Google's industry head for strategic partnerships Term Panupong spoke on redefining the Thai hotel experience via AI
Travel Daily Media (TDM) brought a great number of the leading minds in travel, tourism, and hospitality at its first-ever TDM C-Suite Travel Trade Global Summit in Bangkok, Thailand.
Staged at the Rajmontien Grand Ballroom of the Montien Surawong Hotel in Bang Rak on Thursday, 8th May, this initial run covered a wide range of topics relevant to the evolving sectors within the Asia Pacific and beyond.
Organised by TDM and the Charlton Media Group, the Summit was sponsored by Agilisys, HBX Group, Hotelbeds, Shiji, and Booking.com.
Setting the stage for a digital future
Event discussions revolved around the theme The Future of Hospitality: Crafting Seamless Experiences in an AI Digital-Driven World.
The Summit featured four speakers and discussions were divided into eight panels seeded throughout the day and moderated by experts from related fields.
Two fireside chats at the beginning and the end of the Summit likewise offered a look into tourism and hospitality within the Thai purview, and a summary detailing how technological advancements and evolving methodologies stand to change the sector in the future.
<div class="cls-under-content"> TCEB’s Jaruwan Suwannasat poses a question to the audience
Considering returns on experience
Jaruwan Suwannasat, chief information officer of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) jumpstarted the day’s talks with a talk on Tomorrow’s Destinations: Transforming Value Through Innovative Experiences.
Suwannasat posed a question to participants at the beginning of her talk: What is tomorrow’s destination for you?
She framed the question against the recovery of both the domestic and global tourism sector’s following the pandemic, noting that the sector is coming back stronger despite a slow start from 2022 following the widespread use of vaccines and the subsequent reopening of borders.
Suwannasat’s report showed that 67 percent of would-be-travellers are making travel a priority when it comes to their savings, and that tourists in the post-pandemic age have an eye out for experiences that are both enjoyable and memorable as opposed to simply racking up the number of destinations visited.
In which case, tourism and hospitality professionals need to keep in mind that volume isn’t the priority anymore, but value offered to customers makes all the difference.
The key questions that companies in both industries need to answer are how much value can they give to each visitor that comes their way; how can they amplify the worth of each stay in terms of activities, amenities, and adventures; and where can they make relevant improvements to ensure that they are delivering as much value as possible.
Indeed, contemporary tourism and hospitality need to think that it isn’t so much about returns on investment, but more of returns on experience.
<div class="cls-under-content"> Theresa Matheson (far left) takes the lead in the first panel of the day
A diverse range of topics
As stated earlier, the Summit proper was divided into four talks, including the opening presentation delivered by TCEB’s Suwannasat, and eight distinct panels.
Speakers and topics were as follows:
Primary Speakers
- Adtip “Term Panupong, industry head for strategic partnerships at Google, on Thailand Hospitality: Redefining Experiences with AI;
- Agilisys director of sales in Southeast Asia March Suthamwutinan on Making the Personal Profitable: Leveraging Data Accuracy to Drive Revenue; and
- The Thaiger‘s lead content creator Alex Latour.
Themed Panel Discussions
- Digital Disruption in Hospitality: Harnessing AI and Data Analytics, moderated by American Express Global Business Travel vice-president Teresa Matheson;
- Hotel Asset Enhancements: Covering Brand Evolution, Design Considerations, Technology Integration, AI and Customer Journey, and ESG Components, moderated by JLL senior vice-president for hotel asset management in Thailand and Vietnam Jon Cannon;
- AI and Technology: Where Does It Start and Stop, moderated by Amadeus Hospitality’s vice-president in the Asia-Pacific Paul Wilson;
- Overcoming Travel Challenges: Scalable Personalisation to Rebuild Trust and Loyalty, moderated by HBX Group’s vice-president for hotel sourcing in MEAPAC Patrick Torres;
- Welcome to the Social World of Gen Z: You Got to be Where Your Potential Customers Are, moderated by Agoda vice-president for corporate development Timothy Hughes;
- Rethinking the ASEAN and APAC Travel Markets in 2025 and Beyond, moderated by High-Yield Tourism director Gary Bowerman; and
- Future Trends in Travel: Redefining Experiences Through Innovation, moderated by Roland Berger senior partner and managing partner in Southeast Asia John Low.
Aside from these panel discussions, a special roundtable session spearheaded by platinum sponsor Agilisys was held for around 15 representatives from leading hotels and hotel management companies from Thailand and across the Asian region.
The discussion revolved around the theme The Future of Guest Experience: Personalisation Through Technology and was led by Agilisys’ March Suthamwutinan.
