Hong Kong hotels impacted by protests, Singapore breaks occupancy record, the tricks OTAs are already using and high-tech and high-touch: A hospitality oxymoron?.

Hong Kong hotels impacted by protests
Wednesday, 4th September 2019

Hotels in the Asia Pacific region reported mostly negative results across the three key performance metrics during July 2019.

STR analysts note that ongoing protests in Hong Kong have affected performance levels in the market. Hotel demand for the month fell 3.0%, and preliminary figures show a double-digit decline in visitor arrivals during the second-half of July, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. That steep drop follows a first half of the year that showed a 13.9% increase in visitor arrivals >>

Hilton maintains positive growth outlook in Myanmar
4 Sep 2019 : Company commits to brand entry into new cities in its centennial, with confidence bolstered by government efforts to boost Myanmar as a tourism destination >>

Hotels in Paris back on track after rocky start to the year
4 Sep 2019 : Hotels in Paris saw a recovery in Q2 2019 following a rocky start to the year, in 2018, hotels in the city saw a more than 10% increase in RevPAR year-on-year, but visitor numbers took a knock at the end of the year and the start of 2019 with the unrest caused by the ‘gilets jaunes’ movement >>

China’s hotel pipeline continues to expand
4 Sep 2019 : Analysts at Lodging Econometrics report that at the end of the first half of 2019, China’s total construction pipeline swelled to 2,991 projects/592,884 rooms, up 19% by projects and 7% by rooms year-over-year (YOY), both at all-time highs, amidst an economic slowdown >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

The Tricks OTAs Are Already Using
Wednesday, 4th September 2019

Acquisition vs Conversion. Since the dawn of the internet, these two crucial elements of the eCommerce journey have been competing for the budgets of digital marketers across industries and we witness the same situation time and time again - acquisition and conversion are still being treated as two entirely separate strategies >>

Failing at Customer-Centric Marketing: It's All in the Journey
Being customer-centric as a company and in your Marketing is not optional: Forrester claims we’re in the age of the customer. While others, such as Bob Evans who was VP of Strategic Communications at SAP and the Chief Communications Officer at Oracle, say we’re in the throes of the engagement economy >>

High-Tech and High-Touch: A Hospitality Oxymoron?
Change is inevitable and so is technological growth: With the increasing levels of innovation, waking up with new technology and changing guest expectations is the everyday norm, no one has been hit harder by changing consumer expectations than the retail sector >>

Using Local Events to Promote and Market Your Hotel
Why should guests stay at your hotel over other hotels in the area? Why should travelers choose your destination over another city? For many people, it is not even so much about the property as it is the proximity to an event or the amenities that will make their travel easier and more enjoyable specifically related to an events >>

In case you've missed it: Global eNews September 03, 2019
Hotel Data Conference: What does the data say?, Koh Samui looks for answers, leverage technology to solve overtourism and global food habits going in the wrong direction >>