What Will Tripadvisor Look for In Its Next CEO?
Photo Credit: A Tripadvisor store in Toronto Airport as seen in 2020. Wikimedia / Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Scalable Grid Engine
Skift Take
If the revamped Tripadvisor Plus turns out to be a flop — and it very well could be — don't put all of the blame on CEO Steve Kaufer. The board of the Liberty Tripadvisor-controlled company went along with the plan, despite obvious rate parity issues, every step of the way. Kaufer's successor will inherit the challenges.
A deal with Trivago? A CEO who's a better storyteller? A company that isn't changing strategies willy nilly?
As Tripadvisor began what it said is an internal and external search to find a successor to CEO Steve Kaufer, who will be leaving his post next year after a 22-year run, Skift asked analysts and online travel veterans what’s next for Tripadvisor, and what should the board look for in his replacement.
A couple of people pointed to the potential for, and the logic of, some kind of deal with lodging search company Trivago.
Citing his view that there are too many travel metasearch companies already, Bernstein analyst Richard Clarke argued that a “soft consolidation” between U.S.-headquartered Tripadvisor and Germany-based Trivago, both of which offer lodging advertising auctions for hotels and online travel agencies as part of their businesses, would make sense.
As a case in point, Trivago now powers Chinese
