Letter from Fort Lauderdale: From storms to tech, global forces that bind us
Piles of seaweed lie strewn along the water’s edge along Hollywood Beach in Fort Lauderdale. I am told it’s the remnants of Hurricane Irma which crashed through the state of Florida last month.
From the other side of the world, I’ve been receiving updates of the floods that have devastated [...]
The Phocuswright Conference announces the next generation of groundbreaking travel innovators
The winners of Summit and Launch, held November 7 and 8 during The Phocuswright Conference, have been announced. During Summit, 24 innovative startup and emerging companies and the winners of Battleground: The Americas, APAC and EMEA demonstrated groundbreaking applications and solutions set to chan [...]
The Wrap: Narita is world’s first AI airport with launch of chatbot guide Bebot
In The News: Narita Airport to have an AI chat guide; Best Western launches SureStay Down Under; Hong Kong Airlines uses big data for expansion
AIRPORTS: Narita is world's first AI airport with launch of chatbot guide Bebot
Travellers arriving in Japan’s Narita International Airport fr [...]
ANA XPRIZE competitors envision a future of travel through avatars
If two men from All Nippon Airways (ANA) have their way, villages across the world could in future host avatars that experts could “log in” to and help the village with healthcare, engineering, education.
The avatars will be a shared service — like an Uber, or an Airbnb — so no one owns t [...]
Amadeus Ventures invests in global mapping tech provider AVUXI
Visiting a new destination and don’t have a local to show you the interesting sites or the places to hang out for a drink or a meal? Enter AVUXI, the startup that "ranks the popularity of every place on earth” so you can choose which to visit while making your travel arrangements.
The London [...]
Letter from Cempedak: Seven secrets to landing among the stars
It was exactly a year ago that I visited the private island of Cempedak in the Riau Archipelago of Indonesia and saw it in the making of stage. Piles of bamboo were strewn all over the white sand but there was a definite shape of a resort that resembled a sail unfurling out of the waters.
The isl [...]
The Wrap: WorldKoins lets AirAsia guests convert leftover currency into credits for shopping or good cause
In The News: WorldKoins partners with AirAsia in conversion of leftover currency; movable kiosks for fast check-in at Hong Kong airport; Maxim’s Travel's new branded mobile app
STARTUPS: WorldKoins lets AirAsia guests convert leftover currency into credits for shopping or good cause
Co [...]
Hotels can ride the co-working wave but they need to think of spaces differently
As technology eliminates the boundaries in our lives, lines are also being blurred how we think of and use spaces. Now, a new breed of co-working spaces are on the rise, designed to empower a new generation of workers.
Through collaboration and community, these are spaces that give artists a sen [...]
Letter from Singapore: 8 key takeaways on creating “Better Travel”
From opportunity markets to product innovations to new tech, a lot was discussed at this week’s WIT Conference in Singapore. Here are the eight key takeaways.
The Next Billion Users and it will all be mobile
Most of the major travel brands, from Facebook to Google to Airbnb, are eyei [...]
GuestReady receives additional US$3m funding, acquires Easy Rental Services
Activity in the alternative accommodation space is picking up pace with GuestReady, a short-term rental management service, receiving a new round of funding.
The relatively young industry is already beginning to see consolidation as GuestReady also announced its acquisition of Easy Rental Service [...]
