Ascott unveils Citadines Connect business hotels, a collection of thoughts on hotel collections and Google's new hotel search site could ondermine OTAs.

Ascott unveils Citadines Connect business hotels
Friday, 29th March 2019

A sub-brand of Ascott’s well-established Citadines serviced residence brand, Citadines Connect business hotels cater to frequent travellers who are constantly connected, offering a chic living experience in vibrant city destinations.

Citadines Connect business hotels will have tech-enabled features such as mobile keys, self check-in kiosks, smart washing machines or laundromats, content streaming-enabled televisions, and Google cloud printers >>

First former Two Roads brand join World of Hyatt
29 Mar 2019 : As the first former Two Roads brand to join World of Hyatt, Thompson Hotels provides World of Hyatt loyalty members even more places to earn and redeem points across distinct hotels and resorts >>

Crowne Plaza Changi Airport voted World’s Best Airport Hotel for fifth consecutive year
29 Mar 2019 : Specially designed to help business travellers to recharge, Crowne Plaza champions a better way of business travel for modern business productivity >>

Singapore Airlines and COMO to enhance experiences
29 Mar 2019 : Singapore Airlines and Singapore-based wellness brand COMO Shambhala, which forms part of the COMO Group, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a wide-ranging partnership aimed at enhancing the customer experience for travellers >>

Mandarin Oriental opens at Lago di Como
29 Mar 2019 : The 19th Century Villa Roccabruna is at the heart of the resort which features 21 rooms, 52 suites and two private, stand-alone villas. Acclaimed interior designer, Eric Egan, has overseen the refresh of the resort’s accommodation and public areas, creating a sense of modern Italian elegance and subtle oriental charm >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

A Collection of Thoughts on Hotel Collections
Friday, 29th March 2019

You may have seen the news in January that Ted Teng will soon be stepping down as President and CEO of Leading Hotels of the World and most of you share my high regard for Ted, who ran LHW for 10 years.

Interestingly, his departure was announced around six months after Filip Boyen left rival Small Luxury Hotels of the World; Boyen, in turn, was replaced by Jean-François Ferret, who came from Relais & Châteaux, yet another independent hotel collection.

All this executive shuffling got me thinking about the role these collections play in the luxury travel industry today with all of them were established in the pre-Internet era. >>

Google New Hotel Search Site Could Undermine OTAs
While the hotel search experience in itself isn’t vastly different to what Google have been experimenting with in recent months in both their organic and Maps search, these new features and the simple fact that Google now has a dedicated site for hotel bookings could signal a watershed moment for online travel >>

5 Things You need to Know Now in Hotel Digital Marketing - March
This month, the latest digital innovations include Google algorithm updates, new e-commerce and influencer features on Instagram, and video rolling out to Google responsive display ads >>