Patrick Whyte

Airlines have long hoped for a technological development that would enable them to take back control from travel's middlemen. The New Distribution Capability was supposed to be that solution, but change of this magnitude takes time. At the moment, the British Airways parent seems more than happy to eat up the cost.

Growing the luxury side of the business is clearly a priority for newish CEO Keith Barr, and IHG does need another high-end offering to truly compete with the likes of Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons. We're wondering which brands IHG is looking at buying.

Air France-KLM is being much more cautious than its rivals on the subject of low-cost long-haul. Joon isn't the long-term answer and Air France-Klm needs to come up with something better if it is going to compete against Norwegian and others.

AccorHotels' acquisitions over the last couple of years aren't money makers yet but that's not to say they never will be. CEO Sébastien Bazin is still intent on playing a very different game than the other big hotel companies.

Wealthy tourists are happy to flash a helluva lot of cash to ensure what they are doing has rarely – if ever – been done before.

Under previous CEO Richard Solomons, IHG had looked to fill "white space" in its portfolio and it looks like this plan is continuing under his successor. Despite having a well-established luxury brand, the area is something of a weak spot for the company, with no true high-end offering. It sounds like IHG is well on the way to rectifying this.

Norwegian's critics say it is overstretched and unprofitable. So how does the airline counter this? By ramping up its expansion, of course.

TUI seems to have found a good use case for blockchain technology, and the implied cost savings would help boost profits. But could TUI achieve the same result with an alternative?

While wellness tourism might be growing in popularity, setting up a dedicated cruise line is another matter. First you've got to finance the venture, then you must convince consumers that you're a better bet than the existing lines.

With TUI accumulating so much customer data, it makes sense to deploy that knowledge to its transfers, and tours and activities business. The sector is still fragmented and a player with deep pockets like TUI should be able to make inroads.