The Ever-Changing Hotel Industry
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The Ever-Changing Hotel Industry

With the launch of Airbnb Trips and completion of the Starwood-Marriott merger, 2016 was a big year for the hotel industry across the globe. Hotel brands underwent major changes by re-branding, introducing new technologies, and much more. According to Travel Agent Central, Mexico’s Posadas Hotels & Resorts (Grupo Posadas) introduced La Colección as a re-branding…

Lodging for the Modern Business Traveler
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Lodging for the Modern Business Traveler

If you’ve ever had a terrible lodging experience, you know that the accommodations you choose can make or break your trip. Choosing the right place while on business travel is especially important, as there are certain amenities you can’t afford to miss out on, like free Wi-Fi. In recent years, companies have begun capitalizing on…

Travel Pricing in the Year Ahead

Travel Pricing in the Year Ahead

Earlier this year, Advito released a 2017 Industry Forecast that predicts pricing across key travel areas, noting the difficulty in projecting demand due to uncertainty surrounding the U.S. presidential election. Despite the element of uncertainty, Advito predicts a five percent to six percent increase in hotel rates and flat pricing for airfare and car rental…

The Future of Marriott’s Brands
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The Future of Marriott’s Brands

A couple of months ago, Marriott International became the largest hotel chain in the world after closing on a $13 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. With 30 brands now under one umbrella, there has been much speculation over Marriott’s plan to manage them all. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Marriott began implementing a strategy…

Qatar Airways Gains Approval to Purchase Latam Stake
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Qatar Airways Gains Approval to Purchase Latam Stake

Late last week, Brazil’s competition regulator Cade approved Qatar Airways’ stake purchase in Latam Airlines. Earlier this year in July, Qatar Airways agreed to acquire up to 10 percent of Latam’s shares, granted they moved forward with a $613 million capital increase. Around the same time, GBTA’s Nancy Tudorache had an opportunity to chat with…

A Milestone in Sustainable Travel
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A Milestone in Sustainable Travel

Just last week, Alaska Airlines used a wood-based biofuel to power a cross-country flight from Seattle to Washington, D.C. The flight was powered by a jet fuel blend containing 20 percent renewable biofuel made from the leftovers of logging. The airline reports it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 142,000 metric tons of CO2 annually…

Kimpton Makes Its International Debut
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Kimpton Makes Its International Debut

Earlier this week, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced the grand opening of its first property outside of the U.S., a beachfront resort on Grand Cayman. Though we’d like to say we’re surprised by this development, Kimpton’s SVP of Sales Christine Lawson shared the news with us at GBTA Convention a couple months ago (skip to…

The New Leaders of the Technology Revolution
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The New Leaders of the Technology Revolution

The second day of GBTA Conference 2016 | Frankfurt in Partnership with VDR kicked off on Tuesday, and Roadmap CEO and co-founder Jeroen van Velzen joined industry leaders on Centre Stage to share his perspectives on innovation in travel technology. Jeroen also attended GBTA Convention this past summer, where he chatted about the motivating factors behind Roadmap and…

Re-Engineering the Car Rental Process
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Re-Engineering the Car Rental Process

Last week Avis Car Rental announced its updated mobile app, Avis Now, has gained more than 250,000 users since it rolled out in July. During GBTA Convention’s Media Day this summer, Avis Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Scott Deaver announced the major overhaul to the company’s app with the addition of the new Avis…