Jeremy Kressmann

Chat apps are no longer just for chat. Check out China's ubiquitous WeChat platform, which handles everything from bill payment to transportation reservations, for a sign of where the industry is headed.

Most travel brands have so far shied away from Snapchat for all the right reasons. Marketing efforts on the platform have a fuzzy return on investment and can be difficult to scale.

Items like film cameras and retro hotels are finding new life with travelers. Is it a blip on the radar, or a sign of a greater yearning for experiences that are less commoditized and more personal?

Despite the country's recent economic downturn, Chinese travelers remain an important and growing source of revenue for travel brands. More marketers need to get smarter about how to reach them using services like WeChat.

Expedia and Booking.com are wildly successful because they're great at converting travel shoppers into buyers. In order to keep growing, however, they'll need to move further up the "purchase funnel" to capture travelers who are still in the research phase. New search features may be the way to do it.

Recent tech innovations suggest the cruise industry is eager to dispel notions it's behind the times. But beyond speedier, cheaper Wi-Fi, will passengers notice the difference?

Although in-room technology upgrades receive most of the media attention, hotels' public spaces are arguably an even more important space to focus on guest innovation.

More hotel chains seem to be shaking up their in-room entertainment offerings. This includes not only types of entertainment and ways to access it, but also new types of advertising and branded content.

Lots more flights now have Wi-Fi and seat-back entertainment, and marketers naturally want access to this captive audience. But how do you do it without angering guests (many of whom pay these services)? It's a tricky balancing act.

Internet of Things technology is rapidly moving from a dream to practical reality for many brands in the travel industry. But the organizations that are using it tend to have massive scale and deep pockets.