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2871 posts

Booking.com leads Asia’s cashless travel revolution

💳 Nov 11, 2025, Asia-Pacific: Digital payments are revolutionizing travel, with 60% of Southeast Asian consumers favoring cashless options. China leads with 82% e-commerce through digital wallets, while Japan and the Philippines still prefer cash. Platforms like GrabPay and ShopeePay are essential, surpassing Western credit card use. In 2024, Booking.com processed 59% of bookings globally via e-wallets and BNPL. Cashless systems promise financial inclusion but must balance innovation with accessibility.
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Amex GBT unveils next-gen Egencia for 2026

🚀 American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) on Nov 11, 2025, achieved 13% Q3 revenue growth to $674 million, aided by the CWT acquisition. Amex GBT plans to launch a next-gen Egencia platform in early 2026 with "agentic AI search" and SAP Concur integration. Total transactions increased by 19%, with a $155 million synergy savings target by 2028. Revenue projections for 2025 and 2026 forecast 12% and 20% growth, respectively. Net loss reduced to $62 million.
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Amadeus revenue and profit rise on air and hospitality gains

🗺 Amadeus, on Nov 11, 2025, reported a €1.6 billion Q3 2025 revenue, a 6.4% YoY increase, with a nine-month revenue of €4.9 billion and profits up 10% to just over €1 billion. Airline IT revenue grew to €1.7 billion, while hospitality rose to €776 million. Over €1 billion was invested in R&D, up 10% from 2024, with a focus on AI and tech advancements. The company anticipates continued growth and innovation into Q4.
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Amadeus sees agentic AI as an expansion, not a threat

💻 Nov 11, 2025, Amadeus CEO Luis Maroto discusses the impact of agentic AI on the travel-tech sector. Maroto asserts AI platforms won't become merchants due to the complexity of pricing and logistics. Amadeus aims to remain the intermediary, offering infrastructure and data. AI agents present opportunities for demand in real-time pricing and dynamic content. Quality content aggregation and managing travel complexities underscore the value of Amadeus in the evolving AI landscape.
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Klook files for US IPO after strong revenue growth

🗺️ Klook, a Hong Kong-based travel platform, filed for a U.S. IPO on November 11, 2025, reporting a 24% revenue increase in 2024, totaling $417.1 million. Amid post-pandemic tourism recovery, the World Travel and Tourism Council forecasts the sector to hit $11.7 trillion in 2025. Klook targets young travelers with its mobile-first model in Asia-Pacific, facing competition from Booking.com and others, while analysts highlight risks like profitability pressures.
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  • 7 min

The algorithm doesn’t care about the Caribbean. But the next hurricane won’t care about the algorithm either.

🌀 On 28 October 2025, Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba, killing over 70 people and causing US $7 billion in damages, nearly 30% of Jamaica’s GDP. It was the strongest hurricane in Jamaica’s history. Despite this, Hurricane Melissa received fewer than 1,500 global mentions, overshadowed by pop culture and tech news. UNICEF reported that 70% of young Caribbean respondents fear migration due to climate disasters, yet the region contributes less than 1% of global emissions.
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  • 2 min

The Asia Pacific, excluding China, Hotel Construction Pipeline Reaches Record Highs in Q3 2025

🏨 At Q3 2025, the APEC hotel construction pipeline reached 2,262 projects with 434,593 rooms, marking 9% and 6% YOY increases. The region saw 898 construction projects/199,865 rooms, while new project announcements totaled 226 projects/42,405 rooms. India led with 838 projects/108,775 rooms, reflecting 31% and 37% YOY growth. Notable city pipelines included Bangkok (65 projects/16,316 rooms) and Jakarta (48 projects/10,466 rooms). LE forecasts 336 new hotels by 2026 end and 322 by 2027 end.
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Revisn cuts check-in times by 85% with Mews, redefining extended-stay hospitality in Raleigh

📱 Dallas, Texas – Since 2018, Revisn in Raleigh, powered by Mews, revolutionized hospitality with technology-driven executive residences. Using the Revisn Residence Connect app, 80% of guests access apartments with digital keys, reducing check-in from 15-20 minutes to 2 minutes, an 85% decrease. Revisn, operated by Welcome Holdings, offers 48 apartments blending boutique hotel and home privacy, and plans a new property at Brier Creek in 2026. Mews powers 12,500 customers in 85+ countries.
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  • 6 min

Corporations Stay the Course on Sustainable Business Travel but Struggle to Progress in High Impact Areas, According to Global Benchmark

🌐 Hamburg, July 2025: The GBTA Foundation released the second-year findings from its Sustainability Acceleration Challenge. 285 companies, representing $22 billion in annual business travel, participated, marking a 20% increase from last year. The global maturity score rose from 1.3 to 1.4. Sustainable practices advanced with a 15% increase in SAF purchases, but areas like Carbon Fees (0.4 score) need acceleration. The Financial sector leads with a maturity score of 1.9.
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  • 5 min

Digitizing in-room dining in a full-service hotel: Operational and experiential outcomes at Grand Hyatt Singapore

💻 Grand Hyatt Singapore transformed its in-room dining with Shiji’s Stellaris Digital Dine platform, achieving over 90% digital ordering and reducing labor costs by approximately $3,600 monthly. This shift enhanced order accuracy, reducing errors from 5-10% to near-zero, and improved menu update efficiency by 90%. Between July 2024 and June 2025, 58% of in-room dining revenue was digital. The initiative also supported sustainability by eliminating paper menus, aligning with the hotel's broader digital goals.
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