TODAY: Do OTA guests stay longer and spend more?, The Regent brand will return to Hong Kong as part of IHG and Can Airbnb Compete with OTAs?

Do OTA guests stay longer and spend more?
Friday, 16th March 2018

Expedia Inc partnered with Oxford Economics to analyze hotel guest spending during more than 98,000 trips, segmented by guests who booked part or all of their trip using an online travel agency (OTA) and non-OTA guests – and the results are telling.

Travelers who booked via an OTA spent more per trip than non-OTA guests across all categories, regardless of whether they were traveling for business or leisure, making them a valuable segment of customers for hotels >>

The Regent brand will return to Hong Kong as part of IHG
16 Mar 2018 : As part of the alliance with IHG would be the re-branding of the InterContinental Hotel Hong Kong to Regent Hong Kong upon the completion of an extensive refurbishment in 2021 >>

Ctrip's lodging revenue rises 30%, transport climbs 38%
16 Mar 2018 : Ctrip announced its unaudited financial results for fourth quarter and full year 2017: Skyscanner's Q4 direct booking revenue nearly doubled year-on-year, and Trip.com achieved triple-digit growth in air ticketing volume >>

Saudi Arabia: the Middle East’s new entertainment hub?
16 Mar 2018 : Saudi Arabia is aiming to ring in a new chapter in its history with a range of developments to position it as a leisure destination for residents and overseas visitors. The kingdom is planning to invest $64 billion in its entertainment industry over the coming decade as part of an ambitious program of social and economic reform, known as Vision 2030, to reduce its dependency on oil >>

Dusit plans to enter food business
16 Mar 2018 : Development is in line with hospitality company’s strategy to diversify its lines of business and generate revenue from adjacent industries >>

Tujia considers collaboration with Airbnb
16 Mar 2018 : In 2017, Airbnb’s Chinese rival Tujia served a total of 90 million users, increased its inventory by 300% and grew booking transactions by 500% and Tujia has seen the possibility to work with Airbnb >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

Can Airbnb Compete with OTAs?
Friday, 16th March 2018

It’s becoming harder every day to differentiate between Airbnb and traditional online travel agencies and now the agreement that allows Siteminder, a leading hotel distribution platform, to list hotel rooms on Airbnb is blurring that line even more, but can Airbnb compete with the OTAS?

Despite Airbnb´s deep pockets and the fact that they recently reached operational profitability, it is difficult to see how they will be able to get anywhere close to these spending levels in the near future with an IPO on the horizon >>

Messaging, Chatbots, and AI: What Hoteliers Need to Know
Now our hardware is smartphones, the software is AI products like Apple’s Siri and chatbots, and the connections are 4G and 5G networks. Accordingly, our purpose has switched from search to interaction.

Arguably, since the internet has arrived almost every aspect of our lives has changed. If today’s tech is shaping up to be just as significant for consumers, hotels cannot afford to ignore it and fall behind. >>

'That’s Not My Department' and 10 Other Phrases Customers Hate
You have a problem, you call the phone number listed on the company’s website, you wait on hold for what seems much longer than the ten minutes they said you would be holding, you finally get to a customer service rep, you tell your story and the customer service rep responds: 'I’m sorry, that’s not my department', only to be transferred to someone else and the 'game' of holding and telling your story starts all over again >>

The BYOD Revolution and What it Means for Your Hotel's Bottom Line
The supercomputers we carry in our pockets are easily taken for granted: They’ve become deeply engrained in everyday life, replacing a multitude of other objects and devices, many of us already use our phones as house keys, wallets, light switches, garage door openers and thermostats, among other things. Oh yes, and we sometimes use them to call people or send messages >>