Tom Lowry

This week in digital news, we looked at how Avis is stretching beyond the traditional rental car business to offer new digital services, while TripAdvisor began mulling a loyalty strategy to take on giant Google. And we also looked at Eventbrite's struggles as a public company and what that means for the event tech sector.

Kenya has felt little long-term impact from the terrorist attacks that shook the city’s dusitD2 Nairobi hotel in January. That’s good news for the city’s hoteliers and the country’s all-important tourism industry. Are travelers simply becoming immune to the threat of terror?

This week in digital news, Red Roof launched a new best-rate guarantee program that provides a strong incentive to anyone who finds a cheaper room rate through a third-party site, and we look at what's behind all of Shiji's hotel tech acquisitions.

Third-party management is a relative unknown in the Middle East’s hospitality landscape. The challenge that white-label companies face is convincing owners and operators to relinquish control.

In digital news this week, Marriott's tie-up with China's e-commerce giant is driven by the hotel chain's strategy to do more direct bookings, while the event industry is seeing new efforts for direct booking too. Meanwhile, United invested in a firm called Clear that makes it easier for passengers to go through security lines.

Online travel in the Middle East is not an opportunity to be scoffed at, and smaller online travel outfits and travel search engines are flexing their muscles against established portals like Booking.com and TripAdvisor to capture the increasingly digital traveler.

If more than a month goes by without an acquisition or partnership announcement from Accor, does it even count? There are high expectations from the Middle East and Africa division in the wake of recent deals, especially from owners that may be anxious about potential disruptions.

Uber is no stranger to consumer backlash so little wonder a top technology executive at the company went out of his way to say driverless cars will be a partnership with consumers and regulators. Let's see how that unfolds.

The nightlife industry has long been riddled with fly-by-night club closures and seedy venues. Now a handful of powerful hoteliers are changing that by launching new nightlife concepts — and parlaying them into higher room rates. Who says disco is dead?

You heard in Singapore first. The CEO of the Fosun Tourism Group did not deny the company was moving ahead with a larger play for Thomas Cook at Skift Forum Asia. Keep your eyes peeled for what would be one of travel's biggest deals of 2019.