WiT Podcast: New Wave of Customer Love in Alternative Accommodation
How to stay green and growing, and not ripe and rotting
Imagine. Fifteen years ago, there was no alternative accommodation category on Booking.com. Today, there are 7.2m short term rental listings and in its Q3 2023 earnings, this sector grew the fastest, 24% year over year, making it about 33% of [...]
How AI boosts digital advertising and direct bookings
Recent advances in artificial intelligence’s handling of digital advertising have increased the possibilities for hotels to grow direct bookings and compete with online travel agencies, a new study found.
AI-powered ad campaigns, especially when managed alongside manual campaigns, increased the d [...]
Expedia appoints company veterans to lead newly formed operating divisions
Following the succession from Peter Kern to Ariane Gorin, Expedia Group appoints Alfonso Paredes as President of Private Label Solutions and Greg Schulze as President of Travel Partners and Media
Expedia Group has announced the appointment of Alfonso Paredes as President of Private Label Solutions [...]
Global Travel Tech formed to tackle regulations around digital travel platforms
Six global travel brands – Expedia Group, Booking Holdings, eDreams ODIGEO, Amadeus, Travelport and Skyscanner – are joining forces to form Global Travel Tech (GTT), aimed at fostering innovation and competitiveness in response to anticipated regulatory changes affecting digital travel platforms [...]
Post-IPO, Tripla moves to consolidate in hospitality tech with three acquisitions
“Big chance for a startup like us to consolidate”: Kazuhisa Takahashi
Life after IPO in 2022 hasn’t changed that much for tripla’s CEO and co-founder Kazuhisa Takahashi, although he admits that for the first six months after listing in the Growth Market section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, [...]
How technology has eased conversations between finance and marketing chiefs
Dynamic duo CFO Siew Kim and CCO Bee Leng unite to innovate at Ascott
Technology has not only transformed hospitality in the past decade or so but it has also made conversations easier between finance chiefs and brand marketers, two usually divergent camps because, to put it simply, one counts mone [...]
Japan’s proposed Digital Nomad Visa and what we know so far
Want to work in Tokyo but can’t find a suitable visa? For remote workers, this might just be the ticket
Japan recently unveiled its initial plans (keyword: initial) for a digital nomad visa, joining the ranks of 46 other nations offering similar arrangements for remote employees. This visa type a [...]
Swifties spike Airbnb prices. STB re-engages Traveloka. Penny for her thoughts. More.
Airbnb hosts pull a Swiftie
Pop icon Taylor Swift’s appearances in Melbourne and Sydney in coming days have seen hotels in the two cities booked out – even with room rates going through the roof – while some Airbnb customers feel they been left in the lurch by landlords.
Swifties travellin [...]
Looking ahead in the Northeast Asia travel market
Northeast Asia is a mosaic of interconnected yet distinct travel markets, making it an incredibly dynamic region. Throughout the past year, airlines have worked to reestablish connections between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, rejuvenating routes that had faltered during the pandemic. The Northe [...]
Gen-AI in travel: Game-changer or hype?
Industry leaders weigh in on the real-world potential of GenAI in travel and hospitality
Speculation surrounding the potential of generative AI to ‘revolutionise’ the travel industry was rampant in 2023, yet tangible applications weren’t popping up the way GenAI advocates had hoped they would [...]
