AccorHotels strengthens position in luxury private rental market with Travel Keys acquisition
AccorHotels has begun “exclusive negotiations” for the acquisition of 100% of Travel Keys, a leading player in the private vacation rental market founded in 1991.
According to a statement from AccorHotels, the rental platform is "an elite travel broker representing a luxury collection of ove [...]
Give me the God of Wealth anytime over the God of Wrath
I am feeling particularly good about this Lunar New Year. That’s because I was given an “ang pow” (red packet with money) by the God of Wealth personally.
I ran into him at a new year’s party hosted by George Town Heritage + Hotels in Penang and that red packet he gave me, I will keep [...]
26% Of Australians Would Accept A Lower Paying Job If It Meant Traveling More For Work
26% of Australians would accept a lower paying job if it meant traveling more for work, reveals Booking.com for Business. Businesses must brace themselves for a new breed of business travellers that favour new experiences over traditional workplace benefits.
New research reveals that a staggering [...]
RedDoorz: Lessons on how to build a business on the ground, not on the portal
The Chinese believe red is a lucky colour and it seems to be working in RedDoorz’ favour, although it’s also taken a lot of hard work to get to where it is.
The startup that pivoted from a B2B tech player focused on India to becoming a new generation budget hotel chain focused on Indonesia is [...]
The Wrap: Where travellers are going to spend the Lunar New Year
In the news: Sojern's data on travel trends for the festive season, Marriott’s first pop-up innovation lab, Emirates' fares on Sabre Travel Marketplace
MARKET INTELLIGENCE: WHERE TRAVELLERS ARE GOING TO SPEND THE LUNAR NEW YEAR
The forecast of a global economic slowdown and geopolitical [...]
Letter from KK and Penang: A new world of travel, a new class of accommodation
I hardly recognise Kota Kinabalu (KK) these days. It’s been just over a year since I’ve visited this East Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, and the developments blew me away.
KK is an example of a destination transformed by low cost airlines and the rise of the middle class traveller a [...]
The Wrap: Air travel “remains extraordinarily safe”, says AAPA in report
In the news: Reviews for 2016 in the travel and hospitality industry are still coming in - AAPA with its aviation safety performance report, Booking.com presenting Guest Reviews Award, HRS and its Hotel Price Radar
AVIATION: AIR TRAVEL "REMAINS EXTRAORDINARILY SAFE", SAYS AAPA IN REPORT
F [...]
A thought for the Rooster year – can fortune tellers be replaced by AI?
The bad jokes have started. The first press release arrived last week with a headline that used words like “crowing” and “strutting” and phrases like “feather in our cap”.
Yes, right after we’ve just said goodbye to the new year, it’s time to greet the Fire Rooster as he comes fly [...]
AirAsia to host its first hackathon in March
Last year when the AirAsia group posted a healthy 3Q2016 (financial year ending September 30) with revenue of RM2.97 billion (US$665.7 million) its chief executive officer, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, said the 2017 would promise to be more exciting as ‘it marks the emergence of AirAsia group as a digi [...]
Reflections on 2016 and Predictions for 2017 (Part III)
It’s that time of the year when we ask industry leaders for their thoughts on what happened in 2016 and what they forsee will happen in the new year. Here’s Part 3.
Guillaume De Marcillac, Co-CEO, FASTBOOKING
3 Top Things That Happened and That Mattered in 2016
1. Is bigger [...]
