Regions
The Wrap: CatchThatBus adds home delivery feature to its mobile app
08/12/2016 by WiT
The weekly news roundup: Home delivery of tickets by CatchThatBus, TripAdvisor’s year-end value report, Skyscanners’ list of emerging destinations for 2017  STARTUPS: CatchThatBus adds home delivery feature to its mobile app Customers of Malaysia-based startup CatchThatBus now do not [...]
AccorHotels buys 5% stake in Banyan Tree for S$24m
08/12/2016 by WiT
AccorHotels, fresh on the heels of wrapping up the concierge deal with John Paul, has made another acquisition – a 5% stake in Singapore-based Banyan Tree Holdings – for S$24 million (US$16.9 million), The investment will be made through a mandatory convertible debenture that, at conversion, [...]
Letter from Las Vegas: Where polar bears play, Elvis is alive and Trump rules
07/12/2016 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
At San Francisco airport, the queue for immigration is packed with mainly people of Asian descent – Malaysians, Singaporeans, Indonesians, Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Koreans and Indians. Maybe it’s the timing – I have flown in direct from Singapore – and the flights at this time of the [...]
From food delivery to helping hosts, Limpert eyes global play for GuestReady
02/12/2016 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
During his stint as managing director of Food Panda for Taiwan and Philippines, based in Taipei last year, Alexander Limpert became an Airbnb host. That was when he realised that being a host for the sharing accommodation site wasn’t that easy, there were many things to handle. “I saw an [...]
The Wrap: AccorHotels wraps up concierge deal with John Paul
01/12/2016 by WiT
The weekly news roundup: Accor’s acquisition of John Paul completed, CarTrawler and IdealWorksCompany forecast of 2016 ancillary revenue, partnership between China’s PKfare and Amadeus, virtual payment solution for agents from Sabre HOTELS: AccorHotels wraps up concierge deal with John Paul [...]
Getting real and more human is the only way we can beat the machines, AI included
01/12/2016 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
I was at the Accor Hotels Showcase last week. This is an annual roadshow put together by the fastest-growing hotel company in Asia Pacific to showcase their range of hotels across the region. It’s an event that’s been going for 13 years (formerly named World of Accor) and Singapore was the fi [...]
The Wrap: Air Black Box has two new investors – ANA and Cebu Pacific
24/11/2016 by WiT
The weekly news roundup: Two new investors for Air Black Box, Chinese airports’ investments in technology for improved experience, destinations made almost famous through film tourism STARTUPS: Air Black Box has two new investors - ANA and Cebu Pacific  Air Black Box (ABB), a dedicated [...]
Ctrip buys out Skyscanner, first move into global meta-search territory
24/11/2016 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Following Jenny Wu, chief strategy officer of Ctrip's declarations of globalisation on stage at Phocuswright last week, this doesn't come as a surprise but it's a big deal – Ctrip acquiring Skyscanner for a valuation of £1.4b. Edinburgh-based Skyscanner, which has built out a strong global bu [...]
Technology, travel and Trump – key takeaways from Phocuswright
24/11/2016 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Call it a funnel or a sieve or whatever, let’s face it, things are changing in online travel, lines are blurring even faster than you can say “revolution” and everyone, it seems, wants to be all things to all people. Has specialisation died at the altar of growth – imagine, Airbnb getting [...]
Predictions: The 8 hot travel trends in 2017 
21/11/2016 by WiT
In just over a month 2016 will come to an end, and we will welcome in a new year. This is also the time when many companies, regardless of the nature of their business, will come out with their predictions for what 2017 will bring. Booking.com has done just that with eight travel predictions for [...]