Luke Bujarski

The global digital payments ecosystem is undergoing a rapid and monumental shift; smart travel brands should stay on top of the shifts in how we pay for goods and services. Peer-to-peer payment platforms, digital wallets, and cryptocurrencies may have been a thing of science fiction just years ago. Yet, many of the data points now clearly suggest otherwise.

The world of hotel technology software, or the “tech stack” as it’s often called, has long existed as a fragmented puzzle of competing platforms, competitors and solutions. Now, growing signs of consolidation loom as big players from both inside and outside the category vie for a bigger piece of the pie. What solutions and strategies will be most important to help hotel owners stay competitive, and profitable, in the years to come?

Destination marketers face a new imperative to refine and align their culinary experience branding and marketing strategies to connect with today’s digitally savvy traveler. Even non-traditional tourist destinations must commit to smarter branding and marketing strategy, in order to capture sustained tourism in-flows. Here, stakeholders must work together to hone their content strategies and build local networks to bring out the best of what destinations can offer.

TripAdvisor has managed to insert itself into just about every segment of travel. Like an octopus, its tentacles reach wide from accommodations to restaurant reviews.