30 Best CEOs of the Year 2020 30 Best CEOs of the Year 2020 | Page 54

Reservations.com: Empowering New Travel
Experiences and Bringing the Human Touch
Back into the World of Online Travel
O
nline travel agencies
(“OTAs”) are a popular way
for individuals to book
their upcoming travel. Consumers
can easily and quickly book
accommodations on a computer
or mobile device. Prior to the
Internet, travelers relied on a more
personalized experience, consisting
of face-to-face discussions with
dedicated travel agents. The internet
disintermediated the travel booking
process and created an impersonal,
commoditized experience.
It was from this new paradigm that
Reservations.com emerged.
to an experienced agent to help
solidify upcoming plans.
The company was founded in 2014
and is headquartered in Orlando,
Florida.
In Conversation
with Yatin Patel,
Reservations.com
Founder & CEO
Reservations.com, an online travel
company, provides travelers with
personalized experiential travel
planning. Powered by an easy to use
online reservation engine, customers
can compare properties and book
with the click of a button. Or if
they choose, they can call into the
company’s 24/7 travel desk to speak
What is the reason
behind the founding of
Reservations.com? How
did you expand your
company and its
offerings over the years?
I’ve spent the majority of my career
in e-commerce and online travel in
particular. Due to that history, I’ve
developed many close relationships
and connections in the space. That
presented the opportunity to acquire
the Reservations.com domain name
in 2014. A strong, recognizable
domain name is the cornerstone of
any successful e-commerce business,
so that was the first step in our
journey. Since then, we have doubled
down on our founding mantra of
“bringing the human touch back to
the world of online travel.” We have
invested heavily in the service arm
of our business and are now starting
to invest in expanding our suite of
services to also address the changing
needs of today’s traveler.
Can you brief us about the
history of your company?
My business partner and I started
the business in 2014 after acquiring
the Reservations.com domain
name. We saw a unique opportunity
to build a service-oriented,
consumer-facing online travel
brand. We felt that online travel had
been commoditized over the years
and wanted to bring the human
touch back into the equation.
Yatin Patel: The Stalwart Behind the Wheel
Yatin Patel, Co-Founder, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of
Reservations.com. He has over 20 years of successful internet technology/
e-commerce business experience as an entrepreneur, designer, founder,
investor, and operator. He has focused most significantly in the hospitality
industry throughout his career.
Mr. Patel holds a postgraduate degree in Industrial Design from the National
Institute of Design, India and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering
from Gujarat University, India.
Yatin Patel, Co-Founder & CEO
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