Travel Industry CEO Interviews

HomeAway, as it becomes part of Expedia Inc., will become more urban-oriented, and Airbnb is determined to onboard vacation rentals in resort locations. All of which means that Expedia, Airbnb, and Booking.com will increasingly butt heads over the next few years.

Luxury travel is undergoing a transformation from traditional to experimental, as brands try to appeal to a new generation of wealthy vacationers.

TripAdvisor wanted to keep the details secret. But the price for finally getting the Priceline Group/Booking.com into TripAdvisor Instant Booking was playing the online travel agency exclusivity card. Expedia is shut out for now and can join later. Will Book on Google play a similar game?

Accor CEO Sebastien Bazin thinks the hotel industry has failed to get a wake-up call over the last 15 years and has missed out on wave after wave of digital innovation. He's saying all the right things about Accor addressing these past shortcomings, although the jury is still out on how much he'll be able to accomplish.

Melbourne illustrates the business potential of sharing knowledge industry networks between city governments, convention bureaus, local businesses and residents to co-create next generation conferences.

Just as Starwood itself identified earlier this year, some of the hotels in the Sheraton portfolio don't meet brand standards and some of them may end up losing their flags under Marriott's leadership.

We couldn't agree more.

We're still skeptical that large file downloads, Netflix-watching and seeing Grandma's face at 35,000 feet is a near-term reality, but speeds will undoubtedly get gradually faster as more satellites are launched for passengers' delight.

Few people would expect the CEO of one of the largest hospitality groups to say something fresh or frank, but Hoplamazian did.

We've been saying for years that content is how you engage Millennials, and that applies to meeting planners and attendees as well. Visit Greater Palm Springs especially focuses on attendees to compel them to advocate on behalf of the destination.