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

Priceline Group CEO Faults Hotel Association for False Allegations

There is ample competition among hotels, online travel agencies, and airlines in the U.S. travel marketplace as all of these sectors have seen a spate of consolidation. It may make sense business-wise for these companies, but none of it is particularly good for consumers or competition.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Hotels

Priceline Group Focuses on Expanding Its Alternative Accommodations

Booking.com grew its vacation rental supply at a hyper clip, 51 percent in the first quarter. But vacation rentals are different than hotels, where the company has excelled, and the same formula might not be a slam dunk.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

TripAdvisor Gambles on TV Campaign Promising Best Hotels at Lowest Prices

TripAdvisor may be making progress on personalization and the balance between searching and booking, but we're not sure whether it has found a message that will resonate with consumers -- one that's different from Kayak's and Trivago's.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

TripAdvisor Scales Back Instant Booking in Strategy Reversal

TripAdvisor hasn't abandoned letting customers book on TripAdvisor but it has dramatically downplayed the feature in favor of the more lucrative metasearch option. With Trivago and Google making gains in a hyper-competitive sector, TripAdvisor couldn't stick with a strategy that wasn't working.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

Hotel Booking Site Stayful Winds Down and WorldVentures Holdings Picks Up the Pieces

We've seen it over and over again by now: Given the vast marketing resources of major players in the hotel booking arena, it is extremely hard for startups to build their brand with consumers. Building a business-to-business company is somewhat easier but Stayful's pivot might have come too late.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

Expedia CEO: Our 2 ‘Supercharger’ Brands Are Leading the Way

When it comes to growing brands -- or at least buying companies with capable management teams -- Expedia knows what it's doing. You can count on Trivago and HomeAway both becoming more formidable than they are today.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

Booking.com’s Gillian Tans Was Highest-Paid Online Travel CEO in 2016

Money talks and Gillian Tans was well-compensated for leading Booking.com, the largest accommodations provider on the planet, to a banner year.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

China’s HNA Invested $28 Million to Start a U.S. Online Travel Agency and Abruptly Closed It

HNA Group tried to enter the U.S. online travel agency market through Travana/Janbala and abruptly had a change of heart either because the startup didn't know what it was doing or because of some other dynamic in the opaque world of Chinese investors. Consider this a slight bump in the road.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Online Travel

Expedia Looks to Trivago and HomeAway to Propel Future Growth

Expedia isn't overlooking its core online travel agency brands such as Expedia.com and Hotels.com, but Trivago and HomeAway are clearly rising stars. Trivago hardly ever saw a TV commercial it didn't like but increased profits in Q1, and HomeAway is in the midst of a multi-year digital-booking transition.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago

Airlines

American Airlines CEO Rejects Criticism of ‘Unprecedented’ Flight Crew Pay Hikes

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker is playing the long game. Surprise pay hikes for pilots and flight attendants will cost roughly $350 million in 2018 and 2019. But if airlines truly want to avoid more customer service-related dramas, one way to get there is to adequately compensate your workforce.

Dennis Schaal | 9 years ago