Monday, February 27, 2006

e-Travel Blackboard: Australia's Number One Industry Newsletter

e-Travel Blackboard: Australia's Number One Industry Newsletter: "January was a record month for Totaltravel.com registering 885,437 visits to the site, up 33 per cent from the previous month.

"Suppliers are getting better at finding ways to directly access customers, while users have become more sophisticated in seeking better deals,� spokesman of Totaltravel.com, Paul Fisher said....

Consumers are becoming more savvy and realising they can get better deals by going direct to suppliers rather than dealing with anyone that is getting a commission or potentially adding margins...

Holidaymakers are taking shortcuts to make travel bookings directly with suppliers rather than relying on middlemen such as last minute.com or wotif.com, Australia�s leading online travel directory, Totaltravel.com revealed"

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Morgans Hotel founder Schrager getting payday in IPO - MarketWatch

Morgans Hotel founder Schrager getting payday in IPO - MarketWatch: "Morgans Hotel Group founder Ian Schrager will receive about $9 million in stock through an entity he controls as well as money for a jet, a full-time car driver and other perks as the boutique hotel chain goes public on Valentine's Day.

MHGC0.00, 0.00, 0.0%) plans to offer 18 million shares at $19 to $21 per share in a bid to raise $360 million, with underwriter Morgan Stanley.

Schrager, who became a big name in the 1970s as co-owner of storied disco Studio 54, founded Morgans Hotel in 1983 with his first hotel, Morgans, in New York City.

Most of the IPO proceeds will go toward paying down debt, which totaled about $446 million on Sept. 30. For the nine months ending Sept. 30, the hotel chain reported a net loss of $29 million and revenue of $190.2 million. "

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Travelocity Meet Me In...online tool

eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "Travelocity has added what is being termed as a one-of-a-kind booking feature to its Last Minute Packages portion of the site that will make it easier than ever for family and friends to connect...The patent pending Meet Me In...online tool allows consumers traveling from two departure cities to meet in a common destination through convenient, deeply-discounted travel packages.

The new booking feature helps to eliminate the scheduling and communication challenges associated with coordinating complex travel itineraries from two separate origins. This technology helps eliminate cumbersome coordination by allowing up to four people from two different cities to select itineraries that maximise their time together, stated the company

To celebrate the launch of this new tool, Travelocity is offering its members who book before March 15 an exclusive $75 discount on all Meet Me In... bookings"

Monday, February 06, 2006

VC's invest in 2 Indian online travel Companies

eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "VC's invest in 2 Indian online travel Companies
In an another development underlining the burgeoning online travel segment in India, venture capital fund WestBridge Capital Partners has decided to back Travelguru, a technology-enabled travel company....

As per the plans, customers will be able to book their travel across 300 airlines and 55,000 hotels in India and abroad in “a fast, convenient and reliable manner”. Travelguru’s innovative and patented metasearch technology provides travelers with more travel options at better prices than any other player in this space currently, according to an official release...

Travelguru has plans for providing rich hotel related content such as details on nearby attractions, hotel photographs, room facilities and distance form airport/railway stations.

In another development, VC fund Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers (KPCB) has finally decided to take the plunge with its first investment in India. The VC fund is making an investment in the travel business through a stake in Cleartrip.com , an online travel portal for India, according to financial daily, The Economic Times."

Friday, February 03, 2006

Work time spent researching & booking holidays

channel4.com - News: "Employees spend too much time surfing the internet for holiday bargains, costing the industry �2.5 billion a year in lost productivity, it has been claimed.

And the average British workers checks six different sites before deciding which holiday to choose, the survey said.

And it added that four out of five workers spend an average of 25 hours booking or researching a holiday online. "