In five minutes or less, keep track of the most important news of the week, curated just for you. We present to you hand – picked news on latest industry perspectives and some general updates. Read on!! 
HospitalityUnited.Club to host Cocktails & Conversations during ITB Berlin HospitalityUnited.Club is all set to host yet another dazzling event for hoteliers and travel tech fraternity in Berlin, along the sidelines of ITB, in partnership with Aptum, AgentX101, Ecommpay, LiveOS, RateTiger and TravelgateX. https://bit.ly/2T1oxWR Where hotel owners, operators invest in tech features Hotel owners, operators and asset managers offered up advice on how to balance needs and wants as well as what their top investment priorities are for the year. http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/300281/Where-owners-operators-invest-in-tech-features When Calling the Front Desk Is Not an Option There are certainly nice benefits to staying in an Airbnb. But if an emergency happens, you might be on your own. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/travel/airbnb-safety.html Booking.com Announces Finalists for its 2020 Technology Playmaker Awards With 45 finalists from 20 countries, this year’s awards shine a spotlight on inspiring female technologists and future tech trailblazers, and those championing greater diversity and inclusion in tech. https://globalnews.booking.com/bookingcom-announces-finalists-for-its-2020-technology-playmaker-awards/ Customers want more text-based customer support options from brands Customers want more text-based customer support options from brands. 72% of consumers age 18 to 64 said having the ability to text with a live agent in real-time would improve their overall customer service experience. https://marketingland.com/customers-want-more-text-based-customer-support-options-from-brands-275739 The big will get bigger as travel firms avoid the Google ‘death zone’ For hotel bookings, OTAs have moved away from a cheapest first price order, to a merchandised list, based on the highest converting hotels, securing bigger margins by focusing on a small set of hotels with higher booking volumes. https://www.travolution.com/articles/114184/guest-post-the-big-will-get-bigger-as-travel-firms-avoid-the-google-death-zone Travel experts fear long-term impact of virus Travel agents, operators and hoteliers are bracing for months, if not a full year, of economic disruption from the outbreak, with long-term effects that may ripple well into 2021. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/16/business/economy-business/tourism-coronavirus-covid19-2021-experts/#.Xk4eu5Uzbct
Meet us at ITB Berlin in Hall 8.1, Stand 113B on 4 – 7 March for a quick catch up – book a meeting today.