Tag: Travel

One trick ponies – just 15% of global short term rentals use more than one OTA channel

Check out this Venn diagram from Transparent, which dramatically illustrates how one dimensional the distribution strategies are of most short term rental property managers – just 15% are using a multi-channel strategy – and of course the market dominance of Airbnb. Transparent explains: “In addition to booking power, Airbnb controls the lion’s share of inventory and […]

Rob Smith, Divisional Director, Merlin Entertainments

Rob Smith is the Divisional Director of Merlin Entertainments Australia and New Zealand, the second-largest attraction operator in the world. With over 17 years’ experience in the tourism and attraction industry across Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific, Rob leads the overall management, regional strategies and financial/non-financial responsibilities for Merlin’s 13 attractions in Australia & New […]

Schwartz flies high, invests in Sydney Seaplanes

Just six weeks after Sydney pub baron Justin Hemmes was quoted as a potential buyer of Sydney Seaplanes, hotel mogul Dr Jerry Schwartz has swooped and invested in the business. As part of the investment, Schwartz, an aviation buff, will add two amphibious aircraft he owns to the Sydney Seaplanes fleet, increasing it to six […]

Luxury Escapes Buys Scoopon Travel & BonVoyage from Catch

The Lux Group, which owns online travel business Luxury Escapes, has bought Scoopon Travel and BonVoyage as part of a complicated, multi-faceted transaction with the Catch Group that will create a pure-play online travel business with $300m turnover and enormous buying power while clearing the way for further growth. In what the companies are calling  Australia’s largest “home grown” e-commerce […]

Big moves in holiday park sector

The rapid consolidation of Australia’s tourism asset ownership has continued with news motoring organisation NRMA has bought Australian Tourist Park Management and control of its 27 properties while it’s been reported the sector’s largest ever single park sale has just closed. The ATPM deal means the NRMA now owns and operates 34 caravan and holiday […]

Agoda goes rogue on pricing

Agoda, the original Asian OTA, has gone rogue on pricing. Multiple hoteliers say Agoda regularly sells unauthorized static wholesale rates through the site, undercutting them on price without any regard for contracts. Other times the feeling is Agoda takes a contracted rate and shaves its margin to push the price below competitor and hotel pricing. Agoda’s […]

Turu.com.au moves to booking engine and commissions

Holiday park site Turu.com.au has revamped its revenue model and will introduce a booking engine in the next few weeks, taking commission on each transaction. The move to a booking engine has come earlier than anticipated in the brief history of the site, launched in late July. General Manager Robert Gallagher said the roll out has been […]

Hotels driving many TripAdvisor reviews

TripAdvisor has started revealing the source of reviews for properties that use its guest followup tools – an initiative that reveals hotels can in many cases drive most of the comments. For example, a survey of the first 40 current reviews in several Sydney hotels show that most resulted from management pro-activity. At 57 Hotel, 75% […]

Chinese company wins approval for Club Med purchase

French travel icon, Club Med, will be likely Chinese-owned by February 9 after regulators approved the takeover bid by Fosun International, which has offered €24.60 per share for the resort operator, valuing it at around €939 million. Fosun has been in a bidding war with Italian businessman Andrea Bonomi for Club Med since May, 2013, the […]

Former Rydges on Swanston to rebrand as Crowne Plaza

The former Rydges on Swanston, the incubator for 90% of Victoria’s deadly second COVID wave, will be refurbished and rebranded as Crowne Plaza Melbourne Carlton. New owner Ross Pelligra bought the property for $35 million in September, and says: “We plan to lift the game and give this property a full refurb and a fresh […]