I sleep better knowing Dennis Crowley has the same dreams
At WIT I started a session with a quick five minutes on a topic I called “I Dream of Search” or as I suggested it could be called, “I Dream of (Not) Search(ing)”. The basis for these thoughts was that the ‘Internet’ – the InterWeb – ‘knows’ enough about me to understand my sent [...]
IDeaS wants to be the AirAsia of revenue management
If everyone can fly with AirAsia, then every hotel can revenue manage, according to Brian Sterrett (left), vice president global sales and marketing of IDeaS, who is looking to the region to drive the company’s growth in the next few years.Sterrett, who attended the WIT Conference, said that IDeaS [...]
Change in an industry of blinding lights
The opening panel at last week's Asia Connect in Singapore, “The C-Spot: Customer, Chaos, Cloud – There's a new C in the air”, moderated by Web In Travel’s Yeoh Siew Hoon, featured Patrick Andres, VP Asia Pacific of Sabre Hospitality and Mario Jobbe, co-founder of Circos Brand Karma.To kick [...]
No wringing of hands and moaning as AirAsia soldiers on to post growth
Ours not to “wring our hands and moan” at the high fuel prices, ours “but to use our creativity” and so AirAsia gets on with it to post a growth in operating profit for the first quarter of 2011.Group CEO Tony Fernandes, said, “What is particularly significant for us is that our operating [...]
Chinese airlines get real about international expansion – it’s the rail thing
It was interesting to note that as keen as the Australians are to reach out to the Chinese traveler, so are the Chinese in growing their share of the Australian pie.The Australians have a clear goal – to make China, now its fourth largest market for visitors, its top source by 2020. To do that, it [...]
Ctrip pact to spur growth for Shangri-La, high end travel the one to watch
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts saw a 60% growth in business from Ctrip.com International in 2010 over 2009 across its entire portfolio. That was probably what spurred the Hong Kong-based brand to sign a “distribution co-operation agreement” with China’s leading online travel agency in antici [...]
Curating elite resorts for a new customer in a new age
Mark Greedy’s the first to admit that his new business, Elite Resorts of Asia Pacific, would not have been possible without the Internet.“I remember talking to my son (who is working with Greedy in Elite) about how one day we would be global and he said, 'Dad, we are global now'. It took me a w [...]
Digital key to Singapore’s continued success
Big Numbers, Big ChallengesSingapore has some challenges with regard to its tourist Industry. But they are the kinds of challenges that tourist Industries around the world might relish when set alongside their own.At yesterday’s Tourism Industry Conference in Singapore, Guest of honour, Senior Min [...]
Dispatch from Dubai, Part 1: Hospitality that makes you feel at home
I was typing away on my new Mac Air on the flight when the man sitting across the aisle from me looked at me and asked, “Are you Siew Hoon?”Turned out he’s a hotelier whom I meet every now and then at conferences but never in Singapore where we both live. “I heard you pounding away and then [...]
Don’t be overwhelmed, Mr Travel Agent – conquer post-booking space first
With so much happening in the mobile space, it is easy for travel agents to be overwhelmed and get confused about what they should do in this space.Well, the advice from Brett Henry, vice president-marketing, Abacus International and vice president India, is “conquer the post-booking space first� [...]
