Dennis Schaal Archives

Dennis Schaal is Skift’s Founding Editor and Executive Editor. Dennis has been a reporter focusing on online travel and short-term rentals for more than two decades at Skift, Tnooz, USA Today, and Travel Weekly. He is well-known for tough one-on-one interviews on stage at Skift events, including with the CEOs and top execs of Expedia, Uber, Booking Holdings, Priceline, Kayak, Hopper, and more.

Online Travel

Can TripAdvisor Blame Its Hotel-Bidding Slump on Expedia or Priceline?

TripAdvisor is still a must-have marketing channel for online travel agency and hotel advertisers. But if the Priceline Group and Expedia tilt their spend more toward other marketing vehicles, there aren't a lot of other players with the marketing resources they have to make TripAdvisor whole.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Announcements

Travel This Week — What to Expect: TripAdvisor and Priceline Strategy Tweaks

With the summer travel season in many parts of the world winding down, so is TripAdvisor's TV spend but let's see if it is starting to be a difference-maker. Meanwhile, new IHG CEO Keith Barr is conducting his first financial results call at the helm. Let's see how he does.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

Travel This Week — What To Expect: Expedia-Hyatt Showdown Looms But a Deal Is Likely

We are not expecting Armageddon as the Expedia-Hyatt talks come down to the wire. Hyatt wants a fair deal, and Expedia stands to gain if it can retain the broadest depth of hotel content possible. The devil will be in the details but we expect champagne glasses to be raised this week.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

Expedia’s Heavy Hand Is Working for HomeAway

Expedia doesn't really care about the noise coming from some disgruntled vacation rental owners. The company is focused on scaling HomeAway's vacation rental business, and having online bookable properties is the formula for the future.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Business Travel

Travel This Week — What To Expect

Both the Global Business Travel Association Convention 2017 and United's second quarter earnings this week should give us a better handle on how corporate travel demand is faring in the Age of Trump and political uncertainties around the globe.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Hotels

Exclusive: Hyatt Signs Deal With Booking.com as Hedge Against Expedia Impasse

As their contract expiration deadline looms, Hyatt and Expedia are maneuvering for position with Hyatt property owners. The new Hyatt-Booking.com agreement gives Hyatt some leverage but it likely wouldn't fully make up all the ground if the chain goes completely dark on Expedia.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Hotels

Hotel and Online Travel Agency Direct Booking Winners and Losers in 5 Charts

Expedia and Booking.com, which each doubled Marriott's TV advertising spend over the last year, are still growing like weeds despite hotels' direct-booking campaigns. That makes for a tough environment for hoteliers, although some brands will do better than others.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

Trivago Is Spending Three Times More Than TripAdvisor on U.S. TV Ads

Will TripAdvisor be able to break through as it starts its TV campaigns around the world? Trivago has a big advantage. At this juncture in its life, Trivago is focused on gaining share while profit concerns take a back seat.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

Booking.com Is Expanding Beyond Hotels and Into Flights, Cars and Restaurants

The Priceline Group has been looking at adding flights to its largest site, Booking.com, for years, but has hesitated for fear of detracting from its core hotels product. But in this case, taking a "stronger together" approach and leveraging the group's other in-house brands could ultimately pay off.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

TripAdvisor’s Review Investigators Discover a Huge Travel-Robocall Scam

These fraudulent robocalls touting over-the-top and fraudulent travel deals are a scourge. Maybe a lot of them will stop now — but there are assuredly other scammers out there so travel brands, which are victims in addition to consumers, aren't home free yet.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago