Travel Industry CEO Interviews

Can Capella Hotel Group make a sustainable business model out of providing highly individualized service to guests who think that run-of-the-mill 5-star properties are too cookie-cutter?

Steve Hafner acknowledges that flight ticket purchasing on Kayak still "sucks." He candidly admits that Kayak is taking some design inspiration from the Airbnb website, which he says balances exploration and transactions without overwhelming the user.

Jeffery Boyd doesn't want to meddle in Priceline's business on a day to day basis, which may provide angst to some investors. Still, incoming CEO Darren Huston has capably led Priceline's prized asset, Booking.com, over the last two years, so he's got the pedigree in what promises to be a fascinating new era in online travel.

Given the expense of dispatching staff to each hotel to write reviews and take photos, Oyster never had a clear business model. But it is clear that TripAdvisor values Oyster's photos as a way to bridge the gap between hotel-supplied photos and very amateur guest photos.

JetBlue's Mint service will be disruptive in that competitors will likely match the $599 to $999 one-way fares. Competition like this should shake things up.

The Best Western brand is present worldwide in the form of converted or independent hotels. Building seamless technology for customers and operations is a tough task, but superior quality will eventually breed positive branding.

Virgin America doesn't have the network at this point to truly be a big winner for business travelers. It remains to be seen whether it will run out of time before it gets there.