QOTW: Something about being big and getting bigger

I believe that we are much further along than when I first joined this industry - but there's so much left for us to accomplish. 

Quote from Glenn Fogel, CEO of the Priceline Group, in an article on PhocusWire this week:

Video: Wildest dreams didn't predict success of Booking.com

Glenn Fogel, when reflecting on the circumstances around the purchase and later extraordinary growth of Booking.com, seemed humbled by its success.

But fast forward a few minutes into his interview during The Phocuswright Conference in Florida last year and you get a sense of ambitious the company that he now leads still is.

After cornering the online accommodation sector in many regions through Booking.com, some companies could be forgiven for seeking to ensure that they simply remain dominant in that particular market.

Yet Fogel, who has probably seen the strategy decks of more companies when he was overseeing M&G activity for the company than many CEOs in the industry, knows that there are many other corners of the $1.4 trillion industry left to conquer.

We may be seeing the DNA of that ambition in the recent changes to Booking.com, with other product types away from accommodation added to the platform.

It would be a fool who expects the Priceline Group to rest on its laurels and simply continue with its focus on accommodation, metasearch and restaurants.

There is no conceivable reason why a full-blown focus on corporate travel might not emerge in the coming years (beyond the existing functionality added to Booking.com a few years back), nor - if we are to believe that experiences are the driving force in travel behavior - a major play in tours and activities.

There are plenty of regional markets - such as India - still to target and, lest we forget, Priceline Group's hugely important strategic investment in Ctrip.

A modern powerhouse of online travel, Priceline Group doesn't appear to be looking back and reminiscing for too long about the days before it bought Booking.com/Active Hotels.

And that should keep everyone on their toes.

Here is the interview in full: