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.

Tourists taking photos during a bus tour in Dubai

Online Travel

GetYourGuide Shows European Commission How Google Should Fix Its Travel Ads

The European Commission may soon decide what Google must do to comply with the Digital Markets Act. In the experiences sector, GetYourGuide's proposed advertising changes may be an improvement for platforms and operators, but is the lack of price comparison among companies what travelers really want?

Dennis Schaal | 2 months ago

Three people sit on a stage at a Skift conference.

Online Travel

Kayak's CEO: First AI-Online Travel Deal Will Be Like 'A Dam Breaking'

There are huge stakes in how AI in travel will develop. And the truth is no one can say for certain at this point how it will play out.

Dennis Schaal | 2 months ago

Short-Term Rentals

Sonder Replaced CEO Francis Davidson as Board Chairperson

Having an independent board chairperson is always a good move. Given Sonder's current status, one wonders what took the board so long to make a change.

Dennis Schaal | 2 months ago

Short-Term Rentals

Airbnb Co-Hosting Takes Off on Social Media. Is it a Threat to Property Managers?

If Airbnb co-hosting really takes off, it is going to take away properties from property management companies of all sizes. But the pool of potential properties to manage is large and growing.

Dennis Schaal | 2 months ago

Short-Term Rentals

New Details After Casago-Vacasa Deal: Property Manager to Sell Some Local Operations

No company has been able to massively scale vacation rental property management despite rollup strategies that have often worked in other sectors. Will Casago-Vacasa be able to do it through a hotel-like franchising model or will that have its own pitfalls?

Dennis Schaal | 2 months ago

A Vacasa-managed property in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

Short-Term Rentals

Casago to Acquire Vacasa for $128 Million and Take It Private

Vacasa got hammered in the public markets and needed to go private. Whether Casago and Rootstock have the wherewithal to right the ship is an open question.

Dennis Schaal | 2 months ago

Short-Term Rentals

Takeaways From NYC's Near-Ban on Airbnb

Banning short-term rentals in New York City didn't instantly lead to a wave of affordable housing, although the impact could potentially be different in smaller towns and cities.

Dennis Schaal | 3 months ago

Hotels

Hotel Versus OTA Direct-Booking Tussle Will Shape Distribution for Years to Come

Will hotel websites become the dominant distribution channel for hotels by 2030, leaving online travel agencies behind? It could certainly happen. However, there are reasons that scenario might not take place. Let's discuss this again in five years.

Dennis Schaal | 3 months ago

Online Travel

Despegar to Be Acquired by Prosus for $1.7 Billion

Years ago, it appeared as though Expedia Group would be a likely buyer of Despegar since Expedia had taken a significant minority stake in the company. But Expedia backed away, and now Prosus is claiming the prize.

Dennis Schaal | 3 months ago

Online Travel

Expedia Taps Former Ebay Interim CEO Scott Schenkel as Chief Financial Officer

Scott Schenkel gets the number 2 job at Expedia Group, and he'll be a key player in the turnaround.

Dennis Schaal | 3 months ago