Northstar

6 | www.travelweekly-asia.com DESTINATION: THAILAND "Workcation" is defined as "blend of work + vacation" or "a serendipitous and pleasurable business trip". This trend of blending in work while going on holiday is fast growing in many parts of the world including Asia, with some big companies, such as Virgin, advocating it. Employees like it as they can work on the road without having to use their annual leave, while enjoying working in a different locale and having fun at the same time. The march of technology is perhaps responsible for the rise of workcation with the Internet and mobile gadgets such as smartphones, smart watches and tablets making working and playing on the go virtually fast, stress-free, and painless. Employees can write a business report or file a story from virtually anywhere they are on vacation– from the foothills of the Himalayas to the beaches of Bali. Closer to home one company that believes in and practises workcation is Hong Kong based last-minute hotel booking app, HotelQuickly. Tomas Laboutka, CEO & co- founder of HotelQuickly, is the "face" of workcation for the company – he works while travelling, which is about three weeks in a month for him. When TravelWeekly met up with Laboutka recently he had arrived in Singapore from Siem Reap the night before, and off to another destination the day after the interview. "The beauty of workcation is it enables me not only to work with my teams on the ground where I am, but also to enjoy the various destinations." Laboutka's hectic travel schedule is understandable as HotelQuickly is represented in more than 250 destinations in 15 countries across Asia-Pacific. So it is common to see him working/vacationing in countries from Australia to Hong Kong, Korea Malaysia or Indonesia. Asked if the 100 staff in the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS FOR HOTELQUICKLY ON WORKCATION By Corinne Wan The seven- day calendar is just one in a series of features HotelQuickly is set to debut over the next few months. For the company it's an exercise in work flexibility and fun. TECH TALKING company is entitled to workcations too, Laboutka answered, "We believe in flexible working hours, and team members can work when and where they wish as long as they deliver their goals." On how the company keeps track of its employees on workcations to ensure that they work and not play all the time, Laboutka answered with one word, "trust", which is also one of the core values of HotelQuickly. "We're passionate about what we do, and have fun at the same time." While it is important to be physically in the office, Laboutka said, "a level of freedom is helpful and helps boost productivity. It works for us as we're a virtual company, and we communicate through the cloud." He believes the growing trend of workcations among companies could boost business for hotels and subsequently for HotelQuickly. Despite competition from OTAs online travel agencies and from some hotels offering last minute booking, Laboutka said HotelQuickly is "the fastest growing mobile app" and is acquiring many new customers. He attributed this to its guarantee of lower rates and its carefully curated contents. "People love curated content." Recently HotelQuickly extended its 48-hour time frame to seven days to offer users greater freedom in their travels, and to respond to customers' requests. "Since the start of HotelQuickly we've made it a point to listen closely to our customers' needs and navigate in line with those," said Laboutka. "Many of our members love the discounts and ease-of-use the app offers, and they want to use HotelQuickly for more than same- and next-day bookings. The week-long calendar gives users more opportunities for spontaneous travel." The seven-day calendar is just one in a series of features HotelQuickly is set to debut over the next few months. On his vision for the company, Laboutka said, "We want to be the number one in the region, grow fast, grasp mobile (70% of booking is from mobile), empower the local team, and lead in innovation." HotelQuickly, which was launched in March 2013, claimed that its app has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times from travellers looking for an easy solution to last-minute booking concerns. Tomas Laboutka CEO HotelQuickly at work. Photo Credit: HotelQuickly

• Cover