Dennis Schaal Archives

Dennis Schaal is Skift's Founding Editor and Executive Editor. Dennis has been a reporter focusing on online travel and short-term rentals for more than two decades at Skift, Tnooz, USA Today, and Travel Weekly. He is well-known for tough one-on-one interviews on stage at Skift events, including with the CEOs and top execs of Expedia, Uber, Booking Holdings, Priceline, Kayak, Hopper, and more.

Online Travel

Expedia Has Strong Q4 Thanks to its New Metasearch Business and Increased Bookings

Expedia's hotel business has momentum, and the acquisition of Trivago and its strategic marketing agreement with Travelocity are fueling the trend.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Tourism

Sochi's Tourism Future Cast Into Doubt by Moody's

Once the medals have been awarded and the crowds are gone from the Sochi Olympics, the region will be saturated with an over-abundance of hotels and a repetitional hangover if the current negativity surrounding the Olympics persists. Sustainable tourism this is not.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Online Travel

Kayak Renews Contract with Google's ITA Software

A couple of years ago the issue of whether Google/ITA would renew its contract with Kayak was considered an all-important issue of survival for Kayak and an antitrust issue for Google. Today the issue seems more of a yawn as Google Flight Search hasn't dominated anything.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Online Travel

TripAdvisor Apps Now Provide Wi-Fi Information For Cities and Airports

TripAdvisor is trying to solve a pain point by offering information about Wi-Fi and roaming charges for travelers on mobile devices. It also not-so-coincidentally solves a pain point for TripAdvisor in that more travelers would get to use its apps and sites once they get connected.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Tourism

Disney Credits Its Magic Bracelets for Increased Holiday Traffic

The claim of increased visitors because of the bracelets is dubious, but the outcome -- increased spending by guests with the bracelets -- is just what Disney was hoping for from the project.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Online Travel

Skyscanner Wants to Be a Global Player, Claims Its Growth Is on Steroids

For years Skyscanner launched a plethora of country domains as if it were a major global player, which it wasn't. Now it is finally starting to put a little meat on its bones outside of Europe, and its competitors are only now starting to pay attention.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Online Travel

Google EU Antitrust Settlement Means Expedia, Booking.com and Yelp Get Equal Weight in Search

Kudos to the European Union for ensuring that Google doesn't wield its market power with excessive advantage in promoting its own services. The U.S. FTC's decision to avoid taking similar actions is a regulatory blemish, although the EU agreement could put more pressure on the FTC to take another look at these issues.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Airlines

American Airlines Offers VIP Service At More Airports Than Any Other Airline

Lufthansa's Guide Service has an international flair that other VIP services don't: It is offered in 51 languages at Frankfurt and 33 languages at Munich airports. That translates into very personalized service as the airline values some customers much more highly than others.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Online Travel

How Fast Are Consumers Really Moving to Same-Day Hotel Bookings?

The majority of U.S. hotel bookers aren't booking on mobile, and don't book the day of their stay -- although things are trending in that direction. Travel marketers need to cater to the trend, but can't overlook the variety of consumer behaviors and devices in play.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago

Online Travel

Business Travel App to Offer Mobile-Only Hotel Deals With Free Cancellations

Business travelers have always clamored for websites and apps that are as functional as those for leisure travelers. As testament to the further blending of business and leisure travel, Egencia is offering mobile-only hotel deals to satisfy the last-minute whims of road warriors.

Dennis Schaal | 11 years ago