TODAY: Internet giant, Alibaba opens its first hotel, inbound tourism fuels future-ready cities, Is Automation the Wave of the Future for Hotels? and London Supply Boom: How to Maintain Your Market Position.

Internet giant, Alibaba opens its first hotel
Tuesday, 6th November 2018

Without human staff throughout the whole operation, the hotel uses robots for all check-in/out and in-room services. FlyZoo Hotel will also feature seven theme-rooms, equipped with the latest technology and cutting-edge features, such as smart speakers ‘Tmall Elfs’ and other intelligent equipments >>

Inbound tourism fuels future-ready cities
6 Nov 2018 : Mastercard unveiled a report that demonstrates the transformative power of tourism in fueling the development of smarter cities and accelerating economic growth >>

Conrad Maldives first-of-its-kind undersea residence
6 Nov 2018 : Conrad Hotels & Resorts revealed four exclusive and customizable experiences at THE MURAKA at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, the innovative luxury resort situated on pristine Rangali Island >>

Asia Pacific - HVS Hotel Valuation Index
5 Nov 2018 : The 2018 edition of the Hospitality Valuation Index (HVI) – Asia Pacific (APAC) comes to light amidst economic rebalancing, political changes, natural occurrences, and uncertainties across the region. While 2016 was a bearish year, 2017 saw the recovery in majority of the region’s economies, backed by an upswing in global growth, improving commodity prices and private consumption >>

IHG relaunches Regent brand and signs first property
6 Nov 2018 : InterContinental Hotels Group has announced a signing for its Regent® Hotels & Resorts brand in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, alongside its relaunch of the brand that set the standard for luxury hotels >>

Wanda Group unloads tourism business
6 Nov 2018 : Dalian Wanda Group ended weeks of speculation on Monday by confirming that it has sold its tourism management business to Hong Kong-listed Sunac China Holding for $902 million >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

Is Automation the Wave of the Future for Hotels?
Tuesday, 6th November 2018

It wasn’t so long ago that people would call a restaurant for a reservation, or go to the video store to see what tapes were available, or waited on the sidewalk for an empty taxi to drive by.

Just as technology has made all of these practices obsolete, new technology is automating many of the processes that used to take up the valuable time of both hotel guests and team members >>

Why Standalone Stadiums are a Thing of the Past
Developers are increasingly investing in these so-called mini-neighborhoods anchored by stadiums. One clear motivator of cultivating a more vibrant community is that it can translate into higher and more sustained ticket sales. But there’s potential for positive synergy between the neighbors in these developments, too >>

Would You Like Fries And A Political Opinion With That?
You should be mindful that, while political affiliation is not a federally protected class, states like California provide protections for employees against discrimination based on political activity and affiliation >>

London Supply Boom: How to Maintain Your Market Position
With more than 11,000 new hotel rooms set to open by 2020, London’s hotel growth is predicted to outpace many destinations in Europe and the UK’s capital set a new record for overnight visitors in 2017, so arguably the city can take the extra supply >>

Digital Maturity Matters in a Competitive Airport Landscape
Intense competition for growth between travel industry players is blurring traditional competitive boundaries. Digital technology presents airports with a wealth of new opportunities and ways to differentiate from competitors. For instance new revenue streams derived from premium services, optimized operational performance and better passenger experience will result in a more attractive value proposition for airline customers >>