Articles tagged “travelzoo”

Travelzoo's founder Ralph Bartel has seen the value of his investment in the public company go from north of a billion to less than $100 million over two decades. Could the chairman of the company be seeking an exit with a sale to a buyer in Asia?

The company has been hoping for a turnaround in Asia Pacific for years now, but so far business in the region is weak. If trade tensions continue to squeeze the company, will progress get even slower?

There's nothing wrong with a company investing and pivoting, as Travelzoo is doing yet again. There is something wrong when a company controlled by a founder doesn't reboot with new leadership.

CEO Holger Bartel has been angling his deals company into a smarter business model. But the cost of Travelzoo's investments continues to drag down earnings. Investors responded by shaving 30 percent off the company's share price on Wednesday.

European travel booking volumes are not the only thing staging a comeback. Deals marketer Travelzoo is enjoying a renaissance, too. But, as with Europe, the verdict is still on whether the company has worked through the problems that have beset it since the financial crisis.

Travelzoo is a curious case. A newsletter-focused daily deals site that has given up on becoming a global metasearch site, it has clearly had trouble adapting to a marketplace where deals abound. Has a new focus on what its customers actually want come too late?

It appears that the mystery buyer is a brand holding company that may not be focused on travel. If so: What a lost opportunity.

Travelzoo has sold Fly.com, the most under-leveraged internet domain name in travel. We hope the mystery buyer has better luck with it than the deals publisher did.

Travelzoo wants to give the people what they want -- and to get more involved in the lucrative hotel-booking business. In this case, Travelzoo is sourcing hotel deals for days that work for the less-spontaneous traveler.

Outgoing CEO Chris Loughlin is the fall guy in this CEO shuffle. Although a public and "controlled" company, nothing happens at Travelzoo without the approval of founder and current chief talent officer Ralph Bartel.