Powering Travel

Guest Host Becca Glenn, Director of Partner Success for Vacation Rentals is joined by Mary Beth Miles, CEO of Vacation Rental Collective. Becca and Mary Beth sit down to talk all things vacation rentals, and how to create unforgettable experiences for guests. In a post-pandemic world, guest expectations of vacation rentals have shifted. Today, travelers are looking for hotel-level amenities and personalized experiences, and according to Mary Beth, providing delight and surprise elevates it to a first-class experience. Mary Beth discusses how her properties deliver these experiences by employing travel management software and tech like smart locks and remote thermostats, as well as special touches like gift baskets filled with local products to make a guest experience problem-free. They also discuss sustainability, accessibility and going beyond accommodation. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear how to take your vacation rental to the next level and provide a 5-star experience every time. Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill. Learn more at partner.expediagroup.com.

Guest host Mike Grubler, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at Expedia Group, is joined by Kerry Mack for this episode on revenue management in hospitality. Kerry is an expert in the space, and is currently the Chief Revenue Officer at Highgate, where she has worked for over eighteen years. Mike and Kerry discuss why revenue management in the travel industry continues to be a unique and complicated topic. This complication makes efficient and sophisticated revenue management in travel vital. According to Kerry, a successful manager is someone who understands the customer as well as the various circumstances that they travel. Mike and Kerry also discuss how the space has changed as more data becomes available, and how traveler segmentation has become increasingly flexible. Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill. Learn more at partner.expediagroup.com.

Wondering how new technology like AI will impact travel? In this episode, guest host Richard Kocher, Senior Director of Media Insights and Planning at Expedia Group, is joined by travel journalist Siew Hoon Yeoh to discuss the role of technology in travel. Siew Hoon is the founder of Web in Travel, and has been covering the impact of tech on the travel industry since the early 2000s. She believes that travel is still a human industry —after all, it's humans who travel, not robots. However, she also believes that tech like AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we travel. The two dive into how AI has allowed people to plan less and live in the moment by providing hyperpersonal recommendations on the spot, eliminating the need to plan every step of a trip. They also talk about how new tech is helping travelers streamline their experiences. Join Richard and Siew Hoon for an enlightening conversation about the future of tech and travel, and tune in to hear insider predictions on travel technology innovations and tips on keeping up with the ever-evolving industry. Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill. Learn more at partner.expediagroup.com.

Brandon is back to host this episode of Powering Travel! Join him and Ariane Gorin, President of Expedia for Business at Expedia Group, for a great discussion on the state of the travel industry, how Expedia is enabling their partners to capture the demand of the growing middle class, and the importance of accessing this new segment of travelers. Ariane, a seasoned leader in the travel space, shares valuable insights on how Expedia is facilitating its partners to tap into the expanding middle class across diverse markets, such as Asia and the Middle East. As these markets grow, people will have disposable income to spend on travel, and she wants to ensure that partners are empowered to capture that demand.  Additionally, Ariane offers a glimpse into evolving travel loyalty programs, upcoming trends in 2024, and provides insights into how Expedia is generating new demand for its supply partners. Tune in for an informative and entertaining exploration of the evolving travel landscape.Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill. Learn more at partner.expediagroup.com.

What is the lodging industry doing to achieve decarbonization and net zero? Aditi Mohapatra, VP Global Social Impact & Sustainability, sits down with Xavier Guillemin, VP Global Sales Sustainability at Accor, Europe's largest hospitality company, to find out!  Xavier gives his insights on the lodging industry's pursuit of decarbonization and net-zero goals, emphasizing the mounting pressure from travelers for sustainable lodging and the importance of meeting COP 21 commitments. Xavier also shares what Accor is doing to hold themselves accountable to their sustainability commitments and some of the innovative solutions they are implementing to achieve them. Finally, they discuss the importance of clear and concise communication to ensure travelers have visibility into hotels' sustainability practices when making booking decisions. The Sustainable Travel StudyPowering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill. Learn more at partner.expediagroup.com.

Is there a typical path to purchase when it comes to booking travel? Join guest host Richard Kocher, Senior Director, Media Insights & Planning, as he interviews Cheryl Miller, Senior Vice President of B2B Marketing at Expedia Group. Cheryl has extensive experience in marketing and go-to-market initiatives for large tech companies, and together, they discuss the findings of Expedia’s Path to Purchase Report, an in-depth study that explores how travelers make decisions when planning their next trip. Cheryl highlights that the path to purchase is winding, long, and never straightforward. She also emphasizes the importance of employing an omnichannel marketing approach, as the report uncovered the variety of channels travelers explore when booking travel, such as social media and OTAs. She and Richard also discuss some of the many other important insights from the report, like the influence of advertising, the role of loyalty, and how to engage travelers at each step along the journey. This episode offers a compelling glimpse into the intersection of technology, consumer behavior, and marketing strategies. The Path to Purchase ReportPowering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill. Learn more at partner.expediagroup.com.

Join Brandon and an expert roster of guest hosts as they uncover what recent breakthroughs in technology mean for travel. From Gen AI to innovative new security features, the travel space is rapidly evolving – and we have a front row seat. Tune in this season to uncover how these innovations can help you and your business grow in 2024!Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill. Learn more at partner.expediagroup.com.

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 KeyPowering 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.

Who ensures local communities are well serviced by tourism, or that the local environment is protected? How can a destination be promoted responsibly? The bottom line is that destinations need advocates. In this episode, Brandon is joined by Andrew van der Feltz, the Global Senior Director of Business Development for Expedia Group Media Solutions. They dive into destination advocacy with Andreas Weissenborn, Vice President of Research and Advocacy at Destinations International, to answer those questions. Andreas discusses the crucial role destination advocacy groups play in the travel and tourism industry and the shift they’ve undergone from being organizations focused solely on promotion and marketing. He also breaks down the wide variety of types of destination advocacy groups, and why each is an important part of the travel ecosystem. Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.

This episode of Powering Travel marks a milestone: our first episode about the vacation rental marketplace! Vacation rentals have become an essential part of the travel and tourism industry, but elicit mixed feelings from travelers and professionals alike. Brandon is joined by guest host Tim Rosolio, Vice President of vacation rental partner success at Expedia Group. Tim is an expert in the business side of vacation rentals, as well as being a travel enthusiast and vacation rental owner himself. They interview Merilee Karr, founder of the luxury home accommodation business Under the Doormat. They discuss how vacation rentals have changed tourism, the data behind the rental industry, and Merilee’s predictions for the future. Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.

Have you ever seen a beautiful location in a movie or TV show and known you had to visit? The intersection between media and travel is a powerful motivator for tourism, and even has a catchy name: set-jetting. In this episode, Brandon is joined by guest host Angelique Miller, who leads the Media Studio at Expedia Group. They interview Dr. Stephen Pratt, a department chair of Tourism Events and Attractions at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management and co-creator of the popular Travel Professors YouTube channel. They discuss the academics behind set-jetting, the impact of films like The Lord of the Rings on local tourism, and what the future holds for media and tourism.  Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.

Travel is something that many of us love, but unfortunately, travelers with disabilities face barriers and challenges to travel that are often overlooked. In the first episode of season two, host Brandon Ehrhardt and guest host Toby Willis sit down with Alvaro Silberstein, founder of Wheel the World. After a car accident that left him in a wheelchair when he was 18 years old, Alvaro knew he wanted to continue traveling, but found obstacles in his way that able bodied people didn’t face. Based on his experiences, he founded Wheel the World, a resource that provides information for travelers with disabilities to find accessible travel experiences. Join them as they discuss the current challenges facing travelers with disabilities, recent positive changes in the industry, and how Wheel the World is helping to make travel more accessible. Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.

Have you heard of the term “revenge travel”? How about “flexcation”? Or even a “nothing-cation”? There are so many ways to travel that we’re literally creating words to describe it! Welcome to season two of the Powering Travel podcast, brought to you by Expedia Group. In each episode, host Brandon Ehrhardt, Senior Director of Partner Programs at Expedia, and regular guest co-hosts are joined by a different travel leader who is creating a big impact on the industry. From TV-inspired wanderlust to the current state of vacation rentals, we’re inviting the experts to talk shop and give you actionable advice on how to grow your travel business. Tune in this May wherever you get your podcasts.Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill. Learn more at welcome.expediagroup.com.

In the last episode of season one, Sally and Brandon discuss an area of the travel industry that has been on the rise over the pandemic: rental cars. As many travelers are still looking to travel closer to home, the rental car market has seen a huge surge in popularity. To help inform their discussion, they’re joined by Ricardo Casco, the Vice President of International and Online Travel Sales for Avis Budget Group. In his role, Ricardo oversees the company’s initiative to generate and grow business from a diverse portfolio of over 500 global customers across The Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. The market segments he leads include online travel partners, global brokers and tour operators, as well as internal cross-border partnerships. During their conversation, Ricardo shares his perspective on post-pandemic behavior changes when it comes to car rentals, the shifting customer demographic, what’s next for the industry, and much more.Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.

In this episode, hosts Brandon and Sally go behind the scenes of air travel to explore the details around flight paths and route selections for airlines. Air travel is one of the most important aspects of the full trip funnel because it impacts the travel industry at large, including the way hospitality partners adapt to the changing landscape of travel transport. They sit down with the director for Atlantic/Hawaii Network Planning at United Airlines, Darren Scott, who shares his expert perspective on airline route management and what hotels and other travel leaders can do to continue to attract travelers coming to their destinations. Given his experience in determining flight paths, managing the team responsible for evaluating deployment of capacity to Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Hawaii, and coordinating network initiatives with stakeholders, Darren had plenty of insider expertise to share during the episode. Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.

In this episode, hosts Brandon and Sally cover a topic that can help take traditional marketing strategies to the next level, but one which is often misunderstood: influencer partnerships. To learn more about the nature of influencer marketing for travel brands, Sally sits down with guest Jade Broadus, the Vice President and Creative Director at Travel Mindset, a niche marketing agency that specializes in influencer marketing for the tourism and lifestyle industry. In addition to her role at Travel Mindset, Jade is an influencer and the creator of Vagabond3, an award-winning travel blog with over 150,000 followers. During the episode, Jade shares her perspective on how brands can benefit from influencer partnerships, key strategies for finding an influencer partnership that fits your brand, and choosing the right channels for sharing your content.Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.

When the pandemic hit back in 2020, diehard sports and music fans everywhere lost an important outlet for positive mental health and happiness. With live entertainment on pause, many people felt like they had lost a piece of themselves, so when in-person events finally came back, the industry had the opportunity to capitalize on two years’ worth of pent-up demand. In this episode, Sally and Brandon discuss the return of live entertainment and large-scale events like Coachella and Stagecoach, exploring how the customer experience has evolved over the last two years. They sit down with guest Erin Zinser, vice president of partnership activation for the Global Partnerships division of AEG Worldwide, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. Acting as an internal agency for AEG Worldwide, the Global Partnerships division oversees worldwide sponsorship sales and activation for over 130 world-class platforms across five continents including venues, sports franchises, events, tours, festivals and digital content. Erin shares her perspective on how partners can work with AEG Worldwide to attract demand in local markets and create a memorable experience for travelers as we head into the summer season.Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.

As the threat of climate change looms, sustainability has become a major priority for travelers. In fact, according to a recent global survey from Expedia Group, nearly two-thirds or 59% of travelers indicated they were willing to spend more to make a trip sustainable, which is on par with results from last summer. In this episode, Brandon and Sally sit down with Peter DeBrine, Destination Advisor and UNESCO sustainable tourism expert, to discuss strategies for hotels and travel providers hoping to make impactful changes to the way they operate and minimize their footprint overall. Peter also shares his outlook on the future of the industry, how UNESCO is making an impact through its Sustainable Travel Pledge, and his take on the next big trends in sustainable travel.Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.

In the first episode of Powering Travel, hosts Brandon Ehrhardt and Sally Smith sit down with Dennis Schaal, the founding and executive editor of Skift. As a news publication dedicated to sharing travel industry happenings, Skift is tapped into the latest and greatest tips, trends and updates for hospitality professionals around the world. Dennis has been covering the travel sector and interviewing its leaders for more than 20 years, and in 2016, he wrote The Definitive Oral History of Online Travel. During the episode, Brandon, Sally and Dennis cover a broad range of topics related to the travel industry including staffing issues, sustainability and much more. Dennis also shares his exclusive insights on where he thinks the industry is headed next. Powering Travel is produced by Expedia Group in association with Quill.