Marketing

🛩 Fliggy, Alibaba Group's travel platform, reported a 30% year-on-year surge in gross merchandise value (GMV) during the Double 11 Global Travel Festival. Over six million promotional products were sold, including nearly one million flight passes. Premium 88VIP memberships rose by 30%, contributing 70% of top merchants’ sales. GMV for promotional items via livestream increased by 70%. Major brands like Marriott and ANA surpassed RMB100 million in GMV, with outbound travel making up nearly half of the orders.

🛫 Global fintech, Revolut, teams up with Booking.com to broaden its travel offerings. With almost 9 million Revolut users already booking via Booking.com, this partnership enhances payment options for millions. Revolut Pay, now with 2 million monthly active users, allows seamless one-click booking with biometric security. From November 17 to January 3, users earn 10x RevPoints. Revolut's Alex Codina highlights faster, secure, rewarding checkouts, while Booking.com's JC Rodriguez emphasizes the value for travelers globally.

🏨 Expedia and Airbnb are closing the gap with Booking.com, with Expedia's room-night growth recently surpassing Booking.com, reshaping the competitive landscape as of November 18, 2025. Hotels need strategic adaptation, focusing on diversifying demand sources and enhancing direct booking funnels. Airbnb expands into hotels, enhancing its discovery platform. Expedia leverages loyalty and AI for growth. Despite Booking.com's strong position, its competitive edge faces challenges. The shift in distribution dynamics requires hotels to rethink strategy.

🧦 Apple has introduced a $230 "sock" for phones, sparking lessons for the hospitality industry. Despite its irrational concept, it sold out, highlighting that emotion trumps logic in consumer behavior. The product evokes 2000s nostalgia, suggesting hotels could leverage retro themes for high perceived value. Apple’s strategy emphasizes creating demand through small details rather than expensive renovations. Targeting niche markets instead of a broad audience can boost revenues, as demonstrated by Apple's targeted approach.

💰 Beverly D’Angelo teams up with Wyndham to offer a special campaign for Wyndham Rewards members. From now until December 31, members can receive a complimentary, one-level status upgrade. Wyndham Rewards features four membership levels: Blue, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. Each level offers increasing benefits, including additional points per stay and perks like late checkout and suite upgrades. This initiative aims to enhance travel experiences during the busy holiday season.

🍴 Altamarea Group, led by CEO Ahmass Fakahany and established in 2009, collaborates with Influence Society to enhance the online visibility of Ai Fiori in Midtown Manhattan. Ai Fiori, a top-tier restaurant with accolades from The New York Times, Zagat, and Forbes, partners with Influence Society for advanced SEO and digital strategies. Altamarea operates over 25 restaurants globally, including locations in New York, Los Angeles, Dubai, and Riyadh.