Accor introduces new loyalty programme, rebrands with fresh name
Accor has unveiled a new loyalty programme called ALL – Accor Live Limitless – that evolves from its Le Club AccorHotels into a “fully integrated platform” delivered through a new app and website.
ALL will offer its members, estimated at around 50 million, access to rewards, services, a [...]
Lonely Planet buys Swedish travel content distributor ArrivalGuides
Leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet has acquired ArrivalGuides, a B2B distributor of content based in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The purchase price and terms of the
acquisition have not been disclosed.
The acquisition comes just a week after the Tennessee-based company announced the appoint [...]
Wilfred Fan leaves Agoda to join Klook as chief commercial officer
Leading travel activities and services booking platform Klook has appointed Wilfred Fan as chief commercial officer – a new role introduced by the Hong Kong-based company to further develop destination services and provide greater support for its merchants.
Fan was most immediately th [...]
Best Western gains foothold in luxury segment with purchase of WorldHotels
Best Western Hotels & Resorts is adding luxury to its portfolio with the acquisition of Frankfurt-based WorldHotels.
Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
This is the second change in ownership for WorldHotels. It was bought by US based hospitality sales and marketing conso [...]
HolidayMe expands to South-east Asia through merger with Tripfez
Dubai-based online travel platform HolidayMe is expanding its footprint to South-east Asia through its merger with Muslim travel site, Tripfez.
The deal, which involved a share swap and undisclosed terms, will see the Malaysia-based startup merged with HolidayMe.
CEO Geet Bhalla, who started [...]
D-EDGE brings combined strengths to grow business as Grob predicts a looming price war over net rates in Asia
D-EDGE Hospitality Solutions, the new brand borne out of the merger between Availpro and Fastbooking, will step up its expansion activities in Asia as well as Europe, confident in the knowledge that its new integrated offering combining the complementary strengths of both brands will stand it in go [...]
Startup Spotlight: Smartvel makes selling destination content easier
As part of the WiT Startup Spotlight series, we go to Madrid this week to speak to Smartvel, which was launched in 2013 with the idea of providing destination content to travel brands to help them enhance their sales. In total, it's raised £3 million and is looking to expand globally.
Describe [...]
Dubai International rebrands to transform into lifestyle destination
Dubai International (DXB), the world busiest airport for international passenger, has seen an annual average growth rate of more than 13% with 2018 traffic surpassing 89.1 million. Last December it achieved a milestone when it welcomed its billionth customer.
The airport's good connectivity to m [...]
Tours & activities: continued growth, walking and eco tours top
The tours and activities space has been watched closely in the last few years, tapped as a promising revenue generator for the travel industry. Phocuswright’s Tours & Activities Come of Age: The Global Travel Activities 2014-2020 Report had pegged the tours and activities marketplace to reach [...]
Airbus bids farewell to the A380 as Emirates cuts order in favour of smaller, more agile fleet
Airbus has made the decision to halt the production of its A380s in a move which could be regarded as a strong marker of air travel’s current state of evolution. The move comes after Emirates, its best customer, dropped its order from 162 to 123 aircraft.
But the drop in Emirates’ A380 order [...]
