From family epic to future growth: How Dawn Teo is future-proofing Amara post-delisting
When I listen to Dawn Teo speak about Amara Hotels, I feel she’s not just describing a business but a Singapore family epic that spans three generations – one that started with a grandfather wanting to honour his roots, to her father building up a strong and proudly Singaporean brand and now her [...]
JTB Corp. signs definitive agreement to acquire Northstar Travel Group from EagleTree Capital
Leading B2B travel industry events, media, and information services company will continue to operate independently as a wholly owned subsidiary of JTB
Northstar Travel Group (“Northstar”), a leading B2B travel industry events, media and information services company, today announced that JTB C [...]
Online Travel In Asia: The Untold Story (Chapters 9 – Epilogue)
The online travel industry is entering its “third wave” – a new era shaped by AI, cloud, social commerce, and a traveller who expects everything seamlessly connected. Unlike the early days, when companies specialised in flights, hotels, or tours, today’s focus is on the “connected trip” [...]
ZUZU raises fresh capital, bets on AI to scale soul of indie hospitality
ZUZU Hospitality has raised US$5.9 million in a Series B extension round which includes long-time backer Wavemaker Growth, with participation from Velocity Ventures and other existing investors.
The Singapore-based startup, founded in 2017 by former Expedia executive Vikram Malhi, is positioni [...]
TikTok books hotels. Risky GPT. Trip.com’s AI planner. Google grows AI Mode.
Book hotels on TikTok
TikTok is expanding its push into e-commerce with a new integration that lets users book hotels directly through the app via Booking.com. Travellers in the US can now browse hotel landing pages featuring room rates, amenities, reviews, and nearby attractions, alongside TikTok [...]
Booking.com and hotels increasingly go their separate ways
Hotels are reporting a significant recent drop-off in sales from online travel agencies (OTAs), particularly Booking.com, after “leaning” away from them in recent years, alongside other broader industry trends.
The relationship with Booking.com has especially soured in Europe as the embattled [...]
From antelope to evolutionary explorer: Ho Kwon Ping on 30 years of Banyan and the next chapter in travel | Conversations On Turning 20
When you get to the ripe young age of 20, you’re bound to collect lots of stories – not only about the past but lessons for the future.
As WiT marks its 20th year in 2025, we turn the spotlight on our community, our tribe pioneers and leaders, to tell their stories and share their views on th [...]
The Untold Story of “The Untold Story” – Rewritten
The Projector closed this week. For many of us in Singapore, it was the only cinema that mattered – a quirky, independent space where you could be alone, yet not alone, and lose yourself in stories that mainstream theatres never touched.
Its sudden demise struck a nerve. If even movies can’t [...]
Klook’s IPO. AI sharpens Agoda. United sues Kiwi. Gathern gets $72M. Yatra’s new AI.
Klook eyes $500M U.S. IPO amid market rebound
Klook has hired Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan to work on a potential U.S. initial public offering that could raise about $500 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The Hong Kong-based travel booking platform, backed by Sof [...]
Online Travel In Asia: The Untold Story (Chapters 5 – 8)
The next chapters of Online Travel in Asia: The Untold Story dive into the defining “moonshot moments” that changed the course of the travel tech industry. From Agoda’s acquisition by Priceline in 2007 to MakeMyTrip’s IPO in 2010, and Qunar’s $306 million sale to Baidu the following year, [...]