As I write this at JFK airport, waiting for my Korean Airlines flight to Incheon, the Force has awakened: Yesterday �" December 17 �" was the premiere of the long-awaited and much-anticipated 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', which is getting smash reviews by the way. 

It was thus only natural that the Expedia Partner conference held the week before would have lots of references to the much-anticipated George Lucas movie in which a warrior, a rebel soldier, a couple of robots and an overgrown monkey rescue a princess. (Forgive me Star Wars fans for over-simplifying).

Left: John Kim: Faster speeds, content shock and a reality beyond virtual.

Laser lights, synchronised to the theme from the movie, were used to vast effect during the opening, and John Kim, chief product officer, paraphrased a new clarion call for the industry, “May the Internet be with you”.

It’s an apt turn of phrase for a company that’s first and foremost a technology company before it is a travel company �" and over the two days in Las Vegas, more than 2,000 partners from around the world learnt about the tech advancements it has made, and is making.

Call it sensory and information overload �" we were in Las Vegas after all �" but a few core themes resonated with me.

Right: Johan Svanstrom: The international market will be three times the size of the US by 2030.

1. The force is in mobile and international, and hotels.com is the leading Stormtrooper

Hotels.com showed off its mobile tech �" by far the leading brand in the family in this space, with more than 50% of transactions. And Asia leads the way in mobile behaviour �" 35% for international travellers to the US vs 60% of visits to its website in South Korea.

It is also the most global of the family and president Johan Svanstrom is clearly the stormtrooper leading the charge for the international market. In his presentation, he and Neha Parikh, SVP, global brands and retail, spoke of the 1.8 billion international travellers by 2030, a market three times the size of the US.

He spoke of his son Alex, 10, who’s already visited 26 countries. This is the new generation of travellers who will be our customers, and he clearly wants to drive this point home with not only the partners but his colleagues.

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