Travel Technology

Is Google on the road toward becoming an online travel agency? Color us skeptical on that one. How will voice-based search change the game? Google's Rob Torres will certainly express his views on these topics at Skift Forum Europe.

Business-to-business platforms are largely invisible to the traveling public but they have a big role to play behind the scenes. Hotelbeds Group sees an opportunity to consolidate within the sector.

Today's most forward-thinking travel brands aren't just thinking about mobile. They're thinking about how to connect the dots between mobile and every aspect of the travel experience, from trip research to purchase to the in-trip journey.

Hotels can now create their own brand-specific digital assistants with IBM's new Watson Assistant because they can white label the artificial intelligence platform. Hotel operators also keep their own data, versus giving it away to a company like Amazon, which IBM says provides a new level of brand intimacy and trust.

The phrase "cash is king" is fast becoming outdated as Chinese travelers popularize mobile payment methods like Alipay and Weixin Pay.

Amadeus' track record of profitable growth has been music to the ears of investors. But some airline and hotel executives claim to hear discordant notes in the giant technology vendor's forecasts.

The hospitality industry is evolving rapidly, with brands shifting to asset light and consolidating, soft brands and non-branded operators growing steadily, and the distribution landscape becoming increasingly competitive. Nevertheless, hotel owners stand to gain if they focus on acquiring and developing the right real estate, choosing the appropriate franchisors, managers, and partners, running their properties efficiently and effectively, remaining innovative and thoughtful, and maintaining that ever-needed hospitality factor.

The travel industry urgently needs operational software that normal people find intuitive, flexible, and powerful. Otherwise it will lose efficient early-career workers to other sectors that have superior tools.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? ATPCO's first acquisition in its 53-year history shows that rich content will play a huge role in the air distribution marketplace.

China’s number one super app, WeChat, has helped its parent company, Tencent, become the most valuable social network company in the world. With this upward momentum, the app shows great potential for travel brands looking to enter the China market, as long as they formulate a thoughtful strategy going in.