Priceline- Dominant Online Player Based on its Search Engine Marketing Strategy

The Priceline Group likes to keep its CEOs hungry with below-market base salaries and lucrative potential bonuses should they and the company over-achieve.

CEO Darren Huston cashed in on the opportunity, receiving nearly $17.9 million in total compensation just prior to taking on the top role.

Huston’s 2013 base salary of $478,487 as CEO of the Priceline Group’s Booking.com unit, he received a stock award of around $12 million, a bonus of $5.25 million, and other compensation amounting to a teensy $150,000 or so.

That brought Huston’s total compensation to $17,878,468, to be precise, which he received in euros as he was based in the Netherlands.

Huston’s 2013 bonus was based on his being the CEO of Booking.com and its “excellent” performance, a Priceline financial filing states, as well as the additional duties he took on last year to be responsible for the Group’s inter-brand relations.

You might think of Huston’s role last year in coordinating relations between and technology-sharing among Booking.com, Priceline.com, Kayak, Agoda, and rentalcars.com in 2013 as sort of a CEO internship and a prelude to his taking the top spot in 2014, replacing Jeffery Boyd as CEO of the Priceline Group.

Read Here : https://skift.com/2014/04/24/priceline-ceo-huston-earned-17-9-million-in-2013-a-very-good-year-for-the-company/

Event Planner’s Guide to Travel Security By Paul Viollis

This article was contributed by Paul Viollis.

Balancing event productivity/profitability with ongoing criminal intelligence and venue-related risk is perhaps more challenging than ever before for the event planner. Given the increased risk of terrorism both on American soil and abroad amidst a plethora of other domestic and foreign concerns, this cadre of professionals is clearly in a precarious position as they attempt to solidify the 2016 calendar.

Given the apparent risks and the need for peace of mind, the following illustrates current “Best Practices” for enhancing personal safety during travel.

Pre-Travel Planning

• Limit travel itinerary to a “need to know” basis and delegate someone as a 24/7 contact and arrange daily communication protocol.
• Every traveler should have a system of accountability for tracking family members while traveling. This information must be limited to involved parties only and never discussed outside that inner circle.
• Provide prearranged car service submitting segments of travel only.
• Ensure no signs are presented to identify the individual traveling by name at the airport.

Travel Precautions

•  Always maintain a low profile.
• Avoid routine patterns and vary travel routes.
• Be conscious of being followed.
• Never leave a laptop or any type of mobile electronic device unattended and only travel with needed data by utilizing removable media/data storage.
• Affix an identification label to the outside of laptop to avoid confusion of ownership while processing through secure checkpoints.
• Morning arrivals and departures are recommended.
• Take caution when conversing with strangers despite their personal appearance.
• Avoid traveling with items that are not absolutely necessary.
• Limit items to be carried.
• Dine in recognized eateries not off the beaten path.
• Avoid street vendor food.

Paul Viollis, Sr. has dedicated his career to the protection of our country, as well as the shareholder value of the businesses he has navigated to the pinnacle of their respective vertical markets.

Read Full Article @ https://goodmanspeakers.com/the-event-planners-guide-to-travel-security/

Milwaukee is the world's hottest new travel destination, Here's why it won the top spot

According to Airbnb, which just released a list of the top 20 destinations to visit in 2020, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the world’s most up-and-coming destination.

Airbnb looked at bookings made for 2020 as of September 2019, versus those in the same time frame in 2019 to determine which of the world’s destinations has been seeing the highest increase in interest.

Turns out, Milwaukee saw a 729% increase in bookings for 2020, in part due to the fact that it will be hosting the Democratic National Convention next year.

Darren Huston touts his company’s organic growth versus Expedia Inc.’s

CEO Darren Huston says we’ve now been on a path and are sticking to the principle of properties being instantly bookable and verifiable, and no consumer fees. “Now we’re so far along the path that buying something that doesn’t fit that model just didn’t fit us.

Cybercrime & Other Security Issues Expert Paul Viollis on Informational Dairy

CEO of VIOLLIS GROUP INTERNATIONAL, Paul Viollis and an expert on cybercrime, terrorism, and other security issues affecting the public and country. The series will also be available as a weekly podcast and will offer “Parents Alert” reports on security issues affecting family and children.

Priceline Extending Its Reach To Restaurant Reservations

Extending its reach into restaurant reservations, online travel giant Priceline Group bought OpenTable for $2.6 billion.

Priceline paid $103 per share in cash, which is a 46% premium over OpenTable’s closing price of $70.43.

OpenTable charges restaurants monthly fees to seat diners who book their reservations online. It has an inventory of more than 31,000 restaurants, and seats more than 15 million diners a month.

“Travelers are diners,” Priceline CEO and President Darren Huston said in a conference call with analysts and reporters. “It’s the same customers. There’s opportunity to cross-promote brands.

“We spent a long time looking at OpenTable. It’s been on our radar for a long time. We felt now was a good time,” he said.

Read Full Article : https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/06/13/priceline-buys-opentable/10413393/

Blackpines Global Advisors CEO on Weebly

Founder and CEO Darren Huston of Blackpines Global Advisors B.V. incorporated in May 2016 in The Hague. BlackPines’ main aim is to help both owners and leaders of private and public companies to improve the outcomes of their investments.

Since July 2016, Mr. Darren Huston has been working as an Executive Advisor to Hillhouse Capital, Asia’s largest investment firm. In January 2017, his work with Hillhouse Capital became non-exclusive and he took on two leadership roles.

The first as Chairman of Magento, the world’s largest eCommerce software platform, and the second as Executive Chairman for Allegro, Poland’s largest eCommerce site.