Page 32

Travel Industry CEO Interviews

Conversations with travel’s top leaders at hotels, airlines, travel tech companies, tourism boards, and more.

Media and PR

HomeAway Will Spend $100 Million to Show it Is Not Airbnb

Welcome to a lodging company, HomeAway, that is NOT targeting millennials but instead is going after "whole families." It has little to do with short-term rentals and it may turn out to be short-term thinking.

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 9 years ago

HomeAway Will Spend $100 Million to Show it Is Not Airbnb

Online Travel

Interview: Hipmunk CEO on Online Travel’s Race to the Middle

In the end, the way things are going, airlines will become hotels, and hotels will become airlines. Taxis will become Ubers, and Ubers will become taxis. Convergence, baby.

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Hipmunk CEO on Online Travel’s Race to the Middle

Tourism

Interview: Tourism Ireland CEO on Targeting the Right Markets

Tourism Ireland has stuck to its strengths in the countries where it knows it will have traction, but continued growth will depend on effectively using their available funds and potential partners to build brand awareness in budding source markets.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Tourism Ireland CEO on Targeting the Right Markets

Tourism

Interview: NYC & Company CEO on Selling an Iconic City

Dixon is taking an active role in convincing federal officials of tourism's economic importance -- an important step that's needed to keep New York on the top in terms of international arrivals, and improve the experience of anyone arriving in the U.S. from abroad.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: NYC & Company CEO on Selling an Iconic City

Hotels

Interview: HomeAway CEO on Whether His Company Is Next Acquisition Target

HomeAway just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Now there is a big question as to whether it will still be an independent company by the time the 11th anniversary rolls around. The company would be expensive to buy, but the betting here is that someone will acquire it, sooner rather than later.

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: HomeAway CEO on Whether His Company Is Next Acquisition Target

Airlines

Interview: Dubai Airports CEO on Transforming a Travel Pain Point

Dubai's fortuitous location and its ability to invest in terminal and technology have a large part to do with its impressive growth, but so does smart leadership that anticipates what passengers and airlines need before they look elsewhere for it.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Dubai Airports CEO on Transforming a Travel Pain Point

Online Travel

Complete Interview: Priceline CEO on Staying in High Gear

When Huston took over as CEO of the Priceline Group 13 months ago, a financial analyst told us that Huston would play it safe and not make any bold moves in his first year at the helm because he needed to assure Wall Street about his leadership. Boy, was that analyst wrong.

Dennis Schaal, Skift | 9 years ago

Complete Interview: Priceline CEO on Staying in High Gear

Hotels

Interview: Ritz-Carlton COO on Adapting to Luxury Travelers’ Expectations

The Ritz-Carlton is one of the most iconic luxury brands on the market today, but Humler is aware that a brand name isn't enough to keep guests coming back. Providing the personalized service and technology that they expect is more important than a name.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Ritz-Carlton COO on Adapting to Luxury Travelers’ Expectations

Tourism

Interview: Dubai Tourism CEO on Branding Dubai for the Future

The #MyDubai initiative was a first step towards telling a more human story about the city, but Dubai's challenge moving forward will be making the city relevant outside of its iconic buildings so that visitors will travel far to visit and have reason to come back after the bucket list items are ticked.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Dubai Tourism CEO on Branding Dubai for the Future

Hotels

Interview: InterContinental Hotels Group CEO on the Importance of Trust

Brand trust, fostered by communicating and delivering on a defined guest experience, is what keeps guests coming back year after year. Solomons focus on building trust is what drives all the smaller decisions from tech to training.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: InterContinental Hotels Group CEO on the Importance of Trust