Growth strategy specialist agency Vivaldi has analysed the performance of 11 airlines in terms of their “social currency”, a phrase it introduced in 2010 in an attempt to quantify how effectively brands “fit into how consumers manage their social lives in today’s digital and mobile age.” Southwest comes out…
Travel comparison site Trivago emerged with strong 2016 numbers as Expedia reported its final quarter and full-year 2016 results. The Germany-based service, which completed its IPO in December, finished the quarter 65% up on the same period in 2015. Trivago had reported a revenue increase of 57% in Q3. The…
Dutch airline KLM has started a pilot project to see if facial recognition software would make boarding any easier and quicker for passengers. The “biometric boarding” technology has been designed so that passengers do not have to show their passport or boarding pass at the gate. The system has been installed…
Ctrip’s purchase of Skyscanner is by far the biggest travel tech deal to come out of China this year, but it’s not the only one. This January, Chinese hotel IT specialist Shiji bought an 80% stake in Spain-based online reputation management platform ReviewPro for $28 million. Alibaba, China’s biggest…
Certify‘s 2017 Expense Management Trends report reveals the disconnect between travel policy compliance and enforcement. Compliance with policy is a recurring issue for corporations and, despite the options that tech provides for businesses to get a grip on maverick road warriors booking the Taj rather than the Travelodge, many…
The ‘Internet of Things’ is easily dismissable as just another buzz-phrase. However, as any travel professional with their finger on the pulse should recognise, this technology will impact every single corner of the travel industry in a relatively short period of time. NB: This is a viewpoint by David…
Dreamlines is aiming to accelerate its growth with a focus on new markets and additional services following a top-up investment round of €18 million. The latest backing follows an investment round in August 2016 that brings its total raised during 2016 to €32 million. The same backers are involved in the round: Holtzbrinck…
Strategic revenue management and technology quickly leads hotels to make decisions that bring in higher revenue and profits – and translate into cash flow that impresses any hotel owner. Since every hotel requires substantial financial investment, you can be certain your owner cares significantly about seeing the value of…
Hotel reservation specialist Busy Rooms is strengthening its presence in Europe with the acquisition of Hotelwebservice. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed but Germany-based Hotelwebservice opens up the German-speaking market to Busy Rooms including Switzerland and Austria. According to a statement the acquisition will bring additional products…
Less than a year after taking an investment round, Loco Partners – owner of the Japan-focused Relux booking site – has sold the remaining shares to its backer. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. In April 2016, the Tokyo-based startup that runs Relux, a membership-only accommodation service, secured 500 million…