BTN Expert Q&A

New York - MasterCard Worldwide Global Commercial Products Group Executive Ed Glassman in March spoke to BTN editorial director Jay Campbell following his speech here at the annual Commercial Cards & Payments Summit organized by Commercial Payments International. Glassman said his conference presentation focused on the "huge... Keep Reading

Phoenix - US Airways president Scott Kirby last week during the company's first-quarter earnings call said the carrier's Choice Seats product has become "a big revenue line," on track to garner $100 million in 2013. That projection is modest, Kirby told BTN, as it assumes revenue only from current distribution channels, a... Keep Reading

Wyndham Hotel Group is the world's largest hotel company in terms of number of hotels, but it did not always act like it, according to president and CEO Eric Danziger. Since becoming CEO at the end of 2008, one of Danziger's major efforts has been to spawn more cooperation on the sales side across Wyndham's 15 disparate... Keep Reading

When Commercial Payments International brought its annual Commercial Cards & Payments Summit back to New York City last month, BTN Group editorial director Jay Campbell met with a handful of corporate card executives, including Citi global head of commercial cards Manish Kohli. Kohli, who first spoke with BTN last year after... Keep Reading

Lebua Hotels and Resorts, a luxury five-property Asian chain that began as a single Bangkok restaurant, has set its sights on global expansion, a drive boosted earlier this year by a management contract it secured with three boutique hotels in India. The hotels in India upped Lebua's prominence in the corporate travel space,... Keep Reading

Los Angeles - Loews Hotels during the past year accelerated its growth by adding about a half-dozen new properties through acquisition and development. "It's been a little bit different for this company," said Troy Furbay, then Loews' executive vice president of acquisitions and development, during an interview here in... Keep Reading

The BTN Group in December inducted into its Business Travel Hall Of Fame BCD Holdings founder John A. Fentener van Vlissingen, the first European to join the exclusive club. Marking the occasion, van Vlissingen spoke with Business Travel News editorial director Jay Campbell about his legacy and lessons of business.... Keep Reading

Los Angeles - Choice Hotels International in late January announced a pair of deals that expand its presence in areas where it eagerly wants to grow: the upscale market and locations outside North America. A marketing alliance with timeshare company Bluegreen Vacations added 21 new resorts to Choice's upscale boutique Ascend... Keep Reading

Los Angeles - Luxury hotel brand Sofitel Worldwide, part of Accor, in recent years has significantly repositioned itself, eliminating more than half of its portfolio and introducing two sub-brands. At the Americas Lodging Investment Summit here in January, Sofitel CEO Robert Gaymer-Jones spoke with Business Travel News... Keep Reading

JetBlue Airways vice president of sales and revenue management Dennis Corrigan last week sat down with BTN senior editor Jay Boehmer at the carrier's new headquarters in Long Island City, N.Y., to talk about the carrier's growth in the corporate market and approach to distribution. An edited transcript follows.... Keep Reading