Powering Travel Expedia Group

Like many key figures in travel and hospitality, Rob Torres, Senior Vice President of Media Solutions at Expedia Group has seen the industry shift and evolve over time, with technology driving most of the change in the last couple of decades.
 
In this episode of Expedia Talks, we ask Rob about the lessons he has collected and curated over the years to help him prepare for the future of travel. With so much new technology at one's disposal, how does an experienced travel pro like Rob pick and choose what works best for the task at hand? We also chat about new trends in Rob's specialty, Destination Marketing, and how data is helping companies like Expedia create more personalized experiences for each customer, which in turn adds value to Expedia's partners and suppliers.

Stay tuned for more episodes in this series. New episodes of Powering Travel coming in 2024.

In this episode of Expedia Talks, we ask Karen about what drew her to the intersection of travel and technology. We also chat about her first startup and how Expedia acquired it all those years ago. 
Then, Karen gets candid about the formative years that brought her to Expedia, before answering today's most pressing question - what's a human quality that cannot be codified?

Stay tuned for more episodes in this series. New episode of Powering Travel coming in 2024.

As a company, Expedia Group is no stranger to change - the company has been through many shifts in the travel and hospitality industry, from technological booms to slumps in the global economy, to the current AI revolution amidst a worldwide recovery phase. Similarly, two travel veterans, Greg Schulze, SVP of Strategic Travel Partners and Hari Nair, SVP and General Manager, Lodging Marketplace, are no strangers to transformations in the industry either.
 
In this episode of Expedia Talks, we sit down with Greg and Hari to talk about their roles at Expedia and how it has evolved over time, especially with data, AI, and machine learning. We also go back to the early days of Online Travel Agencies and how it changed the way we travel, and why travel professionals need to always be one step ahead of the curve with trends in the market.
 
Greg and Hari also talk about the collective responsibility of travel players, and why it's time to rise to the occasion to meet the challenges and opportunities during this technological turning point.

Stay tuned for more episodes in this series. New episode of Powering Travel coming in 2024.

Expedia Group rolled out a few partnerships recently – SoFi, Mastercard, and WalmartPlusTravel.com. By enabling giant retailers like these, do they risk losing business on the B2C side of things? And what does it take to form lasting partnerships in today's travel and hospitality scene?
 
On the first episode of Expedia Talks, a special series powered by Expedia Group, we chat with Alfonso Paredes (SVP, Commercial Partnerships, Expedia Group) about finding synergy in a competitive travel market, looking for common goals among collaborators, and how tech is helping build bridges instead of walls in the new tourism and hospitality scene.
 
Stay tuned for more episodes in this series. New episodes of Powering Travel coming in 2024.

In the Season 2 finale of Powering Travel, Brandon interviews Katherine Fan. Katherine is a freelance writer and a loyalty expert who started her loyalty journey the way many people do, looking at how to make the most of her travel. Today she still loves loyalty programs, and teaches others how to take full advantage of them. Katherine and Brandon discuss One Key, Expedia’s largest and most comprehensive rewards program yet, the differences between cash and mileage-based programs, and some of the crazy things they’ve both done in pursuit of points. Katherine also discusses her love of Hotels.com, her strategy for redeeming points, and the future of loyalty programs.

Learn more about One Key

Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.

Brandon and guest host Richard Kocher, the Director of Media Insights and Planning at Expedia Group, interview Powering Travel’s first returning guest: Dennis Schaal! Dennis the founding and executive editor of Skift and a long-time travel journalist. In this episode, they dive into the world of data and insights in the travel industry. Richard and Dennis provide a unique perspective on how data can be leveraged and provide their expert knowledge on the value of research. Join them for further discussion on mining first-party data, the use of third parties, and Dennis’ hot takes on AI and upcoming trends in the industry. This is a conversation you don’t want to miss. 

Read more about the Path to Purchase research here.

Download the Traveler Insights Report for Q2 of 2023 

Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.