Interviews

Sonesta International Hotel Corp. this year launched three new brands amid the industry's "bleisure reality," Sonesta VP of sales and industry relations Kaaren Hamilton told BTN's Angelique Platas. Hamilton also discussed dynamic pricing and meetings and events demand. ... Keep Reading

It's been almost two years since the arrival of TakeTwo Travel Solutions, a start-up boutique TMC that launched in the U.K. and expanded its operations to the U.S. a few months later. CEO Chris Thelen recently spoke with BTN's Michael B. Baker about TakeTwo's U.S. expansion, tech strategy and long-term plans.   ... Keep Reading

Companies are dealing with a post-pandemic surge in meetings demand and limited hotel availability, leading to difficult negotiations, according to Alisa de Gaspe Beaubien, CEO and co-founder of meetings management platform Groupize. She talked with BTN's Angelique Platas about Groupize's goal of total meetings management,... Keep Reading

Meetings technology provider Bizly recently became the first small meeting planning app listed in meetings technology giant Cvent's App Marketplace. Bizly now is looking to AI for the company's next frontier. Founder and CEO Ron Shah spoke with BTN's Elizabeth West and Angelique Platas about the company’s next steps, business... Keep Reading

Former McKinsey & Co. partner Will Coleman left consulting to co-found Alto, a premium ride-sharing service that owns all its cars and hires its drivers as W-2 employees, not contractors. Coleman, former lead of McKinsey's air and travel practice across North America, talked to BTN about Alto's plans for the business travel... Keep Reading

BCD Travel last week announced that former CFO Stephan Baars is returning to BCD to serve as CEO upon the July 1 departure of president and CEO John Snyder. Baars and Snyder spoke jointly to BTN about their succession plans, the status of BCD's transaction and staffing recovery and the areas that are ripe for growth for the... Keep Reading

Virtual card and spend management platform Extend reported rapid growth last year, with the number of active users on its platform doubling and its charge volume tripling. Extend co-founder, COO and CMO Guillaume Bouvard spoke recently to BTN executive editor Michael B. Baker about what's driving the growth and the "gap" he... Keep Reading

Choice Hotels International in 2022 opened its newest extended-stay brand, Everhome Suites, and Choice now looks to broaden the brands’ corporate appeal in an uncertain economic environment. Choice Hotels VP and general manager of extended stay brands Anna Scozzafava talked with BTN’s Angelique Platas about the hotel... Keep Reading

Best Western CEO Larry Cuculic, who took that role in December 2021, said he's focused on positioning the company for global growth in both leisure and business travel. Cuculic spoke with BTN’s Elizabeth West about the company's performance, strategy and the importance of responding to requests for proposals.... Keep Reading

Meetings and group demand for Remington Hotels, a Dallas-based hotel management company with a portfolio of more than 110 properties, not only returned in 2022 but proved to be “better than ever,” CEO Sloan Dean said during a panel discussion at the American Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles. ... Keep Reading