VIDEO: Top investors on the good, the bad and the bountiful in travel

Benchmark Capital general partner Bill Gurley made his inaugural appearance on the center stage of The Phocuswright Conference Wednesday in Los Angeles.

In a frank, insightful conversation with Altimeter Capital founder and CEO Brad Gerstner, Gurley shared his thoughts on a broad scope of topics, beginning with Uber – a company in which he is heavily invested – and challenges facing sharing economy startups in general.

Gurley then offered his perspective on the travel startup landscape and the benefits companies reap when they go public, problems with hotel technology in the United States – with a humorous personal story about his hotel check in the night before – and his thoughts on voice, artificial intelligence, the future of search and booking and more.

We then caught up with Gerstner in the PhocusWire Studio to get his perspective on startups, Google, the potential for a recession and more.