Rob Wald, Travel and Technology Analyst
Rob Wald: Uses Years of Experience to Chart Travel Trends
Rob Wald is a 15-year veteran of the travel and technology industries. He has worked for such companies as Oracle, e-Travel, Amadeus and Cendant, and has experience in roles across finance, product management, marketing, sales, implementation and account management. While at Oracle, Rob introduced the industry's first Web-based enterprise expense reporting product, and oversaw the tremendous growth of the product. At Amadeus, Rob managed the global team responsible for delivery of the company's corporate e-commerce product portfolio. He has been a frequent speaker at industry events, including NBTA, ACTE and CFO Rising. He has also contributed to numerous articles in such publications as CFO Magazine, Computerworld, Business Travel News, Travel Weekly and Business Travel Executive. Rob is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley.
Rob Wald: Online Managed Travel Rising
Rob Wald, senior director of corporate and product marketing for e-Travel, says e-Travel would like to see more companies mandate that their employees go to its site [www.etravel.com] and book managed travel themselves. But a company can also offer it as an alternative to picking up the phone and calling the corporate travel agency. Travel managers are telling employees more and more not to search general travel Web sites, but to use sites that cater specifically to managed travel.Rob Wald: Online Content and Community Sites: Ready for Primetime?
In another recent article for PhoCusWright, I explored the capabilities of the online content and community sites, and whether these sites are ready for mainstream Internet users in the context of their vacation planning efforts.
"Up until 2000, the growth of online travel focused largely on the purchase transaction. Starting in 2000, sites sprung up to address those seeking more help during the travel planning process. These sites evolved from a narrow focus – i.e., hotel reviews – to encompass much more, including destination and vacation reviews, and communities where users can share and track opinions, journals, and photos provided by other site members. The growth and success of these online travel content and community sites have attracted significant attention. Within the past two years, IAC Travel (now Expedia Inc.), Cendant Corporation, and Sabre Holdings – parent companies of the three largest (“Big Three”) domestic online travel agencies – have each made acquisitions in the content and community space, involving TripAdvisor, Away.com, and IgoUgo, respectively. This space has also witnessed a number of new entrants, all claiming to find a new and unique way to assist those going online to plan their trip. However, these sites are still immature and must address significant challenges in a more meaningful way before they can be considered mainstream travel planning tools."
Rob Wald: Online Managed Travel Naysayers: Perspectives on Why Companies Resist
I apologize for my neglect of this blog. In May 2005, I returned to Oracle full-time after a six year absence. Although my current position in Oracle On Demand has nothing to do with the online travel industry (although ironically, for my own internal business travel I use e-Travel, an application that was a significant focus of my career for 5 years), I continue to follow the industry by staying in touch with my contacts and former colleagues, and by authoring articles for PhoCusWright.
Rob Wald: Sabre Diving Into E-Mtgs.
"This will have a dramatic effect on the landscape of online meeting management, and if I were EventSource or their customers, I would have some concerns," said Rob Wald, director of product marketing at online booking vendor E-Travel, a competitor of GetThere and a subsidiary of Oracle Corp. "Sabre has said they're looking for an integrated, GDS-independent, direct-link product, which sounds more like GetThere than BTS. EventSource is locked up to Sabre and that product might have a limited future."
Rob Wald: Travel Technology: Amadeus consolidates online travel business into e-Travel
WALTHAM, Mass. -- Amadeus consolidated its global online travel business into e-Travel, the company it acquired last summer.E-travel will offer two booking solutions: Planitgo for leisure and airline Web sites and Aergo for corporations.
The company will continue to support current applications e-Traveler and Amadeus Corporate Traveller, said Rob Wald, e-Travel's senior director of corporate and product marketing.
"At some point, development of e-Traveler and Corporate Traveller will slow down to the point where we throw our energy into the new platform," Wald said. "Today, I can't say when that will happen."
Rob Wald: NBTA Appoints New Members to Technology Committee - New Co-Chair Announced
The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) announced the appointment of four new members to the Association’s Technology Committee today. The new Technology Committee Members are: Connie Bocchieri, Travel Manager, Pfizer Inc.; Deborah Matarazzo, CCTE, Global Hotel Manager and Meeting Services, Compaq Computer Corporation; Rob Wald, Senior Director Marketing, e-Travel, Inc.; and Doug Weeks, Corporate Travel Manager, Booz-Allen & Hamilton.