Skift Global Forum Preview: Expedia CEO Plays the Long Game in Short-Term Rentals
Photo Credit: Mark Okerstrom, the CEO of Expedia Group, believes his company has lots of tools to be a winner in accommodations. Expedia Group / Adam Shane Productions
Skift Take
Is Airbnb going to eat Expedia's lunch? The brand name Vrbo, really? Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom faces some real challenges as the online travel agency pecking order will likely be disrupted in coming years.
Whoever has the most toys, or in this case short-term rentals and hotels, wins.
Well, that may be a tad simplistic but Expedia Group CEO Mark Okerstrom, in discussing some of the challenges of the company's rebranded lead vacation rental brand, Vrbo, believes that the breadth of inventory choice, along with perfecting the customer experience, will be big factors in sorting out winners and losers.
"At the end of the day, it’s going to be all about who has the most choice, best prices and the best user experiences in choosing and booking the places for you to stay while traveling," Okerstrom told Skift.
Okerstrom provided his thoughts on short-term rentals, the evolution of the way customers pay for their reservations, and the future of travel and Expedia Group's role in it as a prelude to his on-stage interv
