Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

--> IHG, or the InterContinental Hotels Group , just confirmed the company would implement the dynamic pricing model to its reward programs by the end of this year . Such a new policy will affect all the brands that IHG owns or manages, ranging from InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, to some other newer lifestyle brands, such as EVEN Hotels and Hotel Indigo. In the past, frequent travelers can usually redeem reward points towards a hotel stay according to the category where a hotel is listed (e.g., more points for a luxury hotel than a midscale hotel). This newly-introduced dynamic pricing feature will allow IHG Hotels to update the number of points needed to redeem a free room according to the changing demand by travelers. Such practices are expected to “increase member engagement with variable point pricing.” Why is dynamic pricing crucial to service operations? The se...

This month (February 2019) marks the 11 th birthday for Airbnb. Founded in 2008, Airbnb is the first and now the dominant player in the P2P (peer-to-peer) short-term residential rental business. Last year at Airbnb’s 10 th birthday , the company’s CEO Brian Chesky delivered a keynote speech --- Airbnb for everyone. Around the same period, the company rolled out two new brands to its current product line: Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb . Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky delivers a keynote speech at the company's 10th birthday in February. (Image: Airbnb) Within 10 years, Airbnb has already turned itself into more than just a marketplace for room-sharing services. The company also sells other travel experiences and even rooms for other hotels , as what OTAs (online travel agents such as Expedia and Priceline ) offer. Additionally, Airbnb began competing head-to-head with other hotel giants in the real estate market.        It is no doubt that Air...

The saddest thing about the “Happiest Place on Earth” is the long wait time! We’ve all been there; we race over to enjoy your favorite ride and discover that the wait time is over 90 minutes. Well, Disneyland has been working hard to address this issue back in 1999 with the introduction of FASTPASS --- a ride reservation system that is available to all guests with no additional charge, allowing people to enjoy other attractions during the wait time. As of 2017, people no longer need the paper FASTPASS, because their ride reservation is now electronically stored on their park ticket or annual pass. Disneyland has now launched the Disney MaxPass. An improved hi-tech version that people can control from their mobile device, which includes the time-saving convenience of FASTPASS as well as the value of unlimited downloads from the Disney PhotoPass for the entire day. With Disney MaxPass, people can even skip the long lines at the most popular rides. Travelers simply make a FAST...