Editors Pick

Top Travel Tech Weekly News

sounding off travel subscription
Interview / Online
Sounding Off: Do consumers want a travel subscription? Maybe…
By PhocusWire | February 28, 2020
As much as it’s touted that younger generations want something new out of loyalty rewards, travel brands should get a clear picture on what that means before asking travelers to agree to monthly buy-in. Read More
blockchain-loyalty
News / Technology
How blockchain is reinventing travel loyalty programs for both brands and consumers
By Mitra Sorrells | February 28, 2020
Companies such as Loyyal, Qiibee and Kornchain are accelerating development of blockchain solutions for loyalty and rewards, and executives say they expect widespread adoption in the next five to 10... Read More
Q&A: Collinson's Phil Seward on co-brand cards, travel subscriptions and empowering consumers
News / Online
Q&A: Collinson's Phil Seward on co-brand cards, travel subscriptions and empowering consumers
By Jill Menze | February 27, 2020
Phil Seward, senior vice president of loyalty strategy, Americas, at Collinson, explains the evolution of the co-branded credit card, if subscription models in travel are viable and how brands can put... Read More
Booking Holdings reports positive 2019, braces for coronavirus impact
News / Online
Booking Holdings reports positive 2019, braces for coronavirus impact
By Steven Lerner | February 26, 2020
Booking Holdings is expecting a “significant and negative impact” for the first quarter of 2020 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus.   Read More
Sabre to invest $150M in technology as operating income drops 35% for full-year 2019
News / Distribution
Sabre to invest $150M in technology as operating income drops 35% for full-year 2019
By Steven Lerner | February 26, 2020
 To reverse its disappointing financial results, Sabre outlined a strategic priorities plan, which includes an incremental spend of $150 million on technology in 2020.   Read More
grab app image
News / Technology
Grab raises $856M to grow financial services, digital payments in Southeast Asia
By Steven Lerner | February 25, 2020
Super app Grab has secured a pair of investments totaling $856 million, fueling the so-called decacorn’s latest amplification into financial services and digital payments. Read More
tripactions-liquid-payment-product
News / Online
TripActions launches payment service that connects to travel plans and policies
By Mitra Sorrells | February 25, 2020
TripActions Liquid is the company’s new platform that provides both virtual and physical payment cards and is linked to TripActions’ travel system to streamline compliance, reconciliation and reporting. Read More
mgm-resorts-security-incident
News / Online
MGM Resorts falls victim to data breach
By Linda Fox | February 24, 2020
MGM Resorts was the victim of a security breach affecting the personal details of millions of guests in the summer of 2019, according to reports. Read More
Airbnb house list
News / Startups
Airbnb tops lists of marketplace startups, ResortPass among fastest-growing
By Steven Lerner | February 24, 2020
 Travel startups were well-represented in the Marketplace 100, which identifies the largest and fastest-growing consumer-facing marketplace private companies. Read More
The new guest-centric look of loyalty for hotels
News / Online
The new guest-centric look of loyalty for hotels
By Mitra Sorrells | February 24, 2020
Hospitality companies both large and small are revamping their loyalty programs to focus on serving the needs of their guests. Read More
Lessons learned from a failed travel loyalty startup
News / Startups
Lessons learned from a failed travel loyalty startup
By Steven Lerner | February 20, 2020
Without the cooperation or support of hotels, airlines, banks or credit card companies, developing a loyalty startup is challenging. Read More
viator image
News / Online
Coronavirus, Viator rebranding among top concerns for Tripadvisor’s potential growth
By Steven Lerner | February 19, 2020
As Tripadvisor aims to grow in 2020, what are the big headwinds to watch out for?   Read More
travel-brands-super-apps
News / Distribution
Where travel brand loyalty sits in a super app world
By Linda Fox | February 18, 2020
It’s hard for major travel brands to ignore super apps given the huge volume of consumers that they attract and their high-frequency usage. Read More
oyo-fy19-financials
News / Distribution
International expansion swells losses for OYO to $335M
By Linda Fox | February 17, 2020
The company reported revenue of $951 million in its full-year earnings for 2019, a more than four-fold increase year-over-year. Read More
chinese currency
News / Online
Trip.com Group wants $1.2B loan as coronavirus tests China’s economy
By Steven Lerner | February 17, 2020
As companies in China grapple with the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the country’s largest online travel agency aims to gauge investor risk appetite.   Read More
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