TODAY: Agoda goes rogue on pricing, a 'constant battle', 2018 list of top 50 meeting hotels in Asia Pacific unveiled and Three Lessons on How Chatbots Can Become More Than Just Talk but Revenue Drivers.

Agoda goes rogue on pricing, a 'constant battle'
Thursday, 17th May 2018

Agoda, the original Asian OTA, has gone rogue on pricing, multiple hoteliers say Agoda regularly sells unauthorized static wholesale rates through the site, undercutting them on price without any regard for contracts.

Other times the feeling is Agoda takes a contracted rate and shaves its margin to push the price below competitor and hotel pricing >>

2018 list of top 50 meeting hotels in Asia Pacific unveiled
17 May 2018 : The list was compiled by analysing group booking activity through its Cvent Supplier Network, which sourced more than $14 billion and more than 40 million room nights in 2017, helping to support more than 715,000 events worldwide >>

Mandarin Oriental will manage a new hotel in Ho Chi Minh
17 May 2018 : The property, scheduled to open in 2020, which will be called Mandarin Oriental, Saigon, will form part of Union Square Saigon, a commercial building in the heart of the city, that is currently under renovation >>

Stockholm – New supply a surmountable hurdle
17 May 2018 : This snapshot discusses recent tourism trends, the impact of new supply on performance and provides a summary of the extensive hotel pipeline >>

Canadian lodging outlook quarterly 2018-Q1
17 May 2018 : HVS and STR are pleased to provide you with the quarterly report of the Canadian Lodging Outlook, each report includes occupancy, average daily rate, and revenue per available room for six major markets >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

Three Lessons on How Chatbots Can Become More Than Just Talk but Revenue Drivers
Thursday, 17th May 2018

This year’s buzzwords might be blockchain and (still) mobile, but it hasn’t been so long since ‘chatbots’ were the mot du jour: Buzzword no more, chatbots have now worked their way across industries, automating and often augmenting the customer service experience. In hospitality, however, the value of chatbot technology extends beyond improved customer service. >>

Encouraging Guests To Leave Feedback – Are You Doing It Right?
For hotels, guest feedback brings a world of possibilities, including the chance of using one’s reputation for marketing. What can be easier and more effective than attracting new guest through the positive experience of past ones?, but impressions and opinions, no matter how great, don’t help much if they stay inside a guest’s mind or close circle - they need to be properly distributed and that is something that hoteliers can still work on >>