We started evolving the brands and now have a total of 16 brands including boutique brands such as Viib and Glo.   Today, half of the portfolio is outside the US – which is mind boggling – and Asia is a big part of that growth. (The company operates over 4,100 hotels and motels worldwide.) Vīb Best Western Sanam Pao in Bangkok (image credit: Best Western Hotels & Resorts) Yes, we distinguished ourselves in the area of how we managed technology. We were the number one website but we threw that out, and started from scratch. It wasn’t built for the future, wasn’t flexible enough for how fast things move nowadays. It took us a year to rebuild the whole platform and now we have a globally responsive site – one platform that powers everything, tablets, smartphones, regardless of screen, it is optimised and served from the same content repository. We built it in Phoenix using the Adobe platform, and we do a lot of AB testing. The “Amazon Purchase Now” button, we copied to see if it converts more. We don’t mind saying we mimic Amazon – they are the e-commerce leader and other companies like Walmart and Target are doing the same thing. We’re proud to say that Fast Company gave us the distinction of being one of the six most innovative companies in the world in the usage of AI and VR. Q: You can go overboard with technology though, can’t you? Q: One area that’s changing the most and fast is revenue management technology. How are you dealing with that? We work with a systems provider but we have been doing so much tweaking ourselves. The whole revenue management model is changing so fast, you can’t take learnings from the past, you have to look at the future and optimise different mixes. Booking windows change all the time. Is there a better way? We are looking at working with Amazon through their Amazon Web Services to start experimenting – how we can use Amazon machine learning capabilities. What we held sacred in the past is no longer true. Yes, look at how they have changed and the consolidation that has happened. Expedia is getting into corporate travel with Egencia; things are just not the same anymore. You supply rates and inventory to wholesalers, but so much business is powered by OTAs. You can’t predict where your customer mix is coming from. Q: Airlines are fearful about commoditisation, as are hotels. What can you do to prevent this downslide towards commoditisation? You can’t give up fighting it. What’s overwhelming is how fast everything changes. The biggest frustration is Google driving up marketing expenses tremendously. They are the biggest search engine in the world. If there are five places you can advertise, you have to be in all five, otherwise you get hijacked by the OTAs. But how do you keep up with that, the amount the OTAs spend on Google? Pre-arrival is an opportunity. Our new digital platform is an attempt to stop the commoditisation. OTAs are good at taking market share, they are so powerful, but the new website stemmed some of that attrition. Q: Net rates are a big problem in Asia. What’s your view on that? It’s a problem. OTAs are so powerful in Asia – they are 15% of the business in the US, 20% in Europe and 40% in Asia. Over time, hotels will see deterioration of rates, on top of paying commissions. It’s a downward spiral, and it’s very troublesome. It’s a very good fit. WorldHotels can modernise their solutions and systems to be more competitive. We can drive business to WorldHotels and achieve economies of scale; it’s compelling value for both. WorldHotels is now at 300 hotels, with this, can we grow to 600? Yes, it will be only a matter of time before major hotel groups get involved in home sharing and hostels. Think about what’s lacking in the space – Airbnb filled a big void with their tech and marketing, but what they can’t provide is assurance. Hotels can provide that assurance. • Featured image credit (Best Western Palmyra Inn & Suites, New York): Best Western Hotels & Resorts The Under 23 Great Britain Academy team will ride this year's Tour de l'Avenir stage race which begins in Dreux, near Paris on Saturday. The nine-day stage race is organised by ASO, who also organise the Tour de France, and is traditionally considered the stage race for future Tour stars. A strong ride in the l'Avenir traditionally leads to a professional contract. Former winners include Laurent Fignon, Miguel Indurain, Johan Bruyneel, Denis Menchov and more recently Lars Bak. Last year Belgium's Jan Bakelants won it before turning professional with the Topsport-Vlaanderen team. In recent years riders from the Great Britain U23 Academy have taken part in the Tour of Britain but the red, white and blue GB jerseys will be back in France just like when Robert Millar, Graham Jones and many other Brits rode the race to try and seal places in European professional teams. It is the first time a Great Britain team has taken part in the Tour de l'Avenir since 1998. That year Charly Wegelius (32nd overall), Darren Barclay (49th) and Russell Downing (51st) were the only British finishers in a race won by Christophe Rinero, a Cofidis rider who had just finished fourth in the Tour de France. The Tour de l'Avenir reverted to a national team format in 2007. A good performance in the Tour de l'Avenir will also help the British-based Team Sky's chances of getting a place in the 2010 Tour de France. Under 23 team manager Max Sciandri has selected six riders for the race and will direct them from the Great Britain team car. In the team are: Pete Kennaugh, Luke Rowe, Andy Fenn, Erick Rowsell, Mark Christian and Jonny McEvoy. The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! They travelled from their base in Quarrata in Tuscany on Friday ready for the opening 130km circuit stage around the town of Dreux. The race then heads east to northern France before descending down through the Vosges region for the finish in Besancon. The race will probably be decided on stage six's uphill finish in Gerardmer and the 28km time trial around Ornans on stage eight. "The Tour de l'Avenir is a key build-up race for the world championships but we also want to do well and try and win stages," Max Sciandri told Cycling Weekly. "The guys rode the recent Giro della Val d'Aosta in the Italian Alps last week. It didn't go well because three of them got sick but they've all recovered and have been training well in the last few days." "We're one of the strongest teams in the world at Under 23 level and so it's right we ride the Tour de l'Avenir. In the past the race was pretty tough but the organisers have toned it down quite a bit, which makes it easier to handle so close to a world championships. It's where most of our rivals for the worlds are competing and so we'll be able to see who is on form." Saturday 5th September: Dreux - Dreux 130 km Sunday 6th September: Dreux - Tourville-la-campagne 138 km Monday 7th September: Le Thuit-Signol - Compiègne 189 km Tuesday 8th September: Margny-les-Compiègne - Sedan 197 km Wednesday 9th September: Sedan - Guénange 166, 5 km Thursday 10th September: Château-Salins - Gérardmer 146 km Friday 11th September: Gérardmer - Ornans 182, 5 km Saturday 12th September: Ornans - Ornans 27 km (C.L.M.) Sunday 13th September: Besancon - Besancon 116, 5 km George Atkins third in the Junior Giro della Lunigiana A sign of the growing strength in depth of Junior British riders was clear on Friday when George Atkins finished third on a tough uphill finish at the Giro della Lunigiana stage race in Italy. The four-day stage race held south of Genoa, is considered the most prestigious stage race in Junior European cycling, with the winner usually going on to bigger and better things as an U23 and professional. It is the first time a junior from Great Britain has ridden, but Atkins quickly showed his talent. Atkins joined the key break of stage that already included team mate Alexander King and then just failed to stay with stage winner Pavel Gorenc of Slovenia on the climb to the line. Atkins finished nine seconds down and is now sixth overall at 1-05. Also in the Great Britain team are: Tim Kennaugh, Sam Harrison, Jonathan Mould and Daniel Mclay. Coach Daren Tudor is managing the team. Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms from good old-fashioned print to online journalism Remerciements à www.flandre-finish.fr © DirectVelo - Tous droits réservés. Mentions légales - CGV Vous pouvez aussi consulter du contenu spécifique à la FranceBelgique :