About 7 years ago

09/25/2017 - Midnight Reads – How the Hotel Industry Views Its Future (and Airbnb)

How the Hotel Industry Views Its Future (and Airbnb)

– The Atlantic 

Despite several years of steady post-recession growth in the hotel industry, many within it are nevertheless wary of rental platforms like Airbnb (which might steal away customers) and online-booking sites like Expedia and Priceline (which take commissions that eat into hotels’ revenues). Here are a few reasons why.

 

The Smart Money on Wall Street Is Shorting Amazon’s Rivals

– Axios

Few bets have been smarter this year than wagering on Amazon’s success, and against its top competitors. And now short-selling by investors suggests an increasing consensus that Amazon will not only continue to weaken its retail rivals, but soon dominate markets for fresh groceries and auto parts, according to Ihor Dusaniwsky of financial analytics firm S3 Partners.

 

Burger Bots Could Flip the QSR Industry on Its Head

– PYMTS

Pasadena, California-based startup Miso Robotics is ready to introduce Flippy, the automated fast-food burger-flipper — and, according to many, the beginning of the end for burger boys and maybe even for low-skill laborers in general. Flippy is slated to roll out to 50 CaliBurger restaurants around the world over the next two years.

 

Your Dinner Reservations Are Ready, Courtesy of Airbnb

– CNET

A new restaurants feature builds on Airbnb’s push to become your digital travel agent, with its expansion into personalized tours and trip planning through its new Trips platform. The effort is a way to make Airbnb more valuable for people beyond just booking a place to sleep and gives folks more of a reason to open the app while on vacation or a work trip. It also foreshadows more disruption in the restaurant industry.