2014 Archives

It's all about the numbers and execution so we'll be able to view Qunar's quarterly reports over the next few years to see if CEO Chenchao “CC” Zhuang can make good on his boast that the company will out-execute Ctrip, Alibaba and everyone else. Let's see if all the confidence adds up.

Whether on sea or land, travelers are seeking more intimate, personalized experiences and the brands that align themselves most closely with that cause will be able to attract customers across age ranges and regions.

Gogobot is a small factor today in competing with category leader TripAdvisor on the reviews' front, but the HomeAway partnership will enable it to increase its profile on the back of HomeAway's global footprint.

It's smart for HomeAway to give its users more reasons to use its mobile app to improve their local experience with rides, food, and local attractions.

Trip sharing startups usually have a difficult time attracting and retaining users as well as turning user-generated content into a viable product.

Environmental and socially responsible initiatives aren't just effective at cutting costs and reducing waste. Increasingly sophisticated guests are now making decisions based on the consciousness and actions of brands.

There's a shift in the way smart hotels are marketing themselves. Big budget ads and single-track campaigns are being put on the back burner as marketers move towards personalization, continious conversations, and guest-centricity.

Hotels -- yes they do -- have to live with the fact that they move a lot of rooms through powerful online travel agencies. Platforms like CheckMate's can enable hotels to better communicate with their guests despite the involvement of the third parties.

This is a bold projection that has a good shot at coming true, since more attention is being paid towards creating user-friendlier mobile versions of booking sites and ad dollars getting pumped into mobile makes this very believable.