Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

Travel Technology

Airbnb Loses Biggest Fan With PR Slight of Hand

Phil Butler

A scathing revelation about failed communications and a company that may be on the rocks financially. Airbnb cannot even engage in a decent conversation with the media, potential partners, or even award winning Airbnb hosts. What is up with Airbnb?

Searching for Hospitality’s “Holy Grail” – Sustainability

Phil Butler

We hear so much about how tourism, hospitality, and especially hotels will ride the wave of Big Data into a revenue sunset. But underneath the hyperbole, there is a certain reality, the realization that sustainable businesses simply must emerge. It is also true that companies that provide the most stunning technological advancements in this field, cannot thrive unless their clients do.

THack Mallorca Hist Mallorca Tomorrow

Aleksandr Shatskih

Coming up in the Baelerics tomorrow, THack Mallorca is a hackathon dedicated to hospitality solutions. THack Mallorca is FREE for professional and student developers and offers the chance for teams of up to five developers to win their share of at least €5,000 in cash and other prizes.

OpenKey Releases Version 3.0 Mobile App

Aleksandr Shatskih

OpenKey has just released its new mobile app Version 3.0, which is a further enhancement for hotels guests to get key amenities.

Airbnb’s Rocky Road to Vacation Bookings Supremecy

Phil Butler

Airbnb announced recently collaborations with a number of tech companies, in order to boost the company’s business conversions. API tests last year with the likes of Live Rez, BookingPal, Kigo and LeisureLink, as well as other connections, promise Airbnb hosts a billboard to reach even more guests. Tech connectedness is certainly Airbnb’s forte, as is the shared economy, but there’s some trouble brewing too. Here’s a look at what’s up with travel’s most forward thinking company this month.

SnapShot GmbH and University of Surrey Team Up

Aleksandr Shatskih

Next month, analytics startup SnapShot GmbH will team up with the University of Surrey School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, to provide a 2 day course on hotel revenue management. According to the news, the new offering will focus on pricing, marketing and distribution for hotel businesses.

SnapShot GmbH Demos to Vienna Hotels

Aleksandr Shatskih

In hotel technology news this week, analytics startup SnapShot is touring European cities demonstrating its new flagship product to hotel execs. Yesterday, company CEO Stefan Tweraser was in Vienna at Hotel Melia showing off the free cloud-based data analytics tool.

Comanche International & TravelClick Partner

Aleksandr Shatskih

Comanche International, a leading Thai property management player, and cloud based revenue booster TravelClick are now interconnected via two-way integration of TravelClick’s iHotelier reservations solution into Comanche’s property management system (PMS).

Adara Introduces Traveler Spending Scores

Phil Butler

Marketing data company Adara has just released “traveler value score”, a tool that estimates an anonymous subject’s customer’s capacity to spend on travel and lodging. The news tool can help hoteliers pitch rooms and services more precisely, thereby elevating or optimizing revenues, according to the company. While the potential for filtering spending potential seems fantastic, there may be some stumbling blocks.

Expedia Accelerator: Step Right Up, You Hotelier Fools

Phil Butler

Yesterday I wrote a short post on LinkedIn “Pulse” with my view on Expedia’s new “Accelerator” marketplace. The experiment where hoteliers get to bid for the hotels’ visibility on the OTA, it resembles a carnival act for me. At least one comment on my LinkedIn, suggesting I was a mean spirited ranter because of my […]

Using Big Data for Breakfast

Phil Butler

For a few years now digital experts have discussed the importance of “personalization”, the so-called “guest experience.” While the concept is not a new one, like so many marketing or “buzz” terms, the reality of providing real customer value is often lost in the shuffle. Is Big Data really so useful? Can your business leverage […]