TODAY: Business travelers say loyalty matters in hotel booking, Expedia to enhance its alternative accommodations marketplace and How Hoteliers Can Turn Audience Insights Into a Higher Conversion Rate.

Business travelers say loyalty matters in hotel booking
Thursday, 1st November 2018

On average, business travelers consider three hotels before booking and 82 percent say loyalty programs matter when making that decision. A recent study reveals nine in 10 business travelers view rewards points and perks as a motivating factor in selecting a hotel and 81 percent believe being a loyalty member results in better service >>

HOTECH 2020 Delivers the Future of Hotel Technology
31 Oct 2018 : The Asian hotel sector is rapidly evolving and as the regional business and leisure travel market grows, so does the level of competition from global hotel chains expanding their presence into new markets, as well as emerging local brands and boutique accommodation offerings >>

Travel retail market to reach $154B globally by 2025
1 Nov 2018 : Surge in travel and tourism, increase in urbanization, and changes in lifestyle are expected to boost the growth of the global travel retail market >>

Rwanda and Alibaba to promote economic development
1 Nov 2018 : The first eWTP hub in Africa was launched in Rwanda; Key initiatives include assisting Rwandan SMEs to sell to Chinese consumers, promoting Rwandan tourism and providing capacity building to empower Rwanda's digital economy >>

Thomas Cook confirms 20 new own-brand hotels for 2019
1 Nov 2018 : The new openings include the company’s first Casa Cook in its biggest market, Spain; the first family Casa Cook, and seven confirmed Cook’s Club hotels, including six in Spain, four in Greece and three in Turkey >>

Expedia to enhance its alternative accommodations marketplace
30 Oct 2018 : Expedia Group announced the acquisitions of Pillow, a software solution that helps building owners and managers empower their long-term residents to rent their residences, and ApartmentJet, a software solution enabling the rental of guest suites in multifamily communities >>

Confusion & concern about changes to airfare distribution
31 Oct 2018 : With airlines changing the way they market and provide access to content, New Distribution Capability (NDC) promises both benefits and potential challenges for corporate travel programmes >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

How Hoteliers Can Turn Audience Insights Into a Higher Conversion Rate
Thursday, 1st November 2018

Among the many challenges that hoteliers face, being able to quickly amend content on their direct channels ranks high on the list.

However, at that moment, hoteliers choose to sacrifice their digital identity on the altar of practicality! And that sacrifice has consequences. Lack of responsiveness, long wait times and, worst of all, an inability to collect and learn from visitor data >>

How the Changing Industry has Impacted Hotel Management Contracts
From the consolidation of brands to technology related advances and disruptions, the hotels and hospitality industry is evolving at an ever increasing pace >>

Wherefore Art Thou, Minibar?
Forget the soda and peanuts: What kind of experience can you pull out of the minibar? Is the minibar on the way to joining room keys in the Museum of Hotel Artifacts? The New York Times thinks so, along with closets and desks, however not so fast, says GQ magazine, which says they’re becoming tiny destination bars that can serve you in your bathrobe >>

Drivers of Change for Human Resourcs in APAC
What factors are driving change in hiring and retention for Human Resources (HR) over the next one to three years? Michael Page spoke with discipline leaders from across Asia-Pacific, to get a sense of how HR is changing right now – and sought specific advice for those hiring HR, as well as for those seeking new career opportunities of their own >>

The Importance of Social Media For Restaurants
According to a Cornell University study, 59 percent of chain restaurants and 79 percent of independent restaurants use social media. It’s a booming marketing tactic that over a few short years has helped restaurants gain greater brand recognition and attract new guests >>

The Future of Hotel Management Systems
Three in 10 hotel chains experience insufficient support from their PMS vendor. Lack of support services (including slow response times, and inadequate consulting/problem-solving capability) is a major concern and has nearly twice the severity level of any other pain point >>

Just Back from Havana, Cuba
I recently took a trip to the beautiful Cuban capital, where I was immersed in their local culture and discovered the historic city, maybe it’s something they put in the mojitos, but this trip is unlike any other >>