Clik here to view.
Okerstrom and Pickerill leave Expedia, Diller cites disagreement on strategy
Expedia Group has announced the resignation of Mark Okerstrom as CEO and a member of the Board of Directors and CFO Alan Pickerill, effective immediately, with chairman Barry Diller citing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Expedia: What went wrong? Lessons to reflect on
It’s interesting that at Phocuswright last month, I was having a conversation with a senior leader in online travel about the changes going on at Expedia Group. I had just come from Explore ’19, the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From UK to Malta and Paris, a Europe in turmoil and aviation under pressure
In the UK, the media was full of Brexit uncertainty, a longer running and more dramatic story than the Netflix series, “The Crown”. Who needs historical dramas when one is unfolding right before your...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reck on how GetYourGuide is more entertainment, less OTA and why the future...
Johannes Reck, CEO and co-founder of GetYourGuide, remembers his first Phocuswright 10 years ago when he had to make about 150 pitches and “everyone was intrigued by our new concept”. “This year, it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Paco Rüter on why Amadeus’ hospitality quest is more daunting than a hike in...
For leisure, Francisco (Paco) Pérez-Lozao Rüter, president, hospitality, Amadeus IT Group, goes on hikes across the Arctic, above the Circle. He’s trudged through thick layers of snow, scaled...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Expedia’s Bhogaraju envisions a future in hospitality when “everybody can be...
Vivek Bhogaraju is on a mission – he wants to democratise revenue management so that “everybody can be a revenue manager”. The director of revenue management platform for Expedia Group believes that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From online gaming to car rentals, Barry makes focus his big bet at CarTrawler
For the last 18 years, prior to taking up the reins at CarTrawler in April 2018, Cormac Barry worked in online gaming, being part of the team that set up paddypower.com, the Irish bookmaker which...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Top Three Lessons of 2019, Part 1
It being such a pivotal year, we asked industry leaders to reflect on the 12 months past and share their top three lessons with which to enter 2020. What are yours? Stephan Ekbergh, CEO, Travelstart...
View ArticleClik here to view.
YTL Hotels’ Luke Hurford on the hotel owners’ perspective on distribution and...
As general manager of Niseko Village from 2007 to 2009, Luke Hurford used to look after family members of YTL Hotels when they stayed at the integrated resort, then managed by Hilton. So when YTL...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Top 3 Lessons of 2019, Part 2
We continue our series of Top 3 Lessons learnt in 2019 as travel industry leaders share their reflections on the pivotal year that was, and how they will prepare for the year ahead. What are yours?...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Top 3 Lessons of 2019, Part 3
We continue our series on top lessons learnt in 2019, a pivotal year as we enter a new decade. What are yours? Angel Llull Mancas, vice president and managing director, Asia Pacific, Booking.com 1....
View ArticleIn 2020, mind the facts, ask key questions and channel Rihanna
We couldn’t have asked for a more spectacular way to mark the end of a decade in Asia – the annular solar eclipse on December 26. According to experts, the next time this will occur in our part of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Amid sustainability concerns, cruises get set to sail into the big-time in...
Just as the word “sustainability” has taken the aviation world by storm, with flight shaming impacting air travel in Sweden and Europe, in particular, cruise companies are also bracing themselves for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Letter from Penang: Going batty in Green Acres and getting lost in Garden of...
With sustainability such a hot topic these days, you can imagine my excitement when I heard a team of bat researchers from Rimba Research was doing field work at Penang Green Acres the day I was due...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From Scoot to Swoop, from hot to cold: Greenway on surviving in Canada and...
To say that it’s been a major adjustment for Steven Greenway, as he went from Scoot to Swoop, is probably the understatement of the year. Not only was it a change in model, from low cost to ultra low...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How a virus can bring travel to its knees, but we needn’t stay down
So what can I write about the Wuhan coronavirus that hasn’t been written about already? How many new cases? How many more infections? How many more countries? What can I write about it and its worst...
View ArticleClik here to view.
RedDoorz launches KoolKost to reinvent co-living in Indonesia
Following its last fund raise of US$70 million, and as had been flagged by CEO and co-founder, Amit Saberwal, RedDoorz has launched a new co-living brand, KoolKost, which it describes as “an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The positive outcomes to look forward to for travel, post-Wuhan
As someone who tries to look at the bright side of life, I am convinced that there will be several positive outcomes from this virus scare that has left the entire travel industry reeling. Already, in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Amid cancellations and chaos, be brave, adjust to the new normal and take...
Other than makers of face masks, hand sanitisers, toilet paper and instant noodles, it is hard to think of anyone who’s not been affected adversely by this global virus scare. Every day, my inbox is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Unbloating” Expedia: Diller and Kern to breathe new life into group even...
For someone who excused himself in advance for being “raggy” (informal) because “I haven’t done this in a while”, Expedia Group chairman Barry Diller certainly knew how to capture attention with his...
View Article