Traveling Blog: Cross-Industry Back Scratching + Chinese App's Big Raise + Overstimulated Millennials

December 13, 2017

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Note From the Editor

Cross-brand promotions are nothing new, but as hotels — and airlines and online travel agencies — seek to increase their experiential bonafides, you can expect these sorts of partnerships to pick of steam. As our contributor Samantha Shankman points out in a story today, a boutique property in Barcelona, The Corner Hotel, teamed with Seagram's to import a New York weekend in the form of jazz musicians from the Blue Note and the head bartender from another popular Greenwich Village hot spot. Expect more category-mixing ahead for mutual back-scratching purposes.

In China, social travel site Mafengwo leveraged users' photo-sharing impulses to build a popular travel-booking app, and attracted $133 million in new funding. The site wants to become an Alibaba for travel. So does everyone else.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

Four Ways Hotel Owners Can Best Leverage Revenue Management

Cross-promotions like this are most successful when both sides have something to gain. While Seagram's gets access to a new audience, The Corner Hotel can enhance its reputation.

Mafengwo Raises $133 Million as a Booking App for Chinese Millennials

Mafengwo gained traction among millennials partly due to China having banned Facebook and Instagram. A lack of competition gave the company room to be a place where young Chinese can share travel photos, and that attracted new customers to look at the company's bookable travel offerings.

The Future of Luxury for Overstimulated Millennials Looks Serene

Circadian mood lighting might cut it on a business trip, but the future of luxury leisure will be based in actual nature.

Video: Royal Caribbean CEO on Building Smarter Ships

As cruise ships grow in size, the need for innovation in onboard activities and experiences has grown in tandem. Companies like Royal Caribbean Cruises have led the way, but there is still a long way to go until megaship cruises shed their image as a low-brow vacation.

Hotels Use Technology and Design to Evolve the Healthy Room

Wouldn't it be nice if a hotel room could enhance your sleep, whip you into shape or make you relax? Four Seasons, MGM and Swissôtel are among the brands experimenting with accommodations designed to make guests feel healthier.

SevenRooms Raises $8M to Expand Its Hospitality Customer Management System

In the competitive restaurant software market, services continue to double-down on the features that make them uniquely attractive to potential customers.

Airport lounges are rarely luxurious, but people love them. Perhaps they crave access to an "exclusive" airport club. So look for more to open soon at U.S. airports. As we learn in this interview, operating a lounge can be a profitable business.

Key Economic Indicators Point To A Good 2018 For Travel, Despite Larger Turmoil

Key economic indicators point to a solid 2018 for travel and tourism as long as federal policy changes don't get in the way.

Delta CEO Didn't Expect 2017 to Be a Good Year for Travel

Delta CEO Ed Bastian was pleasantly surprised by the resilience of travel in 2017 and he expects more of the same next year.

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