Posts made in January 2022

3 Ways Technology Will Change How We Book Travel

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The travel and hospitality sectors are in the midst of a massive technological transformation that will affect how you book travel and stay at hotels moving forward. Tech savvy customers will come to expect the convenience that artificial intelligence brings. This vision is what I like to call ‘high-tech automation with high-touch personalization and customization.’

Here are three mega-trends leading the way toward realizing this vision:

Artificial Intelligence Will Personalize Your Travel Booking Experience

Online travel agencies (i.e. Expedia, Booking, or my company HotelPlanner) are working toward becoming smarter, more seamless and more personalized and customized than ever before. Access to increasing amounts of data is transforming the customer experience for online booking, allowing for smarter search functionality and better tailored results for each unique customer.

As for the top customer concerns of price and flexibility, the solutions brought by AI can lead to enhanced hotel inventory connectivity to deliver better price accuracy and more real-time options to fit any budget.

For example, the hotel booking engines of the future will already know you want a hotel with a good gym or pool, that’s pet friendly or eco-friendly, or has some other amenity, feature, or price point that’s important to you.

Voice-Enabled Services Will Grow With the Rise of the ‘Internet of Things’

AI-driven advancements in natural language recognition are making voice search the industry’s next big trend. Voice activation will continue to expand with the rise of the Internet of Things and smart homes, smart cars and smart offices.

For example, at the height of the pandemic, my company launched what we believe is the next generation of call center customer service: a 24/7 global gig-economy based call center connected to customers through AI-enabled VOIP. This voice-enabled technology allows us to connect the right customer with the right agent to provide personalized service, and to convert more sales of course.

And now you can even use Alexa to make a hotel reservation. (Give it a try and please email your feedback to feedback@hotelplanner.com).

Big Data & Predictive Analytics Will Know You Better Than You Know Yourself

Data is king, but only if you know how to interpret the data in real-time for ‘actionable intelligence’ as they say in the military. Travel technology firms and hotels will employ predictive data analytics and advanced machine learning solutions to anticipate and then deliver more bespoke services based on each customers’ unique needs and wants.

For example, at hotels this might include contactless check-ins, Alexa devices in your hotel room, or perhaps the hotel gym’s personal trainer offers you a free session since the hotel already knows that health & fitness is important to you.

For online travel agencies, they will focus on a more personalized user experience to engender your customer trust and loyalty. So when you go to search for a hotel, the site already knows exactly the type of hotel you want based on previous bookings or your unique digital footprint.

These are just a few examples of how technology is rapidly evolving to meet the current and future needs of travelers who are now expecting a more tech-savvy and personalized experience.

Written by John Price, Co-Found and CIO, HotelPlanner

MUNI LONG ANNOUNCES ‘ONE NIGHT ONLY’

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Muni Long teams up with Femme It Forward and Amazon Music to celebrate her new music with a single ‘One Night Only’ live performance showcase in Los Angeles. Throughout the show, fans will have the opportunity to see Muni stage hits like “Hrs and Hrs” live.

Taking place at Moroccan Lounge on Valentine’s Day 2022, you’ll want to grab at ticket to see Muni’s impeccable vocality in person. Buy your tickets HERE.

Muni Long

Acclaimed R&B/pop songwriter and artist Muni Long has perfected her craft over the years. Originally known as Priscilla Renea, she began her journey with music as a songwriter for the likes of Rihanna, Madonna, Mariah Carey and Selena Gomez, working for the best of the best in the music industry. After making the decision that she wanted to bask in the spotlight for herself, she hit the scene as Muni Long, opening up her own solo career. Her debut EP Black Like This was full of innovative R&B/pop tracks about personal experiences with relationships. Muni released the Public Displays of Affection EP in November of 2021 with her record label Supergiant Records. This EP housed her viral hit “Hrs and Hrs,” which swiftly rose to No. 17 on the Billboard 100.

Femme It Forward

Producing musical concerts, festivals, content/music and more, Femme It Forward serves as a female-led entertainment firm that aims to lift up and showcase women in the industry of music. Nurturing inventive and inspired women in the field, Femme It Forward cultivates one-of-a-kind events to celebrate the power of women.

Wisdome LA: Immersive Art Park

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Wisdome LA, the city’s first and largest immersive art & music dome park, is back with another exhilarating experience. This free form “art battle” took place at an abstract venue tucked away in the Arts District of Los Angeles. The rules were simple – a group of twelve eclectic artists painted it out till the twenty-minute time period came to an end.

Initial thoughts walking into this dome shaped arena were perplexing. Futons were placed circling the locale for attendees to lounge along with two different stands for guests to purchase snacks and cocktails. In the center of the dome were twelve easels with the paint canvas displaying each individual artist’s name.

As the art battle commenced, the confusion of the crowd grew as they patiently watched these talented artists construct their masterpieces in twenty minutes. Viewers were doubtful at first on how well these paintings would turn out, but proven wrong as the timer winded down. Towards the end of the clock, all artisans had stunning finished pieces.

As the contest comes to culmination, an artist from Chicago, JUJU, took the trophy home as the medalist of this showdown. Wisdome LA is the place to be if you are looking for an enveloping and tranquil experience. Wisdome LA Co-Founder Stephen Powers says, “Wisdome LA’s key concept and main objective is to offer that virtual reality experience without goggles.” To be updated on future festivities refer to their website Wisdome.LA.

Wisdome LA Co-Founder: Stephen Powers

Educated in molecular biology at MIT, Stephen Powers is an entrepreneur, chief executive, Grammy-winning music producer, Emmy-nominated TV producer, marketing expert, Board Director, business consultant, and creative director with decades of high-level experience. Powers is CEO of Powers Omnimedia, a production, publishing and consultancy firm serving media clients, including Sony Pictures, Dream Awake, America Meditating Radio, Waterside Productions, The Shift Network, World Dignity Forum, The Global Summit, USC Institute of Creative Technologies, 360 Dome Pro, and Wisdome.LA, a leading technology and location- based entertainment provider of immersive VR dome theaters, where he currently serves as COO and Co-Founder.

Powers has previously served as CEO of Bodhi Tree; Co-Founder & CEO of Agape Media; Chief of Platform Expansion at Thrive Market, President of Miller & Kreisel Sound; Co-Founder & CEO of Drive Entertainment (Universal Music); Founder & President of Chameleon Music Group (Capitol-EMI); Director of A&R at Capitol Records Hollywood; President of the Board at Theatricum Botanicum; Director of Entertainment for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics; Founder & President of Mountain Railroad Records; and Founder & Executive Director of Charlotte’s Web for the Performing Arts. His numerous creative credits include record production, NP radio host, PBS Television writer and producer, editor, Nautilus Award-winning publisher, keynote speaker, and TV host.

Bastille – Shut Off the Lights

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Bastille unveils the official video for their latest single “Shut Off The Lights”—watch HERE. In the feel-good video, which made its broadcast premiere on MTV Live and MTVU, people are disconnected from their devices, unplugged from their digital “innerverses”, and forced to reconnect IRL—resulting in an infectious office dance party celebrating the importance of human connection.

Dan Smith says, “We wanted to make something that reflected the euphoria and the fun of the song. The track is a moment of humanity, normality, and intimacy on the album, so a video celebrating small funny moments in the day seemed to make sense. Plus, it just makes us want to dance, so it seemed only right to get that in there too.”

“Shut Off The Lights” is taken from Bastille‘s upcoming fourth studio album, Give Me The Future, out February 4th. The song has received widespread praise from Billboard, Clash Magazine, DIY, Dork, Entertainment Tonight, NME, Rolling Stone UK, V Magazine, and more, with Billboard proclaiming, “Bastille has not-so-quietly developed into one of the most consistent mainstream pop-rock acts working today, building their alternative-leaning songs around Dan Smith’s booming voice but shifting their focus often enough to avoid repetition,” and V Magazine declaring, “‘Shut Off the Lights’ might just be the highest they’ve ever gone.”

To celebrate the upcoming album, Bastille recently announced their 2022 US tour dates as part of their upcoming “Give Me The Future Tour.” The US leg kicks off on May 14th in Memphis, TN and makes stops in Los Angeles on May 20th, New York on June 7th, and more. Tickets are on sale now HERE.

Next week, Bastille will perform a series of intimate outstore shows across the UK, in partnership with the UK’s independent record stores. Then in April, the band will return to arenas for the first leg of their tour (with many dates already sold out) before heading out to the US for dates in May and June.

Give me the Future

Laced with references to sci-fi films and literature, video games and VR, Bastille’s new album Give Me The Future explores a futuristic wonderland free from restrictions—each song a different danceable dreamscape, a place where you can travel back and forward in time to be anyone, do anything, and embrace a new wave of technology, which enables us to get lost inside our imagination.

It’s a record that takes the idea of the limitless possibilities of the future and journeys everywhere from a joyride of escapism on the uplifting “Thelma + Louise,” a tribute to the iconic feminist film on its 20th anniversary,!to 80’s New York with the artist Keith Haring on the bright and whistling “Club 57” to a hospital bed in Australia for the devastating but hopeful “No Bad Days.” You’ll hear disco basslines, orchestras of synths, guitars, futuristic gospel, spaceship sounds, euphoric strings, vocoders, talk boxes, a choir of roadies, and host of beats. The title track “Give Me The Future” tips its hat to Phil Collins and The Police, “Shut Off The Lights” is a sonic love letter to Paul Simon’s Graceland, and “Stay Awake” nods to Daft Punk and Quincy Jones.

Having thrown themselves into co-writing for other artists in recent years, for the first time ever on a Bastille album, the band inched open the door to collaborators. Although primarily produced by Dan Smith and long-term production partner Mark Crew, the band also worked with a handful of writers and producers to expand the world. “Distorted Light Beam” was co-written and produced with Ryan Tedder (Adele, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift), who also helped as a sounding board and executive producer for the album. “Thelma + Louise,” “Stay Awake,” and “Back To The Future” were co-written with legendary songwriter Rami Yacoub (Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time”, Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Album). They also worked with British writers Jonny Coffer, Plested, and Dan Priddy to bring the album to life.

You’ll also hear the voice of award-winning actor, musician, writer, creator, producer, director, and activist Riz Ahmed on a spell-binding and evocative spoken word piece called “Promises.” Riz’s piece was a response to the album and brings its overarching themes into sharp focus.

Over the course of their previous three albums, Bastille have cemented a reputation for building whole worlds around their releases, often doing so with innovative, award-winning creativity. Give Me The Future is no different, this time accompanied by a fictional, but familiar, tech giant called Future Inc., the creators of an invention called “Futurescape”—a device which allows users to live out their dreams virtually. It’s weaved through every element of the campaign and can be seen in the videos for the previous singles—”Distorted Light Beam,” “Thelma + Louise,” and “No Bad Days.”

Andy Grammer – Joy

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Acclaimed multi-platinum pop singer and songwriter Andy Grammer has released “Joy,” an emotion-filled new track via Giant Soul/S-Curve/Hollywood Records.

Click HERE to listen.

Andy, who is known for engaging, energizing and empowering audiences across the world with his chart-topping radio hits, takes listeners through experiences of fear, doubt, sorrow, grief, pressure, jealousy and shame before finally finding joy as evidenced in the new track’s hook, “I found joy, yeah she opened up my eyes and gave me wings and halo rings and taught me how to fly.”

On the inspiration for the song, Andy said:

“I have always loved the word ‘Joy.’ I feel like it has a depth, a grounded spiritual center, something deeper and more substantial than happiness. It’s somehow light and weighty at the same time. I wanted to capture all that while still having a party and I think we did.”

Honored with another reason to rejoice, Andy has recently reached an unprecedented milestone. He officially stands out as the No. 1 “Happy Pop” Streaming Artist and has registered over 3 billion artist streams. This accolade has been buoyed by the runaway success of recent tracks “Lease On Life,” which Andy created under the inspiration of a newfound perspective he gained during the pandemic and has generated over 30 million total streams, “Damn It Feels Good To Be Me,” a genre-bending single that was written about boldly owning your individuality, and “Love Myself,” Andy‘s latest release which is about the importance of loving and accepting yourself. All of these songs are building towards a bigger vision for Andy’s fifth full-length album due out in late 2022.

Andy will also kick off The Art of Joy Tour on Friday, February 4 at Resorts World in Monticello, NY. The first leg of the tour includes 18 dates with stops in Cleveland, Boston, New York, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco and more.

A second leg of the tour, which kicks off Tuesday, May 31 at Paramount Theatre in Austin, was also just announced with 17 new dates including stops in Dallas, Nashville, Cincinnati, Atlanta and more. VIP packages and tickets go on sale Tuesday, February 1 and Friday, February 4 respectively at 10 AM local time and can be purchased HERE.

Quinn Teechma

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Quinn Teechma, actress, photographer, and Miss Universe Canada 2022 finalist, often marvels at how social media has made our world so much larger and so much smaller at the same time.

Quinn is well aware of how large the world can be, but how small it seems when making connections with people.

Quinn’s extensive travel, beginning in early childhood, has shaped her worldview and informed her approach to supporting the myriad of platforms championed by the Miss Universe Canada organization.

A World View from an Early Age

Quinn considers herself fortunate to have been given a chance to travel the world from the tender age of one year old. Her parents embraced learning about different cultures and set out to give their children real-world experience.

“I believe seeing and learning about other cultures has brought awareness to my perspective,” explains Quinn.

The sometimes stark reality experienced by other children worldwide stayed with Quinn. Knowing what chances others may not have, Quinn set out to work hard on her various goals and provide well for herself and her family.

She was inspired in other ways as well, knowing that wherever her life led her, she wanted to give back.

“I will never forget walking the streets of Nepal with my father when I was 12 years old,” remembers Quinn, “I saw children sleeping in garbage piles, saw them sniffing bottles of glue. At the time, I didn’t understand the concept of getting high, but it still impacted me. It inspired me to work hard to build a platform for myself, so I could effect change on a global scale,” said Quinn.

You’ve Come a Long Way

The pageant world often attracts a bad rap, one that Quinn fully acknowledges, yet she cautions people against believing the negative talk regarding pageantry.

“Beauty pageants have come a long way. It’s not just about being skinny and curling your hair,” she says, “These days pageants have evolved. It’s about what you stand for. What causes are important to you, what difference are you making in our society.”

The evolution of the pageant circuit was a draw for Quinn, who was attracted to their support for various platforms that helped people in Canada and around the world. Remembering what she had learned through her childhood travels, Quinn knew she could reach a global audience for causes close to her heart through the pageant.

The Miss Universe Canada pageant elevates causes such as Operation Smile, SOS Children’s Villages, and Habitat for Humanity.

Empowering Women

Closest to Quinn’s heart are platforms that work towards empowering girls and women.

“My true passion is helping everyday women feel like the queens they are,” Quinn says. She opened her boudoir photography studio in hopes of helping women fall back in love with themselves and their bodies.

Much like boudoir photography helps women embrace their beauty, inside and out, Quinn feels the Miss Universe Canada organization does the same.

“Pageants inspire millions of young girls across the universe to be better and do better,” she says.

Actively inspiring women to actively promote positive change in the world is one of the most important aspects of the Miss Universe Canada pageant and pageants in general. Pageants often encourage women to look inward and to build self-awareness and confidence. This developed tenacity that pageants give women allows them to spread confidence to others through their various platforms.

Quinn Teechma has built a life of service and empowering her fellow women with inspiration sparked by world travels. Her worldview and experiences have led her to know herself better.

“Knowing oneself and standing tall with confidence is the most powerful tool you can have stepping into the real world.”

What is Krakoa?

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By: Skyler Johnson

Krakoa has recently become a major aspect of the Marvel Comics Universe. First introduced in Giant-Sized X-Men #1 in 1975, the island made a reappearance in 2018’s House of X/Power of X and has since been explored and expanded. This island has acted as both a conflict for the mutants, as well as a safe haven. To understand the intricacies of the island, it’s important to understand its initial conception.

Physical Description

Krakoa appears to be an island in the Pacific Ocean, similar to Hawai’i, but it is actually sentient and can change its shape and appearance at will. It can also interact with the mutants. For fans of the MCU, think of Starlord’s father in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 but with more ambiguous goals.

Krakoa, as an island, is lush with wildlife. While much of Krakoa has a tropical climate, it has a number of different biomes within the world, including forests and beaches. Many of the island’s inhabitants live within the trees. The island is longer than it is wide, and concaves towards the middle. Most of the Krakoan structures are centered towards the Northern part of the island, with the exception of Hellfire Bay in the South, the stronghold of the Hellfire Trading Company.

History

Krakoa was originally a larger island: Okkara. After an enemy attack, the island split, forming Krakoa and Arakko. The two islands together acted as a gateway to a Hellish dimension, so Apocalypse had to move the latter to another dimension.

Krakoa became a mutant threat in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975), as mutants went missing on the island. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Krakoa consumed them. Eventually, several of the deceased mutants ended up escaping with their lives, and the island was hurled into space and presumed dead for years to come. Several spores of Krakoa were released into the world before launch. These included Krakoa II, which controlled a construction site and killed several workers, and Vega Superior, who took control of Wagner’s Isle and forced the inhabitants to worship it. Both have been defeated.

In House of X/Power of X, it was divulged that Professor X telepathically communicated with the island. Mutants traveled to it and established a sovereign nation, entirely composed of themselves.

There were forces that attempted to harm the island, despite its many defenses, including an attack by shadowy anti-mutant forces and an eco-terrorist group called Hordeculture.

Krakoa was later reunited with Arakko when Apocalypse opened the Eternal Gate allowing for the two to reunite. However, they chose not to merge as the two became very different as a result of the many years apart.

In Inferno, it was unveiled that one of the island nation’s founders, Moira, actually wanted to end mutantkind through the founding of Krakoa. Her plan of destroying mutantkind was foiled and the Quiet Council swore not to speak of it.

Laws and Government

The government of Krakoa is made up of the Quiet Council. The current members of the Quiet Council can be found below:

There are three basic laws that every citizen of Krakoa must follow.

Make more mutants
Murder no man
Respect the sacred land of Krakoa.

Conclusion

Krakoa was and is a complicated aspect of the Marvel Comics Universe that is continuing to expand and be discovered. A lush and beautiful environment, it’s exciting to think about the possibilities for this island in the future. In an expanding society built entirely by mutants, the possibilities are endless.

NEW COMEDY – BUST DOWN

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New Unconventional Comedy Series to Premiere
on Peacock Thursday, March 10

Watch Trailer HERE.

Bad deal. Worse friends. #BustDown Drops March 10th on Peacock

SERIES DESCRIPTION:

BUST DOWN stars Jak Knight, Langston Kerman, Sam Jay and Chris Redd as four casino employees living dead-end lives with dead-end jobs in middle America, and the massive mess they manage to make out of it.

Quote from Langston Kerman, Jak Knight, Sam Jay and Chris Redd re: Inspiration for the Trailer:

“We wanted the ‘Bust Down’ trailer to reflect the absurdity of the show. This isn’t about warming hearts or giving voice to the voiceless. Our show is about finding comedy in the unimportant. Each episode these four characters escape societal pressures to strive and excel by digging themselves further into a metaphorical hole, which led us to this concept.”

Quote from Langston Kerman, Jak Knight, Sam Jay and Chris Redd re: Inspiration for the Series:

“’Bust Down’ is rooted in our friendship. Every character is a hyperbolic version of how we see each other, and every story is inspired by the bad choices we each naturally make out in the world. There aren’t a lot of straight comedies right now where people truly go for jokes that are raunchy, irreverent, and complicated, and at its core that’s what ‘Bust Down’ is all about. We believe true equality is being able to make a show about nonsense the same way white people have been doing forever. We just wanted to make something so fucking hilarious that it makes people laugh so much that they miss jokes and then have to circle back to watch again.”

BLACC ZACC- LOOKIN LIKE

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South Carolina’s ultimate trap star Blacc Zacc (South Coast Music Group/Interscope Records) is ready to break even more ground this new year after a productive 2021. To get things rolling, Zacc taps platinum producer JetsonMade for his thumping new track “Lookin Like.” Directed by TKTKTK, Zacc gives the 1999 seminal film The Matrix a modern-day flip after being asked to choose money or a chain. Zacc opts for the latter and morphs into a moneymaking machine. After landing a colossal goldmine in the form of a $100,000,000 deposit, Zacc encounters bloodthirsty agents. Luckily, he dodges their attacks with a Neo-inspired move and takes them out on his own. Watch HERE.

In 2021, Zacc unleashed a pair of videos in “Lace Front” and “Dirty Money,” which came on the heels of Zacc’s 2020 album 803 Legend. He also opened up for MoneyBagg Yo as part of the Memphis rapper’s A Gangsta’s Pain Tour. Released in October 2020, the Carolina Narcos MC tightened his grip on the trap world with his 13-track collection. With features by Kevin Gates, 42 Dugg, Foogiano, Fat Loc, and more, 803 Legend included a flurry of highlights, ranging from “Tennis” to his bombastic tune “Knew Dat.”

Since his 11-track debut album Carolina Narcos’ release, Blacc Zacc has emerged from the trenches with his trap-infused raps. Featuring his rap compatriots DaBaby, Moneybagg Yo, Yo Gotti, Stunna 4Vegas, fans have gravitated towards Zacc’s street appeal. The album also boasted production by Young Kio, OG Parker, Romano, and more.

Blacc Zacc “Lookin Like” eSingle is HERE.

ELLA MAI – DFMU

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Ella Mai (10 Summers/Interscope Records) has audiences back in their feelings with the highly anticipated release of her latest single “DFMU” (Don’t F*** Me Up). Teaming up with her longtime musical collaborator Mustard and working alongside Prince Charlez on the track, Ella speaks from the heart opening up about how it feels to fall in love and the internal battles that accompany that journey. With lyrics like “didn’t think it’d ever be so hard, crazy I’m letting down my guard,” this new single is a snapshot of Ella at her most exposed. Ella Mai is featured on the cover of New Music Daily and R&B Now on Apple Music. Fans can listen to her newest offering HERE.

Ella drives home the message of “DFMU” with a stunning, moody visual directed by Loris Russier. The 90’s-inspired flare reflects the songstress’s love and appreciation for the R&B artists of that time. Showing off a more vulnerable side we see Ella and her lover slowly drowning inside a car, an appropriate representation of how a toxic relationship can pull you down. Watch HERE.

In 2018 Ella Mai’s first single “Boo’d Up” broke the record for the most weeks at No. 1 of any song by a woman on the R&B/Hip-Hop Billboard Airplay chart and is RIAA Certified 7x multi-Platinum. Her follow-up single “Trip” peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and her album, Ella Mai, is RIAA Certified 2x Platinum. In addition to her chart-topping domination and success, the 10 Summers Records’ breakout star Ella Mai has won several awards, including her first GRAMMY for Best R&B Song, three Billboard Music Awards including the coveted Top R&B Artist, three iHeartRadio awards including R&B Artist of the Year, three Soul Train Awards, and a BET Viewers’ Choice Award.

Ella Mai “DFMU” eSingle
Video is HERE.