Fee for all coming to an end with Airbnb’s host commission switch?
Pricing is set to get a shakeup in Australia’s short term rental (STR) industry from November 1 when Airbnb scraps guest service charges and moves to a 15 per cent host commission only model – up from 3 per cent – for its software-connected hosts and property managers.
It is a huge change [...]
The Wrap: Asia Pacific airlines still struggling to survive, Trip.com Group bolsters travel recovery with “LIVE for Trip” campaign, and more …
The Wrap is a round-up of news in the travel and technology industries, and to keep track of developments in these sectors as businesses adapt and reset to meet challenges in the era of coronavirus.
Asia Pacific airlines still struggling to survive, says AAPA
Air passenger demand in Asia Paci [...]
Report: Singapore’s mid-market hotels have to rethink business models and be flexible amid Covid challenges
Covid has upended the hotel industry worldwide, and in Singapore the mid-market segment is “being forced” to consider reimagined business models, guest amenities and experiences, as well as space usage, according to a report by JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group (JLL).
The report, Reimaginin [...]
How Almosafer’s omni-channel strategy helped it ride out Covid-19
Ronnie Varghese, head of digital for Almosafer, the flagship consumer travel brand of Saudi Arabia’s Seera Group, is the first to admit his initial scepticism when the company announced it wanted to actively pursue an omni-channel strategy in 2019.
Almosafer had started as a social media [...]
STB and Airbnb Experiences partner to bring virtual tourism to global travellers
Following on the heels of its two-year global marketing partnership with Expedia last week, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has formed yet another pact - with Airbnb Experiences to offer a variety of virtual tours to global audiences in “the new international tourism climate”
The two partn [...]
Sabre, Google to develop AI-tech platform to power personalised travel
Sabre and Google have teamed up to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technology platform to propel the personalisation of travel.
Known as Sabre Travel AI , it uses Google’s
AI technology and machine-learning capabilities to
deliver relevant and personalised content to meet [...]
WiT Seoul 2020 goes hybrid – physical Innovation Stage twinned with virtual event
WiT Seoul 2020, to be held October 29, will combine a physical WiT Innovation Stage in Seoul starting at 2pm local time, with a virtual Main Stage which will kick off at 5pm.
The WiT innovation Stage, aimed at connecting local startups with investors in mentoring sessions, will be held from 2pm [...]
Globalisation and OTA power, two sacred cows killed by Covid
Scoot’s Wilson on distribution: “Use the opportunity to recalibrate and build back better” while Pan Pacific's Choe says, “The Netflix culture is coming”
Globalisation and OTA power are the two sacred cows that have been killed by Covid, as far as Campbell Wilson, CEO of Scoot, and Cho [...]
RedDoorz expands accommodation offerings with launch of a new brand – SANS
Singapore-based budget-hotel booking startup RedDoorz has added a new brand to its portfolio, SANS, as part of the company's strategy to grow into the “largest new-age hospitality company in South-east Asia”.
Described as “a trendy, economy lifestyle hotel brand” SANS, derived from the I [...]
The WiT Podcast – Episode 24: Timothy Hughes, Vice President, Corporate Development, Agoda
Even for introverts this year has been particularly hard in terms of being cut off from people, but for extroverts like Agoda’s Timothy Hughes it’s been especially challenging. But he’s been taking it in stride like everyone else, saying he’s been the best informed he’s ever been through [...]
