2013 Archives

Sure Sir Richard breathes a rare air. But he's fought to get there and has learned what travelers need to make them feel they've got their money's worth.

Airlines should indeed be sensitive to the viewing sensibilities of families onboard. Perhaps the aircraft should be sectioned off by mature audiences versus general audiences? Maybe not.

Translation: This is a painful move for Rosetta Stone and its employees as the airport and mall kiosks were a declining part of its revenue mix, and the move sadly makes sense as online and mobile tools are undoubtedly the way to go.

This practice really doesn't seem so "out of the box." Haven't hotel loyalty programs been doing this for years? And airlines and online travel agencies do likewise.

Starwood believes the timing is right to get out of the real estate business to a great extent as it joins Marriott and InterContinental in focusing on management fees as the more stable and lucrative revenue stream.

Airports, like airlines, have quickly caught on to the customer service uses of Twitter and, in the process, have discovered a personality that furthers their mission of becoming destinations in their own right.

All these hotel groups are now talking about becoming brands and management companies instead of owning these assets, at least in U.S. and Europe, and will be interesting to see how that plays out over next few years.

This is a clear win for the Frommer name and what the brand means to the people who made it the best-selling series in the U.S. and one of the most visited destination websites. But it also raises more concerns about Google's stubborn commitment to its Google+ product despite the clear lack of user interest.