BTN Expert Q&A

Carlson Hotels is in the midst of a program to grow by 50 percent within the next three years its hotel portfolio to at least 1,500 hotels globally. Thorsten Kirschke, COO for Carlson Hotels in the Americas, recently updated Business Travel News lodging editor Michael B. Baker on the company's progress, recent sales growth... Keep Reading

Former Virgin Hotels executive director Paul Whetsell in January became CEO of Loews Hotels, a luxury chain of 17 properties in the United States and Canada. Whetsell recently spoke to Business Travel News lodging editor Michael B. Baker about his plans for Loews and the company's strategy to draw more corporate transient... Keep Reading

One of the newest forays into the increasingly crowded online hotel booking tool category is a site targeting travelers who already have made their initial reservations. Unlike most other booking tools, BackBid, launched in November, does not provide travelers lists of hotels and rates to sift through. Instead, it asks... Keep Reading

About a year after U.S. Bank's Corporate Payment Systems business started to issue commercial cards in Europe, bank officials last week announced plans to expand to emerging markets. To lead the charge, the bank promoted Alan Gibson to manager of emerging markets, in addition to his role as CPS senior European officer. Gibson... Keep Reading

Yotel, the five-year-old hotel brand that takes its design cues more from first-class airline cabins than Architectural Digest, has been testing its draw among U.S. travelers with last summer's opening of a property near Times Square in New York. According to Yotel CEO and co-founder Gerard Greene spoke recently with Business... Keep Reading

Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur Services last week acquired Massachusetts-based M7 Worldwide Transportation for an undisclosed price. Tristar, which has a fleet of 500 vehicles worldwide and corporate offices in London, Manchester, Boston, New York and Hong Kong, last year operated in conjunction with affiliates more than 500,000... Keep Reading

The Active Network's $57.7 million purchase of meetings technology firm StarCite offers the event marketing company, founded in 1998 as an attendee registration firm focusing on endurance sports and other outdoor events, a foothold in a different aspect of the industry: strategic meetings management programs. Active Network... Keep Reading

A few months after its launch, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck pilot program appears close to attaining permanent status. PreCheck provides pre-screened frequent travelers access to a dedicated airport security lane where they may not have to remove their shoes or belts or their laptops from their... Keep Reading

Citi last fall named Manish Kohli managing director and global head of commercial cards, within its global transaction services unit. A 14-year Citi veteran, Kohli most recently led the firm's growth into new markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Now overseeing the global growth strategy for Citi's commercial and... Keep Reading

Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) about a year ago officially claimed the chairman's seat on the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. That made his voice among the most prominent during national transportation debates, notably the political standoff on Federal Aviation Administration funding. On... Keep Reading