02 Jul
2015
Digital Transformation
Over the next few weeks, I will be organising Travel Technology Initiative’s Autumn conference. The title of the event is Digital Transformation. This has got me thinking about what does Digital Transformation really mean and are there any travel industry players undergoing a digital transformation?
04 Jun
2015
The Hotel Distribution Revolution
This week I chaired a Forum I organised for Travel Technology Initiative and the European Tourism Association. I called the event The Hotel Distribution Revolution. The online era has created a whole new world for the travel industry, but whereas the airline sector, cruising and tour operating may be settling down and finding some stability, it strikes me that hotel distribution is still in a state of flux.
04 May
2015
A Waste of Time?
British Airways - receive information about your flight’s gate status, with notifications sent direct to your wrist when your gate status changes (available at London Heathrow Terminals 3 and 5 only). Marriott - access Marriott’s mobile app for check-in and checkout. Expedia - Check itineraries for upcoming trips.
12 Mar
2015
Do you look good on a smartphone?
A study recently completed by the University of Derby concludes that some people have become addicted to their smartphones, ie. they have become physically and mentally dependent on their devices. The study found a positive relationship between this addiction and narcissism.
10 Feb
2015
The miserable air travel experience
Who remembers the old days, when air travel was fun and exciting, when you didn’t need to buy a Business or First Class ticket to make the trip bearable? Sadly, travelling by air has become a chore; a grit-your-teeth and put-up-with-the-endless-queuing experience.
27 Jan
2015
How many OTAs does the world need?
Expedia has just purchased Travelocity from Sabre for $280 million in cash. This comes after Sabre’s recent sale of lastminute.com to Bravofly Rumbo for $120 million. Following the Travelocity deal, Sabre CEO and president, Tom Klein, said, “Our primary focus at Sabre is to provide mission-critical software solutions to our global airline, hospitality, and travel agency customers – and to help them support their customers every day.”
13 Dec
2014
Metasearch vs. OTAs – Let the battle commence
The major online travel agencies, Expedia and Priceline’s Booking.com, seem to have the travel market sewn up, sucking in customers like celestial black holes. Their large market shares are driven by mega-million dollar digital marketing budgets and superlative technology.
18 Nov
2014
Get in touch with your customer
you want to provide to the customer the customer would like to receive. Examining these ‘moments of truth’ will identify gaps between the experience the customer desires and the one actually received. It is these moments of truth that give the customer an opportunity to form (or change) his/her impression about your business.
22 Sep
2014
Are blogs the future?
After 10 years plus, I am putting my hobby website, travelfromHere.com, up for sale. Take a look and you will see that it is a very straightforward directory of websites aimed at UK travellers. It is rather like Yahoo! was in its first incarnation.
27 Aug
2014