2017 › August

There is only one vote that mattered in Expedia's abbreviated CEO search — Barry Diller's. And he wholeheartedly wanted Okerstrom for the job. No need to mess around with an interim title or to conduct the dog and pony show of a CEO search. It was a done deal. Now Okerstrom has to step up to the challenge.

What restaurant group would love to have its own real-world lab for testing out new ideas. The key for the Lab will be to find the perfect balance between flexible space and providing a product that people in the neighborhood can depend upon.

The use of sports stadiums and parks for non-sporting events is a growing trend in the meetings and events industry, and professional sports teams that are eager to create additional revenue and leverage investments are promoting their state-of-the-art venues as a unique alternative for hosting conferences, trade shows, meetings, and events.

Alice is now majority-owned by Expedia. That brings heft to its dream of becoming the largest data machine in hospitality for operations and guest service.

There's no public data here, so it's hard to know how much of an issue this is. But generally, inbound tourism to the United States is important, so if fewer visas are being granted, it's probably not good for American businesses.

What would make Expedia obsolete and cause Khosrowshahi to leave? Expedia's apparently outgoing CEO answered that question for us last year and talked about big technology trends a few years in the offing. But is he bolting because he thinks Expedia's best days are behind it?

Expedia's purchase price for a majority stake in SilverRail was double the sum that SilverRail had raised from investors. The price tag was a multiple of the investment but not a stellar exit for shareholders.

This Open Skies debate never goes away, does it? So far, the Trump administration hasn't treated it much differently than the Obama administration, at least publicly. We'll have to see whether it eventually takes a tougher stance.

Event organizers are looking to new metrics to measure the success of their events.

Khosrowshahi takes over a unicorn in Uber and will have the challenge of his life to get the ride-share company speeding along and toward an IPO with a trunk-full of controversies and problems. The choice of the next Expedia CEO to succeed him is indeed a critical one that will have far-reaching implications.