BTN Expert Q&A

San Diego - Three years since its introduction, Best Western International's descriptor program, in which select hotels are labeled "Plus" and "Premier," has produced tangible corporate sales results, according to CEO David Kong. The program also has helped Best Western grow, enabling the 4,200-hotel chain to reach markets it... Keep Reading

Langham Hospitality Group in recent months more than doubled its North American footprint with the opening of three new properties: the Langham Chicago; the Eaton Chelsea in Toronto, rebranded from the Delta Chelsea; and the Langham Place, Fifth Avenue in New York, formerly the Setai Fifth Avenue. The company this year also... Keep Reading

Avis Budget Group president of North America Thomas Gartland talks with BTN executive editor Jay Boehmer about how wholesale used vehicle values have changed the company's negotiating stance with commercial clients, why client retention still matters and the outlook for recently acquired Zipcar.... Keep Reading

The incoming American Airlines management team in July appointed AA vet Derek DeCross to maintain his role as vice president of global sales when the carrier consummates its merger with US Airways by the end of September, pending regulatory review. Tasked to oversee agency and corporate relationships for the "new" American,... Keep Reading

Tech giant Oracle has developed multiple deployment options for its expense management solution, but only for existing customers of the Oracle Fusion business application suite, the Human Capital Management human resources management technology, or its JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and PeopleSoft enterprise management solutions.... Keep Reading

Room 77 CEO Drew Patterson discusses the role that the hotel metasearch site can play for corporate travel—both managed and unmanaged—as well as how the hotel industry is adapting to the growth of mobile booking.... Keep Reading

Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic next month plan to start sharing codes, enabling passengers to earn and burn frequent-flyer miles for travel on both carriers and granting elite customers access to their respective airport lounges. The carriers made those announcements on Monday as Delta officially purchased a 49 percent... Keep Reading

Upscale and luxury hotel collection Preferred Hotel Group this summer will shift its loyalty program to a "currency-based" redemption system. President Lindsey Ueberroth spoke recently with Business Travel News lodging editor Michael B. Baker about the new program, Preferred's corporate sales and trends within the luxury... Keep Reading

ACTE executive director Greeley Koch discusses the association's initiatives and financial performance.... Keep Reading

Canadian mobile meetings technology firm QuickMobile this month secured a C$3.2 million round of financing, its second such round in the past seven months. CEO Patrick Payne said the funds will support what he described as the company's rapid growth following the November 2012 release of an enterprise app that allows users to... Keep Reading