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

Booking and Expedia Super Bowl Ads Will Be an Online Travel Sideshow

Will Booking.com, Expedia.com or Vrbo create Super Bowl ads that everyone will be talking about in the days after the Big Game? We haven't seen them yet, but so far it sounds as if they are trotting out very predictable and familiar themes.

Dennis Schaal | 4 years ago

Hotels

India’s Oyo Hotel Startup to Target $9 Billion Valuation in IPO

Among Softbank's holdings, Oyo does not appear to be another WeWork calamity. However, under the glare of being a public company, Oyo would be challenged to get to profitability, and to remedy its ongoing brand reputation challenges.

Dennis Schaal | 4 years ago

Short-Term Rentals

Sonder Underwhelms in Public Debut

Sonder's delayed stock market debut came to be, finally. Now with a $310 million injection of proceeds from private investors, and tapping into a $165 million credit line, the company can go about its business trying to build the next household name hospitality brand.

Dennis Schaal | 4 years ago

Online Travel

Airbnb’s Newest Influencer Is …. CEO Brian Chesky

Airbnb has been a savvy public relations practitioner throughout the years, and the volume of press releases the company churns out annually is legion. Brian Chesky's yearlong digital nomad stint aligns with the company's brand narrative and marketing strategy.

Dennis Schaal | 4 years ago

Online Travel

Letting the Air Out of Online Travel’s IPO Bloat

Stock markets, at their best, can be hype killers, and public investors shot down many inflated private company valuations in 2021. This may be a sobering development for IPO and SPAC wannabes in 2022.

Dennis Schaal | 4 years ago

Online Travel

Google Maps Tops in 2021 as Most-Downloaded Travel App

No big surprises on Google Maps, but Booking.com outpaced rival Airbnb in downloads in the online travel agency category globally by nearly 20 million in 2021. That's not a game-changer, but it's important if Booking is going to eat into Airbnb's daunting direct-booking advantage.

Dennis Schaal | 4 years ago

Online Travel

Online Travel Faces Lots of Unfinished Business in 2022

Several travel-oriented, special purpose acquisition companies are out there that have not announced merger partners. A SPAC glut and the lackluster performance of several online travel or short-term rental companies that recently went public could have some of the hunters coming up empty.

Dennis Schaal | 5 years ago

Short-Term Rentals

Airbnb Won’t Show First Names of Some Bookers in Bias Settlement

Airbnb agreed to take this limited step on behalf of would-be guests who are Oregon residents because of a class-action lawsuit. If Airbnb really wanted to aggressively crush racism, shouldn't it have announced a pilot to do likewise in other parts of the world? Other platforms shouldn't be off the hook either.

Dennis Schaal | 5 years ago

Coronavirus

‘Shatner in Space’ Puts Travel in Covid 2022 Into Perspective

The best travel, whether it is a space jaunt by a famous actor or an unexpected u-turn or encounter during a weekend road trip, makes travelers question preconceived notions, and examine their lives anew. It's one of the reasons there will be a travel stampede if, and when, the pandemic fades.

Dennis Schaal | 5 years ago

Airbnb host mexico city greets guests 2018

Online Travel

The Most Important Story in Online Travel in 2021

Airbnb proved to be more nimble in 2021 than many of its competitors, and is leading the grand online travel experiment in reducing over-reliance on Google.

Dennis Schaal | 5 years ago