The narration is familiar – a new shiny breakthrough in tech is announced, inks spill in its honour, and criticism and opinion pieces fly around. Early adopters rush in to lay their hands on it, and in a few months, the circus is dead; inks are scribbling new praises,…
I am a recreational cyclist. I am sure many other people are too. It’s fun to find a nice place to ride, without the preparation required of the serious hardcore bikers. I also spend a lot of time in Beijing. The phenomenon of the bike sharing scheme there is…
A report prepared by benchmark analytics technology company STR and Google shows that tracking hotel search results can be a reliable gauge of hotel bookings. The report compares Google search, STR demand and bookings trends for hotels in New York and London from 2014 through 2016, and evaluates weekly…
When hotel brands respond to reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor and Booking.com it’s often a reactive endeavour. NB This is a viewpoint by Geoffrey Ryskamp, principal of hospitality, travel, and leisure at Medallia. When a customer publicizes a problem, the immediate priority is to address that concern and…
Sabre Corp. launched its FareNabber API at its TTX innovation conference in Las Vegas, which aims to help travel companies and developers create a smarter, more personalized air fare shopping experience for consumers. The ultimate goal is to allow consumers to set very specific criteria for fare notifications, such…
Airbnb continues to become part of the business travel establishment, signing a partnership with Flight Centre Travel Group‘s (FCTG) corporate travel brands in Australia and New Zealand. Campus Travel and Stage and Screen will be the first brands to go live with Airbnb, with the FCM Travel Solutions and…
In the wake of the latest challenge to the GDS status quo, Sabre chief Sean Menke says the GDS will remain “the most efficient way to move us forward.” Menke made the statement in his keynote address at the Sabre Travel Technology Exchange, the GDS company’s user conference. He…
Uptaste is a new brand emerging in the competitive tours and activities sector. The service helps tourists find places to eat around where they are right now. If they are vegan, or travelling with children, appropriate choices are shown. The service is available for mobile and tablet devices and both…
The European Commission has fined Google €2.4 billion ($2.7 billion) after deciding that Google Shopping is in breach of EU antitrust regulations. Giving Google Shopping priority in Google search results over other price comparison services is “illegal” the Commission said, and has given it 90 days to “end the…
eDreams Odigeo has reported a 9% growth in bookings for the year to 31 March 2017. The Spain-based online travel agency also reported a 57% increase to net income of €31.6 million on an adjusted basis. The company says it is managing to diversify both is products and where it…