TODAY: Booking-com’s mantra for China – be prepared for the change, Mr & Mrs Smith’s formula for expansion and how to consolidate hotel technology after an acquisition.

Booking.com’s mantra for China – be prepared for the change
Tuesday, 27th November 2018

Booking Holdings’ journey in China has spanned nine years, but the group is keen on being nimble, running operations in an autonomous way and also open to learning from local companies.

Digital agility is about responding to the uncertain future that results in change in the environment in which a business is being run. Organizations have to evolve to serve the customers in the best possible manner, but adjusting to change shouldn’t cost an exorbitant amount or ends up being a timely exercise.

In this context, it is interesting to assess how a global travel e-commerce business such as one of Booking Holdings’ stature, goes about refining its product offering in China >>

India, Indonesia have the most digitally-advanced travellers
27 Nov 2018 : India and Indonesia with their large young populations of 'digital natives' are, unsurprisingly, the top two countries with the most digitally-advanced travellers, with India holding the top spot for the second year in a row (2017 & 2018) >>

Hotel construction pipeline hit cyclical high, however growth trends may be starting to slow
27 Nov 2018 : Canada’s construction pipeline projects are at a cyclical high, Europe’s pipeline continues to boom while the Middle East’s pipeline hits a new cyclical high >>

News from around the APAC region
27 Nov 2018 : Hotel industry and travel news from around the Asia Pacific region: Ascott enters into partnership with Indonesia-based Ciputra, Singapore-based CDL acquires its first Italian property, Huazhu’s net income rises and more >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

Book Publishing, Crowd Funding, Experiences – Mr & Mrs Smith’s Formula for Expansion
Tuesday, 27th November 2018
By many accounts, boutique hotel booking platform Mr & Mrs Smith has had an interesting year:

In April, it announced its step into the experiences space with the acquisition of UK-based tours and activities company, SideStory and then, it announced plans to raise funds, albeit in an unconventional manner – a crowdfunding campaign, opening up investment opportunities to the public in September >>

Top 5 Things You Need To Know in Hotel Digital Marketing: November Edition
Staying innovative in your digital marketing strategy means staying up-to-date with the ever-changing digital landscape: From TripAdvisor evolving into a social travel platform with new research and sharing tools to Google Maps adding a follow button for businesses, learn more about the top things you need to know now in hotel digital marketing >>

How to Use Attribution Models to Decipher the Right Mix
How do you assign value to your channels and touch points? There are a variety of attribution model methods: For example, do you attribute more weight to the first touch (such as clicking on a digital ad) than the webinar that generated an online demo of offline conversation? Or do you give equal weight across all the touch points? >>

How to Consolidate Hotel Technology After an Acquisition
The hospitality industry is no stranger to mergers & acquisitions: In fact, it seems that every few months we hear about a new big purchase; most recently Hyatt purchased Two Roads Hospitality, and earlier this year, Wyndham bought LaQuinta.

During this transition process, it will be critical for hotel groups to understand how they can optimize and consolidate hotel technology. But with so many programs in today’s hotel tech stack and so many vendors to consider, it can be quite an overwhelming task to get all properties onto the same systems. PMS, IBE, GSS, oh my! >>