Driving the industry with innovation in Australia and New Zealand, IHG to end use of bathroom miniatures, boutique hotel tech: smaller, faster, smarter and meta isn’t gone yet.

Driving the hotel industry with innovation in Australia and New Zealand
Monday, 19th August 2019

Australia and New Zealand are at a tourism crossroads. The island and continent have seen a massive boom in tourism over the last few years, Australian capital cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide saw 80% occupancy in 2018, with revenue per available room (RevPAR) expected to increase by more that 3.1% in 2019 >>

IHG to end use of bathroom miniatures in all its hotels
19 Aug 2019 : IHG has announced plans to remove all miniature bathroom amenities from all its properties by 2021 >>

2040: A Plausible Positive Future
19 Aug 2019 : What if we actually woke up now to the challenges of climate change and began to take action? What would our planet be like in 2040? That is exactly the question that filmmaker Damon Gameau answers his new documentary envisioning a positive future of 2040 >>

Starbucks retail business in Thailand transitions
17 Aug 2019 : Starbucks Coffee Company announced it has entered into an agreement with Coffee Concepts Thailand, a joint venture between Maxim’s Caterers Limited and Thai partner, F&N Retail Connection, to fully license Starbucks retail business in Thailand >>

OYO starts operations across 6 Vietnamese cities
16 Aug 2019 : After having successfully surpassed all leading hospitality chains in Indonesia and strengthening our presence across other South East Asian countries like Malaysia and the Philippines, OYO is excited to announce that they are now in Vietnam – a land of staggering natural beauty >>

Global travelers most likely to want to meet travelers of their own nationalities on holiday
15 Aug 2019 : With summer holiday season in full swing and people keen to 'get away from it all', Agoda reveals a majority of countries surveyed would most likely want to meet their fellow countrymen/women while on holiday, Agoda survey also reveals Americans single most popular nationality to meet on vacation >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLES

Boutique Hotel Tech: Smaller, Faster, Smarter
Monday, 19th August 2019

It’s true: There are many technological advantages of being part of a hotel brand, but there’s also something to be said for the agility enjoyed by independent hotels and small collections of boutique properties.

We recently caught up with Mark Rupert Read, Director of IT for boutique hotel-focused Firmdale Hotels at HT-Next 2019 in New Orleans, where he shared his insight on Firmdale’s approach to hotel technology development and implementation, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the guest experience >>

Employee Burnout: A Workplace Safety Hazard?
Employee burnout is now an officially diagnosable condition and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which recently updated its definition, employee burnout is not a medical condition, instead, the WHO calls burnout an 'occupational phenomenon >>

Overcoming Those Overbooking Fears
A consummate hotelier and revenue management leader shares his outlook on overbooking >>

Making Space to Take Time Out in the Office
Amid a growing focus on wellbeing, quiet spaces are becoming an increasingly common feature of today’s offices and as companies gradually adapt to calls for a better work-life balance, more offices are installing quiet spaces for reflection, meditation or prayer >>

Why Google’s Destination Site for Hotels Proves That Meta Isn’t Dead
If anyone thought meta was dead or dying, then Google’s March release just gave it an adrenaline shot to the heart and looking closer at the release, you can see meta is an important part of the new Google Destination enhancement >>

Open Kitchens - A Norm in Today's F&B Scene, But is it for You?
It used to be in the past that the kitchen was a restricted room and entered only by the chef, the help or his/her staff, very much hidden from the eyes of visitors, it was also not a surprise if it was thought that these walls were there to keep the chef’s culinary secrets safe or that he had a secret ingredient that he wanted kept away from prying eyes >>