Dennis Schaal Archives

Dennis Schaal is Skift's Founding Editor and Executive Editor. Dennis has been a reporter focusing on online travel and short-term rentals for more than two decades at Skift, Tnooz, USA Today, and Travel Weekly. He is well-known for tough one-on-one interviews on stage at Skift events, including with the CEOs and top execs of Expedia, Uber, Booking Holdings, Priceline, Kayak, Hopper, and more.

Short-Term Rentals

Short-Term Rentals: Airbnb's Dominance and Booking's Gains in 1 Chart

The big three online travel agencies are generating almost three-quarters of the short-term rental revenue on the planet. The rest of the crowd is seeing their previous foothold diminishing.

Dennis Schaal | 13 hours ago

Online Travel

Southwest Didn't Get the Gains It Expected From New Online Booking Channels

Southwest is looking to expand its online distribution even though it didn't get the love it sought for its now-abandoned 'bags fly free' policy.

Dennis Schaal | 3 days ago

Tour Operators

Airbnb Experiences: New Details Point to Direct Competition with Viator and GetYourGuide

Experiences has traditionally been a low-margin business so Airbnb was never going to make a go of it tethered to a niche offering. The challenge in going mainstream is to maintain some differentiation from rivals.

Dennis Schaal | 4 days ago

Online Travel

4 Reasons AI Chatbots Won’t Become Online Travel Agencies: Booking Holdings CFO

Will the big AI chatbots — those that survive — ever become online travel agencies in their own right? Booking Holdings' CFO doesn't think so, but the company is trying to prepare for all scenarios.

Dennis Schaal | 5 days ago

A Vrbo billboard tweaking Airbnb near Bryant Park in New York.

Short-Term Rentals

Vrbo Needles Airbnb in New Campaign: We're 'Hotter' and 'Cooler'

Vrbo, the underdog in the competition, is getting scrappy with its marketing tactics.

Dennis Schaal | 1 week ago

Online Travel

Exclusive: Expedia Hires Brand Marketing Exec From Booking.com

Expedia has been heavily involved in sports marketing, and has been using influencers more frequently, all of which dovetails with the experience of the company's new senior vice president of brand marketing & creative.

Dennis Schaal | 1 week ago

Exterior of an office building with a blue sky behind it.

Online Travel

SCOOP: Expedia Laid Off Hundreds of Marketers Ahead of Reorg

Getting more efficient in marketing through AI is certainly a component of this move. At least that's a goal.

Dennis Schaal | 2 weeks ago

Short-Term Rentals

Airbnb Distances Itself From Co-Founder Joe Gebbia's 'Personal Views'

It's not a good look to have the chairman of Airbnb.org speak out against aid to refugees around the world.

Dennis Schaal | 2 weeks ago

A man relaxing in a boat on a lake while fishing.

Short-Term Rentals

Vrbo Tries to Fix a Hole in OneKey Where Travelers Earn But Can't Burn Rewards

Depending on the fine print, Vrbo giving vacation rental property managers more flexibility in how they run their businesses can't be a bad thing.

Dennis Schaal | 2 weeks ago

Online Travel

Booking Holdings Downplays Concerns That Agentic AI Platforms Will Displace It

Are generative AI platforms going to make Booking Holdings irrelevant? That's unlikely. The real issue is to what extent the company's economics may suffer.

Dennis Schaal | 3 weeks ago