Traveling Blog: Nobu Hotels' Secret Sauce + Lufthansa's Innovation Play + Tourism Jobs Spike

March 22, 2018

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Editor's Note

Depending on the hand a company has been dealt, it can look internally to spearhead growth or it can venture beyond the corporate fiefdom to fuel expansion. Today, we present two examples in the form of Nobu Hospitality and the Lufthansa Group. Nobu Hotels is leaning on its renowned restaurant brand to build its lodging portfolio so executives wouldn't think of opening a new property if a Nobu restaurant wouldn't work well at that location.

The Lufthansa Group, meanwhile, knows that its bureaucracy can be very resistant to change so it has turned to outsiders — people with no airline experience —to staff its Innovation Hub in Berlin. Its mission basically is to craft the airline of the future. Either method, namely looking internally or externally, can work, or fail. That's one of the things that makes the travel business so interesting.

— Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor

Report: Insights in Digital Aviation 2018

It certainly helps to have your hotels named after a wildly successful global restaurant chain, but making sure people don't only think of your brand as a place to eat can be a challenge.

How Lufthansa Group Tries to Beat Back Its Own Bureaucracy

The bureaucracy at a major legacy airline often rivals that of a government. So when Lufthansa Group decided it needed an innovation hub, it purposely built it in Berlin, far from the main headquarters. That was probably a good idea.

Tourism Jobs Numbers Increase Despite Modest Introduction of Artificial Intelligence

Travel executives love to say that their employees are at the heart of their brands and they are on the front lines of the guest and visitor experience. Employees will toast to that notion, but hope they won't have to tussle with a robot or virtual assistant to prove their worth.

Apple Leisure Group CEO Believes Vacations Are Much Better Than Virtual Reality

The CEO of Apple Leisure Group isn't concerned about the prospect of virtual reality or other technology taking the place of actual vacations. But he is worried about the impact of policy that throws up roadblocks to traveling — a much more immediate concern.

Mexico's Volaris Sticks with Its U.S. Focus Despite Recent Stumbles

Yes, 2017 wasn't the best year for Volaris. But don't count out the airline. It has one of the lowest cost bases in the world. That's always a good thing — especially in a downturn.

The Current State of Restaurant Delivery Competition

As third-party delivery services claim the both headlines and diners' dollars, they're working to make themselves indispensable to restaurant operators. But operators, especially large companies, know they have leverage when it comes to working with a large organization.

Personalized Events Empower Planners and Attendees

Meeting and event planners know they need to do a better job tailoring events to their attendees and providing their sponsors with a stronger idea of how successful their partnership has been. New solutions will make it easier for them to make informed decisions moving forward.

Puerto Rico hasn't had the chance to grow up as a destination over the years, and its tourism industry finally thinks it has a shot to do that. But to become known for more than its beaches and golf, it'll have to overcome an intense political establishment that's been defined by its financial woes and disorganization.

Eurostar Tech Update Signals Action in Once-Sleepy Rail Sector

There used to be only two ways for railways to make money: luck and state handouts. But that's changing, as countries look at privatization and as railways look to technology to streamline operations. Sqills and SilverRail are two tech vendors that smell an opportunity.

TUI Group Is Quietly Joining the Cruise Heavyweights

TUI Group is slowly building up quite a formidable cruise operation. How long before it starts to consider buying out joint venture partner Royal Caribbean?

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