Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

WTM Shines Brightest Shining On Sustainability

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One highlight of the World Travel Market (WTM) held last week in London, was Fiona Jeffery’s opening speech concerning the industry’s responsibilities. Jeffery’s Director of Reed Travel Exhibitions WTM, spoke before 500 plus travel decision makers about altruism, as well as corporate strategies going forward.

Smart Travel with Smart Destinations

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Argo Travel News decided to make every Sunday into a new series, “Service Sunday” in honor of all those great travel services out there worth checking out. Today, we spotlight Smart Destinations, one of the world’s top sightseeing portals online.

Rate Parity – Apples When You Need Oranges

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The definitions of hotel room rate parity vary depending on who is doing the defining. The big online booking platforms speak of consistency and fairness, hotels often simply “have to” maintain parity to play in the game, and so on. But, is consistency at the expense of value and clarity worth then high price? These […]

As Travel Costs Go Up, So Shall Profits…

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So far this year, there have to have been 50,000 news reports suggesting profits and growth are headed upward for the travel industry. And on the other hand, many are asking, “How?” Hotels starting to charge for tidbits of service like the airlines, currencies and countries on the brink, and the other side of news suggesting growth is impossible, what are we to believe?

Connected Spotlight – Mr & Mrs Smith

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Good news may not travel as fast as it once did, or either there may just not be so much of it out there. Whichever the case you find, one couple knows how to show off their expertness. Mr & Mrs Smith helps guests and online visitors escape the mediocre. Let us show you how.

Billions in Airline Fees – No Laughing Matter

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An article by Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times yesterday reveals still more bad PR and just bad business for airlines. At a time when any industry can well afford negative news, over $1.5 billion in nickel – dime baggage charges and reservation fees makes America’s biggest air carriers seem anything but transparent.

Hoteliers, Are You Using the Right Channels?

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For businesses busying themselves trying to catch the social wave, to engage customers via digital channels, the learning curve can be steep. All along the path to competitive edge in online marketing, the pitfalls of “not knowing” end up costing companies before the online lesson is learned. Nowhere is this more evident than in the hotel industry. Using the wrong communicative channels, or using them in the wrong way, can determine who does and does not survive.

Zagat: Defining Move of Google’s Travel Strategy

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The highly anticipated New York City restaurant guides are out now. A story about his by Garth Johnston of the gothamist not only drew my attention, but made me put on my thinking cap too. Google’s movements into travel, the changing framework of online travel, and the real value of credability seem to be boiling to the surface of the online business soup. Zagat, the online restaurant guides slash data company, offers interesting value.

Orbitz Worldwide & Travelport: Ups & Downs

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Travelport and Orbitz are in the positive and negative news again today. Travelport for any number of announcements of business dealings, and Orbitz for a very negative S & P rating they just received. Since it was announced that Travelport needed to restructure its dept, it seems as if neither of these online travel giants can catch a break.

TravelRent – Underwhelming Russian Socialismness

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A startup from Russia called TravelRent just launched aiming at the short term private accommodation niche that is so huge in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and elsewhere in the Russian Federation. We took a look at the new site, which ended up being a mix of good and bad features – but at least an improvement over previous Russian websites.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts: The Luxury You’d Expect

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Starwood Hotels’ Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts has released a limited edition US destination guide published by Assouline. Part of a set of bound books, the luxuriously crafted books show off the Luxury Collection’s most exquisite properties around the world.

IAVRA: A Slick Way to Skin Villa Travel

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This is going to be a rave review about a new platform from the International Association of Villa Rental Agents (IAVRA), just to get you prepared. This new subscriber based database and tool set is a near perfect B2B conduit between travel agents etc. and Villa rental agents across the globe. The service not only makes searching, selecting, and renting villas efficient, but a bit of an aesthetically charged user experience on both ends of the exchange.

Russia’s Economic Recuperation: Hotel Industry Spotlight

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In hotel news from the Russian Federation, hotel values there are expected to rise, as well as in the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Republic of Georgia, according to several reports. Some estimates suggest the growth rate at up to double that of other countries in Europe.

Russia – EU Tourism Glee: Has the Boat Sailed

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Russian Federation Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is all over the news of late. First running for the Presidency again, and today talking about something termed a “Eurasian Union”-or as some proclaim – a soviet bloc party renewed. But, Putin’s ideas could well solve any number of points of pain for his people.

Argo Travel Tech Pick: Inhabit Vacations

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Inhabit Vacations, another little gem of a travel initiative we found, is the subject of today’s featured tech review. Holiday Rentals is a straightforward and refreshing approach to listing and renting vacation spots – that vacation home of your youth.

Travelport & Orbitz Safe for Now – and Tomorrow?

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Everyone associated with Travelport has to have breathed a sigh of relief on the news that Travelport Holdings successfully revamped their debt, extending their PIK until December of 2016. Unanimous support from their lenders now ensures the travel giants ongoing operations.