Just after 10am yesterday, Mantra Group announced it had bought the Art Series Hotels Group brand and management rights of its seven art-themed properties in Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide for $52.5 million. More
Japan, China, Technology – The Future for Jetstar
Japan, China and technology represent enormous opportunities for Jetstar, CEO Jayne Hrdlicka told the CAPA aviation summit in Sydney this week. More
Webjet Hits The Big Time With JacTravel Buy
Webjet has made the biggest move yet in its impressive segue from one-trick-pony OTA to diversified global travel company by agreeing to buy JacTravel for GBP200 million. More
Sabre Cutting 900 Jobs, Operating Income Plummets
Travel tech company Sabre is embarking on a cost-cutting program that will culminate in the loss of 900 jobs – about 9% of its workforce. It appears the heaviest cuts will be made to middle management at the company strives for a flatter structure. More
Expedia Diversifies Its Southeast Asia Growth Strategy, Invests $350 million in Traveloka
Indonesia online travel agent Traveloka has now raised $US500 million in the past year following the $US350 million investment from global travel giant Expedia announced late last week. East Ventures, Hillhouse Capital Group, JD.com and Sequoia Capital invested approximately $US150 million in two earlier rounds in the last 12 months. More
onefinestay: AccorHotels Consolidates Its Holiday Rental Companies Under Single Brand
AccorHotels will merge its holiday home/villa rental companies Travel Keys, Squarebreak and onefinestay. The combined business will operate as onefinestay and offer 10,000 properties over six continents for rent. AccorHotels recently agreed to buy 100% of Squarebreak following its acquisitions of Travel Keys earlier this year and onefinestay in 2016. More
Relax, Breath Deeply, EVEN Comes To Auckland
EVEN is a wellness hotel brand (“home grown” by InterContinental Hotels Group) cloaked in buzzwords the way some women wear Lululemon. More
Australian Video Travel App Wins Govt Funding
Video blogging app Vloggi by Ciné Souk has announced it’s been selected for program funding by Jobs for NSW. Founder Justin Wastnage said “this funding will enable us to refine the minimum viable product through to commercialisation. More
Just Quietly, It’s the Brand That Matters
Yoshiharu Hoshino is the quietest, calmest entrepreneur you could possibly imagine.
But when he speaks, you listen.
The fourth generation Japanese hotelier – slightly built, stylish – inherited a single ryokan in 1991 and now manages 35 modern ryokans and hotels across Japan with two more in Tahiti in Bali.
And his message in Sydney this week revolved around brand, that it is everything – a fundamental fact that many international accommodation businesses have forgotten, he says. More
Calm Among The Chaos – Mantra Sydney Airport
Amid the construction chaos that encircles Sydney Airport, some order has finally emerged with the completion and opening today of the 136-room Mantra Hotel, a 15 minute walk from the domestic terminals. More
Freshies at Last in the Australian Skifields
Finally a dump. Welcome to the best morning of the year at Australia’s ski resorts. Perisher carving past the rising sun.
Snow Falls, Traffic Trebles at Snowcomparison.com
The onset of the southern winter has propelled a trebling of traffic from Australian skiers and boarders at Snowcomparison.com. Founder David Freuden says the top comparison for Australians is local resorts with New Zealand options. Within Australia, Thredbo and Mt Hotham are the most frequently compared resorts.
Aussie Inbound Tourism Buoyant Through May
Australia’s inbound tourism industry continued its strong long-term growth through through May, recording a 7.7% increase over 2016. More
One in Five Tourist Dollars Spent by Chinese
Chinese travellers spent an incredible US$261 billion in 2016 – almost 21% of the world’s tourist consumption, according to a report from Ctrip and the Center for China and Globalization. See story.
HOMO – Hotel Erotica at MONA
Wow, here’s the sexy new hotel concept for the Museum of Modern and New Art (MONA), which has been a game-changer for Tasmanian tourism since opening in 2011 due to its brilliant design and often confronting installations. More
Sign of the Times, The Growing Airbnb Economy
Just as sharks have Remora fish to pick up the scraps, Airbnb now has unaffiliated operators such as Airsorted.com feeding off its success. I saw this billboard at Wynyard Station in Sydney yesterday.
Singapore’s Hotel Rates Drop to Seven Year Low
Singapore’s notoriously high hotels rates dropped to a seven-year low during June despite an increase in demand due to Ramadan, according to research from STR. More
TripAdvisor Now Delivers Food Via Deliveroo
TripAdvisor showed how far it’s strayed from its hotel review roots by announcing yesterday that the company is now facilitating the home delivery of take-away meals. More
Perisher Plans on Hold – Again
The future of Perisher, Australia’s largest alpine resort, remains on hold after a review of the leasing arrangements by landlord, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, a state government body, stuck with the status quo. More
Ka-Ching!! Quest Pays Off for Paul Constantinou
Singaporean company Ascott Limited has paid $180m for a further 60% of Australia’s Quest Apartment Hotels, taking its stake to 80% with an option to buy the remaining 20% in the future.
Quest, which operates under a franchise model, was started by Chairman Paul Constantinou in Melbourne almost 30 years ago. More
The Flight Centre Rebound Continues, Shares Soar
Flight Centre shares soared 10% today after the previously downbeat travel retailer forecast a profit before tax of around $330m thanks to unexpectedly good sales since January. More
Final Days Loom for Iconic Bangkok Hotel
There’s just a few months left to experience the quirky delights of the Dusit Thani Bangkok, one of Asia’s most iconic properties. It opened in February, 1970, and will close on April 16, 2018.
The hotel is old-school five-star Thailand with much of the property, such as the lobby area, still formly rooted in the 70s. Of course, that’s a big part of its charm. Stay there if you get a chance. The site is being redeveloped and the new Dusit Thani will emerge in 2022 as part of a mixed-use development .
Expedia Launches Rev+ Into The Australian Market
Expedia has launched its revenue management product Rev+ into the Australian market. At first glance Rev+ appears quite basic when compared with established revenue management products but has one major competitive advantage – it is free. Features include: More
Airbnb Links with Flight Centre’s Corporate Brands
Flight Centre today announced a partnership with Airbnb in which its corporate customers can access Airbnb for Business product. More
My Kind of Wonderful – Mantra Group Launches New Masterbrand, Website and Ad Campaign
Mantra Group has created a new masterbrand, Mantra Hotels, under which its three subsidiary accommodation brands – Peppers, Mantra and Breakfree – will now operate. More
Airlines to Make $7.69 per Passenger this Year
The global airline industry will be profitable for the third straight year despite rising fuel, labour and maintenance costs, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts. “But, with earnings of $7.69 per passenger, there is not much buffer. That’s why airlines must remain vigilant against any cost increases, including from taxes, labor and infrastructure,” commented Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
TripAdvisor Website’s New, Cleaner Look
Fragrance Group Leads Hobart’s Hotel Building Boom But Something Doesn’t Smell Right
Hobart’s long-dormant hotel scene is bursting into life with last week’s launch of the 114-room MACq 01 and confirmation today that the Ibis Styles Hobart – at 296 rooms the city’s largest hotel – will open in July.
Owned by Fragrance Group, this is the first of three hotel developments the Singaporean company has planned for the Tasmanian capital. More
