Hotelbeds and OYO form distribution partnership, Saudi tourism sector worth over $70b, the emerging tech trends driving change in hospitality and too much transparency?.

Hotelbeds and OYO form distribution partnership
Friday, 3rd May 2019

OYO gains access to Hotelbeds’ 60,000 clients, including tour operators, points redemption schemes and retail travel agents and Hotelbeds’ clients will have access to OYO’s portfolio of more than 18,000 franchised and leased hotels and over 10,000 homes and villas, across ten countries >>

American Express Global Business Travel expands accommodation program
3 May 2019 : American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has expanded its online accommodation program to give companies and business travelers access to more than 2 million properties worldwide >>

Saudi tourism sector worth over $70 billion in 2019
2 May 2019 : Saudi Arabia’s travel and tourism sector is expected to contribute $71 billion in total to the country’s GDP in 2019. Religious tourism is expected to remain the bedrock of the sector over the next decade, with a goal of attracting 30 million pilgrims to the Kingdom by 2030, an increase of 11 million from the 19 million Hajj and Umrah pilgrims that visited the country in 2017 >>

Marriott launches home rentals in over 100 markets
1 May 2019 : Marriott International announced Homes & Villas by Marriott International, a home rental initiative offering 2,000 premium and luxury homes located in over 100 destinations throughout the United States, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

Too Much Transparency?
Friday, 3rd May 2019

Some things are better left unseen — or are they? That’s being debated robustly as more boutique hotels embrace open-room designs that remove barriers between bathrooms and the rest of the guest room in a bid to create an edgier look, the illusion of more space, and the luxury many affluent guests experience at home.

This illusion is often achieved by encasing the bathroom behind see-through glass walls or treating an artisanal tub like a sculpture by placing it in the middle of a guest room.

The trend marks a big departure from the more incremental approach of simply moving sinks from the bathroom to the living quarters. The latter has the obvious benefit of allowing one guest to use the sink if their roommate is using the bathroom >>

The Emerging Tech Trends Driving Change in Hospitality
How will technology influence and change the way that hospitality brands interact with guests in the future? How can hospitality providers better understand their guests’ motivations for each trip and cater to them accordingly? How will the guests of tomorrow differ from today? >>

Just Back from Siem Reap, Cambodia
As a gateway to the ruins of Angkor, Siem Reap is a city full of history and beautifully preserved stone temples, Siem Reap boasts colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter and around the Old Market >>

Why Residential and Retail Are Getting Closer Than Ever
With today’s consumers looking to have a range of amenities on their doorstep, retail and residential developments are being built in ever closer proximity >>