Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

Travel Technology

Rate Parity – Apples When You Need Oranges

Phil Butler

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 […]

5 Travel Apps No One Should Miss

Aleksandr Shatskih

Because there are thousands of apps to choose from, we’ve compiled here a list of the most useful travel apps you should have on your phone.

Connected Spotlight – Mr & Mrs Smith

Phil Butler

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.

Hoteliers, Are You Using the Right Channels?

Phil Butler

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

Phil Butler

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

Phil Butler

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.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts: The Luxury You’d Expect

Phil Butler

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.

A Great Idea From Jetsetter

Aleksandr Shatskih

Jetsetter, the exclusive travel community for the discerning traveler, just announced a very cool Bon Voyage travel gift. This coffee table picture book presents the company’s expert journeys in a sort of travel inspirational bible – for the throng of globetrotters anticipating that next adventure abroad.

Flight-In-Sight! Tracks Your Flight in Real Time

Aleksandr Shatskih

Flight-In-Sight! is a real time flight tracking tool, that shows passengers where their plane is located when it’s not at the end of the jetway. The tracker was developed by FlightView, whose technology is already used in many major US airports.

IAVRA: A Slick Way to Skin Villa Travel

Phil Butler

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.

Argo Travel Tech Pick: Inhabit Vacations

Phil Butler

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?

Phil Butler

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.