Articles tagged “amazon”

The next big questions hoteliers might soon be asking themselves: "Alexa, how do I make sure you recommend my hotels when they ask you where they want to stay?" Or, on the flip side: "Why did I invest so much into the modern-day version of the iPod docking station?"

What do Amazon's Alexa, personalization, and the tech arms race have in common? They were common refrains overheard this week at our inaugural Skift Tech Forum in Silicon Valley.

Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson, along with his fellow hotel CEOs are right: It's not the "disruptors" like Airbnb that are the biggest threat, but the already established tech giants like Amazon, Google, Facebook, Tencent, Alibaba, and others that are the real competition for the hotel industry.

It’s dangerous to give Amazon breathing room in any industry; better to think through its implications for travel today. Amazon is not simply a threat, it offers lessons and opportunities for travel executives as well.

Amazon likely has a role to play in the future of travel distribution, marketing, or devices — if not all three. Travel leaders need to prepare today or risk being caught flat-footed tomorrow.

Can Greeley do for Airbnb Homes what he did with Amazon Prime? And if yes, is that, ultimately, a good thing? Is his appointment a sign that Airbnb is moving even further away from hospitality and gravitating that much closer to just being like any other massive online travel giant?

"Siri: How will Apple respond to hotels adopting Amazon's Alexa?" That's the question.

Shopping is one of the parts of any trip that many travelers look forward to. Online shopping is certainly impacting in-destination spending in some markets, and more tourism boards are getting creative with how to compete with e-commerce giants.

Amazon's restaurant business is just getting started, but by aligning its technology with existing companies in the space, it is poised to go (very) big.

This move is part of the larger trend of restaurant software companies streamlining and consolidating product offerings. With fewer systems, there's less room for error. Expect much more news like this.