Thomas Cook in takeover bid, digging into Phuket's declining performance, medical spa trends 2019, The rise of robotics & the advent of artificial intelligence.

Fosun announces official Thomas Cook takeover bid
Tuesday, 16th July 2019

Hong Kong-listed Chinese conglomerate. Fosun Group confirmed in a stock market announcement last Friday that there are 'ongoing advanced discussions' about a capital injection which would see a debt-for-equity swap at the British travel agency, which has struggled with its debt pile.

Fosun Group is already a minority investor in Thomas Cook with a stake of around 18 percent >>

Digging into Phuket hotel performance numbers with STR
16 Jul 2019 : To set the stage for the declining numbers this year it’s important to cast an eye backward into 2018 and understand the first quarter of 2018 for Thailand including Phuket well eclipsed the previous two years. Call it a high water mark, but it’s important to understand the benchmark was set exceedingly high >>

Ascott expands global presence across 11 countries
16 Jul 2019 : The properties, which will open in phases from 2019 to 2023, are mostly signed under management contracts, with three on franchise agreements. To date this year, Ascott has signed contracts for over 40 properties with more than 8,000 units, an increase of over 40% over same period in 2018. Ascott has also opened 16 properties with over 2,000 units, a 70% increase compared with 2018 >>

Zero-waste restaurants: the next step in sustainable dining
16 Jul 2019 : A waste revolution is sweeping through Europe and sometimes, it’s too hard to say no to delicious food. Whether it’s a second helping of pancakes at breakfast, an extra serving of smashed avocado at brunch, or an unnecessary dessert after a filling dinner, we’ve all found ourselves staring at a plate of food knowing that we won't be able to finish it >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

Medical Spa Trends 2019
Tuesday, 16th July 2019

The global medical spa market is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12+% between 2018 and 2025, reaching more than US$27 billion.

Medical spas combine medicine and aesthetics to provide cosmetic treatments in a spa ambience. Anti-wrinkle injections, Botox injections, fine-line reduction, acne therapy, and fillers are some of the various treatments included in medical spas >>

Start with the 'HVTs'
Frequently, hotel marketers focus on converting transient consumers, instead of aiding their hotel’s group and corporate sales staff, this is essentially leaving money on the table, potentially hampering revenues, particularly amid slow periods >>

The Basics About Absinthe
Curious about the myterious beverage, here is a short introduction of what you need to know: Originally created in Val-de-travers it’s probably the only spirit renowned more because of his history than his ingredients >>

The Rise of Robotics & the Advent of Artificial Intelligence
Robotics and AI are predicted to have $258 billion of revenue by 2020, a trillion dollars of revenue by 2025, and shortly thereafter, anticipated to become the largest global industry >>

Global Newsletter from yesterday: July 15, 2019
Travel motivations and aspirations of APAC travelers, Amsterdam’s ban on hotels raises rates, metasearch is now the growing marketing channel and create employee incentives for lead generation >>