning of Asia, you see below the harsh, inhospitable landscape. Rugged mountainous terrain, valleys filled with rivers of sand, a landscape so untouched and unapproachable that you wonder how this peninsul [...]
Skyscanner wants to be Amazon of flight search
Nine years after he personally wrote the code to simplify flight search to solve a particular problem he had, Gareth Williams, CEO of Skyscanner, remains focused on one goal – to make travel search more like a book search – flexible, fast and cheap.“Will it also come with recommendations like [...]
Small things and the best email one Company President ever wrote
I met a good friend yesterday. It had been a while since we’d met and he informed me of a new exciting venture he was entering into with some other good folks. It’s an online project centered around the facilitating of environmentally focused activities of its members.We got to talking about the [...]
Solare first with HotelSnapShot to predict guest booking behaviour
In a country-wide first, Japanese operated Solare Hotels & Resorts has implemented a new software application -HotelSnapShot that allows up to date analysis of internal metrics plus access to key external data that impacts hotels and resorts.HotelSnapShot is the creation of Intouch Data Pty [...]
Something is not working with the Great Firewall of China
Officially, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are banned in China.I've been in Beijing and Shanghai for nearly 10 days with the ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) Study Mission to China. We had meetings with several government departments where we were repeatedly told there was no acces [...]
Spreading the love of learning beyond WIT to Myanmar
I am exhausted but elated. Two days of Web In Travel are over and this morning, we continue with WIT Ideas Lab at ITB Asia.The last two days have seen personalities shine and points of views emerge – this is the intent behind WIT. Our programming is crafted to allow people to shine and points o [...]
