Articles tagged “steve hafner”

Kayak's Steve Hafner has seen everything in online travel, from the founding of airline-owned Orbitz to the AI era.

Don't expect Hafner to stick around for an extended period in the new executive chair role.

AI was all the rage at the Skift Global Forum this week, with the industry’s top executives revealing excitement, and uncertainty, as the tech takes center stage in travel.

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.

Will generative AI's demands for longer answers and fewer links change Google's travel advertising business model? That change is almost inevitable, but where does that leave Google?

It's clear that when Covid outbreak spikes diminish, travel will not revert to precisely how it was before. There will be winners and losers when cities and borders reopen.

Perhaps the big hotel chains will learn that high tech doesn't have to mean a lack of hospitality and a guest experience devoid of personality.

If OpenTable's corporate leadership wants to position it as a force in the restaurant world, dropping key marketing, product, and communications executives is a step in the wrong direction.