ExpertFlyer Blog

One-on-One with Victor Owens, Vice President, North American Marketing, Hotels.com

Each month, ExpertFlyer sits down with an executive in the travel industry to provide insight to changes in the industry and how it affects the way you do business.  It's another way ExpertFlyer is providing additional information to empower the business traveler.

This month ExpertFlyer sat down with Victor Owens, Vice President, North American Marketing at Hotels.com, a leading online hotel review and booking site. Hotels.com offers information on more than 70,000 properties worldwide from hotels to bed-and-breakfasts to condos to all-inclusive resorts.

“One of the trends we are noticing in the online travel arena is the extent to which social media and search are complementing the online travel website experience.  This is leading to an evolution of how travel is planned and booked, where travelers get more relevant advice about their future trips, as well as better offers from companies to fulfill those needs.”

- Victor Owens, vice president, North American Marketing, Hotels.com

 

What does Hotels.com do that other online travel industry aggregators do not?

Hotels.com is the smarter way to book. We have more than 20 years of experience selling lodging in over 60 countries worldwide. We also pioneered the annual Hotel Price Index (HPI) ™ that reports on actual hotel prices paid around the world.

"Did you know?..."

Priceline adds last minute car rentals to mobile app
(USA Today)
Priceline's popular iPhone app, which features name-your-own-price hotel deals aimed at last-minute bookers, now offers car rentals as well. Read more…

Business seat battle dominates Down Under
(MSNBC.com)
A battle over business class seats has broken out between Australia's two domestic airlines who are pulling out all the stops with new technology and perks to lure executives into the front of their planes. Read more…

"Did you know?..."

Airline recovery spells good news for business travelers
USA Today – Travel
For the first time in a long while, a climate of "cautious optimism" pervades the airline industry as the economy rebounds and business travelers take to the road again.  Read more…

And the next airline to charge for carry-on bags is …
Consumer Traveler
A new mobile poll by Predicto says 72 percent of users think another airline will follow Spirit Airlines’ lead this year.  Read more…

A word about online airline complaints
Online Travel Review
Yes, people can respond online.  But as I mentioned a week ago, airline (and hotel) bashing has become so ubiquitous that I would argue it has absolutely no value at all.  Read more...

"Did you know?..."

Google reserves ITA for itself
The Economist | Business Travel - Gulliver Blog

Google has just snapped up ITA Software in a deal worth some $700m. The search behemoth says it is getting its hands on ITA, which gathers and processes flight information such as seat pricing and availability, to make it easier for people to find quickly the flights they want at the very best prices.  Read more...

Virgin America CEO David Cush opens up
San Francisco Chronicle | City Brights

Check out what Virgin America CEO, David Cush, has to say about flights to Chicago, Virgin's appeal to business travelers, his vision for SFO's Terminal 2, Virgin's improving financial performance, and how its SFO market compares to its LAX market.  Read more...

"Did you know?..."

Introducing WannaJet: Offering Private Jets at a Business Class Price
DuPont Registry Press Blog

The first private jet service offering seats on private flights at a fixed price, comparable to Business Class fares. Read more…

Top Five Tips for Business Traveling
Business Travel Tips Blog

…There are some little-known tips and tricks that may come in handy when you travel for business, whether you’re traveling domestically or abroad. Here are five of the best little-known travel tips for business traveling. Read more…

"Did you know?..."

Frequent-flier 101? Classes promise to make you an air-travel guru
USA Today

Want to become a frequent-flier expert? There's a class for that. In fact there are two; "Saving on airfare and redeeming frequent-flier miles" is the basic course while the "advanced" class is dubbed: "Securing top elite status and flying in luxury."  Read More...

Summer Travel Tax Deductions
Tire Review

...keep in mind that if your summertime travel is primarily for business or career-related education such as training, then a portion of the trip may be tax-deductible.  Read More...