Miltok's Profile

They don’t exist in Europe!

Very interesting post! I totally agree it is a great program in theory, but unfortunately it doesn’t work well. I have slept 170 nights in SP&G hotels last year (#consultant) and it has never worked. Sometimes it worked the first night, but then it didn’t work the second night, so you had to go all the way to the reception, show them your passport and ask for a room key. In the end it takes a lot longer than checking in the old school way. Some hotels (e.g. Conrad) have mobile check-in where you can choose your room location from a map, so you can choose how close you want to be to the elevator, what floor, city view etc., which is handy. In general, I think there is still a lot of improvement potential, but it’s a step in the right direction

Thanks for the interesting post!! Although I have seen the use of RFID technology in lift passes for a long time, I have never seen the operators actually use the data. I think it is a great way to reduce the waiting times at lifts and reduce the number of people on slopes (under the assumption that they spread out more looking at the app). It can potentially also decrease the number of accidents, when the slopes are less crowded.
Another application could be to use the app for off slope skiing with avalanche warning systems and GPS tracking, if someone gets lost.

Very insightful post! I think it is great what Tesla is doing and how they are revolutionizing the automobile industry. Their remote software updates are definitely saving them a lot of money and the customers a lot of time, but I am not sure it will be possible to never set foot into a car dealership/repair shop again. The software component can only fix the software part, but what if the wind shield is broken or you have a flat tire? There are some hardware parts that cannot be fixed by a software update, so although I believe that repair shops will become less important I think they will never become obsolete.

Very interesting and insightful post!! The use of apps to recharge oyster (and alike) cards and getting real-time information is extremely valuable. Yet, the apps and oyster cards are still separate, forcing the user to always carry both around. It would be a lot more convenient to use the technology of Apple Pay or alike to have everything centralized on one device (at the risk of running out of battery and needing the real oyster card). Cubic has a lot of information/data, it could also leverage this data to create more of a sustainable approach, e.g. matching drivers going the same direction every day in order to do car pools or encourage the use of bikes.

Very interesting post! It is particularly interesting to see how net-a-porter is integrating its online and offline channel, to provide more of an integrated experience. Although many luxury companies have now given in and also sell online, I am still not sure, if it does not dilute their image of exclusivity and harms their selective distribution. I am also curious to know, if it is worthwhile for luxury brands to sell through net-a-porter, since they are forgoing a significant part of their margin and essentially have the same technology on their website. In order to differentiate itself from the luxury brands, net-a-porter has to be very innovative in the future, to be one step ahead.

Interesting post! I agree that the ski industry is facing very difficult times due to the climate change. Not only do they have less revenues because of the lower number of skiers, but also do they face significantly higher costs driven by the artificial snow. However, I feel that the ski season has just been shifted backwards. A couple of years ago we always had snow over Christmas in Switzerland, in the past four years we had almost no snow. Yet I was still skiing in late April in the past couple of years, which was never possible before. So I think the ski industry should adapt their offering according to the new ‘snowfall-timing’. Another issue is artificial snow – it is extremely unsustainable to use artificial snow, yet it is the only way to attract skiers, when there is no snow. The ski industry should think of alternatives of how to attract skiers, despite the lack of snow in the winter months. I like your idea of diversifying the offer to attract more off-season visitors. However I am not sure, if a global presence will reduce the effects of climate change, since we face the same problems around the world.

Great and very insightful post! Luke’s lobster seems to be forward looking, actually caring about sustainability rather than short term profits. But I am wondering if it is enough what they are doing. With 20 seafood restaurants they are serving a high number of lobsters every day. I am sure there are efforts to increase the overall lobster supply. But I fear that the lobster may be the next abalone, which used to be very abundant (especially in Japan), then was completely overfished (despite sustainability efforts) and is now almost impossible to find.

Interesting read. I am not sure I agree with you on the fact that Starbucks has done well so far. I think they have done the essential part to keep their business going and to keep their reputation of a cool and sustainable coffee chain. As your exhibit displays, their greenhouse emission has gone up on an absolute scale, which is the most important indicator. I think they can and have to do much more that goes beyond simply ensuring their profitability and existence

Very insightful and well researched article! I agree with your points that the Cruise Industry is a very unsustainable way of traveling. They have taken some steps in the right direction, but it seems more like a half-heartedly approach, to say that they are being sustainable (or trying at least). With the high margins they are making, they should be investing much more into sustainability.
You have mentioned that they now have access to many more ports due to global warming. What shocks me even more is that they are also exploiting the ports they are currently going to, like Venice. The cruise line industry is exacerbating the climate change in Venice, by flooding the city with more and more tourists (they increased the number of tourists by 400% between 2008 and 2013 (https://www.wmf.org/project/venice)). Thereby ruining the canals and increasing pollution even further. It seems that they only try to maximize their short to medium term profits.

Very interesting read! I had no idea that jeans production required so much water. It seems that Levi’s is heading in the right direction. But do you think this is enough? Also shouldn’t there be more controls on the entire denim industry? There are so many more jeans brands out there, I feel that the consumer has to be made aware of the amount of water ‘waste’ that goes into the production of a pair of jeans. I really like your suggestions on the way forward, but I do agree with alexmccurdy on the change of consumer behavior. This seems like a drastic, over-the-top move, somewhat invalidating the other essential steps.