Expedia's New CEO + Google's European Threat + Garbage Hotel Apps

The Travel Industry's Daily Agenda-Setting Newsletter

August 31, 2017 View in browser

Note From the Editor We're proud of the editorial coverage we bring you every day because we have reporters and research gurus deeply steeped in their travel beats, and they know stuff — or they have sources who know stuff. Today, we called out before others who the new Expedia CEO would be. And Senior Research Analyst Jared Wein concedes he declined to "bust out a Black-Scholes analysis or perform Monte Carlo simulations," but he nonetheless figures Dara Khosrowshahi made the jump from Expedia to Uber while leaving $200 million or so in stock options on the table. Meanwhile, Travel Tech Editor Sean O'Neill examines why regulators in Europe are likely to expand their probe of Google's business practices beyond shopping and into travel search, and he contrasts the travel industry's fear of Google with the seemingly lethargic pace the company goes about improving flight search. There has been nothing lethargic about this week so far, though. It has been action-packed. — Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor Free Webinar: Examining The Evolving Diversity of Modern Luxury Travel [SPONSORED] Sponsored by L.E.K. Consulting Skift recently hosted a webinar discussing the new perception of luxury travel and what it means for high-end travel and hospitality brands. To view the webinar, download a recording below. View Now Top Stories Expedia's New CEO Is Mark Okerstrom There is only one vote that mattered in Expedia's abbreviated CEO search — Barry Diller's. And he wholeheartedly wanted CFO Mark Okerstrom for the job. No need to mess around with an interim title or to conduct the dog and pony show of a CEO search. It was a done deal. Now Okerstrom has to step up to the challenge. Google May Finally Face a Showdown With Regulators Over Its Evolving Travel Tools Google now prods its users to try to cut their travel costs by considering alternative airports and other tricks. Yet the incremental moves may not appease a European watchdog that may questions its broader business practices in travel. The Money Uber's New CEO Left Behind at Expedia Suddenly former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi walks away from substantial unvested compensation. Becoming CEO of Uber may have been a once in a lifetime opportunity for Khosrowshahi, but we expect that Uber had to compensate him for his treasure trove of unvested options to pry him away. Expedia's New CEO on What He'd Like to Change A lot of CEOs say they will maintain the policies of their predecessors. But when huge challenges surface, it will be up to Okerstrom to be his own guy, and chart a new course when necessary. Most Hotel Apps Still Need a Radical Overhaul If mobile is increasingly becoming a more popular channel, not only for booking and search but also for in-destination travel experiences, this report is proof that hotels have a lot of work to do when it comes to their apps. Secret Escapes Is Growing on Acquisitions and Flash Sales' Stubborn Viability The conventional wisdom has been that flash sales can't be a profitable model during economic good times. The apparent success of Secret Escapes puts the lie to that notion. Planners Look to Sports Venues to Host Innovative and Immersive Events The use of sports stadiums and parks for non-sporting events is a growing trend in the meetings and events industry, and professional sports teams that are eager to create additional revenue and leverage investments are promoting their state-of-the-art venues as a unique alternative for hosting conferences, trade shows, meetings, and events. Expedia Leads $26 Million Alice Investment in Hotel Tech Push Alice is now majority-owned by Expedia. That brings heft to its dream of becoming the largest data machine in hospitality for operations and guest service. Chefs+Tech: How Food Psychology Affects Restaurants Large and Small Restaurant menus aren't random, they're carefully crafted and chosen with more in mind than taste alone — especially when it comes to chains. Popular Now The 6 Big Trends That Are Reshaping Luxury Travel In the luxury travel space, at a macro level, demand is growing for the accumulation of travel memories drawn from transformative moments that resonate deeply with the individual traveler's ideal of personal fulfillment, and his or her best aspirational version of themselves. The Other Reason Expedia's CEO Would Have Left His Company What would make Expedia obsolete and cause Khosrowshahi to leave? Expedia's apparently outgoing CEO answered that question for us last year and talked about big technology trends a few years in the offing. But is he bolting because he thinks Expedia's best days are behind it? Hyatt Buys Yet Another Wellness Brand, Exhale Hyatt is taking the concepts of wellness and "adjacent spaces" very, very seriously. For Gmail users: If you are using the tabbed inbox, Skift emails may be pushed to the 'Promotions' tab. To get updates from Skift direct to your primary inbox, drag and drop this email to that tab. You received this email because you are subscribed to Skift Daily Newsletter from Skift.

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