Kayak CEO Says Online Travel ‘Still Sucks’ and He Wants to Stay ‘Until It’s Fixed’
Photo Credit: Kayak and OpenTable CEO Steve Hafner. Kayak
Skift Take
Twenty years later, Google is the leading global player in travel metasearch. Steve Hafner can do little about that but argues travelers can snack on Google but they should come to Kayak for better results when they are ready to book.
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What are the top trends impacting hotels, airlines, and online bookings? We speak to the executives shaping the future of travel.The Kayak website launched to the public in May 2004 as a pioneer in travel metasearch.
When Kayak had its IPO in 2012, it was such a big deal in the travel and tech world that Skift published a live blog to follow every development.
A few months later, Priceline Group – now called Booking Holdings – announced a deal to scoop it up $2.1 billion.
We caught up with Steve Hafner, co-founder and CEO of Kayak and also OpenTable, on a Zoom call while he was in an Uber in Manhattan. We also exchanged emails with the other co-founder, serial entrepreneur Paul English about the 20th anniversary of Kayak's launch.
The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Dennis Schaal: So, Steve, why are you still here? Why are you still at Kayak?
Steve Hafner: Because online travel hasn't been solved yet. So look, it's come a long way in the last 20 years. I think when we started, online travel really sucked. It just made the transition from off
