A first-timer’s view: The WIT factor in Indonesia
Just about a week ago, the first WIT Indonesia in Pullman Hotel, Central Park, Jakarta was held and as one of the ‘observers’ – and I’m pretty sure half of delegates who came were first-timers – I found it was an eye-opening experience in terms of not only what I learnt about online travel [...]
Bookings with mobile devices on the rise for SLH
Data released by Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) on global browsing and booking trends through its website revealed the significant role mobile devices are playing in the luxury hotel industry.In January 2013 SLH website hits in China were up by 406% year-on-year, Brazil 104%, Russia 22% an [...]
The world should watch out for Kakao, WeChat as IM explodes in Asia
I read an article this morning on Mashable on how Instagram and Vine will change the news industry. So soundbites will be reduced to Instagram-filtered images and 6-second videos – oh look, there’s a meteorite landing on Russia and how to cook nasi goreng in six seconds, and not the instant o [...]
Hyatt puts customer experience at heart of its brands
Hyatt Hotels Corporation is undertaking a branding exercise to put customer experience at the heart of each of its six brands.Carina Chorengel, who’s taken on the new role of vice president branding for Asia Pacific, told WIT that branding champions had been set up in the different regions to le [...]
Instant booking and confirmation with Roomorama’s new service
Online platform for short-term rentals, Roomorama, has launched Instant Bookings for selected properties on its website, allowing for immediate confirmation of accommodation bookings and cutting users' waiting time.According to Roomorama, the service is the first of its kind in the short-term renta [...]
Love at first drive and this geek’s the proud owner of the biggest gadget of all
So who says only women are impulsive, are prone to “simply must have it” obsessions and when they’ve got it, rationalize their purchases to make themselves feel good? Why, even geeks can feel it too.Joe Nguyen, a self-professed geek, is always showing off his latest gadgets when we meet. So wh [...]
Social, the most ‘heboh’ part of Indonesian travel
We all know the numbers. The fourth most populous country in the world. Top five in terms of Facebook and Twitter users. High mobile penetration. Huge spike in internet usage growth.No wonder global online travel players are all trying to get into Indonesia. But for me personally, the most interesti [...]
Same-day hotel booking space heats up as HotelQuickly joins fray
The battle for same-day, mobile-only hotel bookings just got hotter – a new player,HotelQuickly, launched across six countries in South-east Asia a fortnight ago.This comes right after the launch of CheckInTonight, a Cambodia-based start-up that is also scaling across South-east Asia.HotelQui [...]
The Wrap: Weighty issue of Fat Tax resurfaces
In the news: Fat Tax for overweight airlines passengers, Malaysian travellers going online, iPads for Malaysia Airlines’ A380sWeighty issue of Fat Tax resurfacesA recent suggestion by a Norwegian economist, Dr Bharat P. Bhatta, that airlines should charge overweight passengers on a "pay as you wei [...]
What keeps Norwegian’s boss awake? Asian low cost carriers
Read an interesting piece on BBC News about Norwegian Air Shuttle whose chief executive Bjorn Kjos is shaking things up at the airline and getting the attention of low cost leaders like Easyjet and Ryanair.While what he’s doing in Europe is impressive – Norwegian is now the second largest airl [...]
