Audio Interview w/ Mike Kistner, CIO and VP, Information Systems for Best Western International/Chairman of the Board of Directors, Open Travel Alliance - Preview of OTA's Advisory Forum, Sept. 16 & 17, Chicago.

The OpenTravel Alliance is dedicated to helping the travel industry take full advantage of the near universal access to the Internet. Internet and related technologies can significantly affect the way the travel industry operates and reaches customers throughout the global economy. Travel industry business and technology leaders responsible for product distribution are working together through the OTA to transform the travel industry into one global supermarket of products and services. This will be realized through development of a commonly accepted communications process using XML. For more information visit www.opentravel.org.

Michael Kistner is CIO and vice president, Information Systems for Best Western International, the world's largest lodging brand. He is responsible for all telecommunication, information and E-commerce systems at Best Western. In his role as president of the OpenTravel Alliance (OTA), Kistner provides strategic direction to OTA, charged with developing communications specifications to enable efficient and effective electronic exchange of travel industry information.

Kistner has tremendous knowledge within the hospitality industry, having previously served as senior vice president of the E-Commerce Center and Hotel Information Technology at Cendant Corporation in Phoenix. There he was involved in Internet vendor management, resource allocation, organization formation, strategic planning, hospitality systems planning, development and implementation from property-based systems to host central reservation systems and other electronic distribution systems.

Previously, Kistner worked for Super 8 Motels where he held the executive vice president of Operations position. He headed the IT, Reservations, Corporate Travel, Guest Service, Convention Planning, Corporate and Franchise Insurance and Facilities Management departments. Kistner was also vice president, Management Information Systems and Reservations at HFS, Inc. in Phoenix from 1993 to 1996. He was responsible for all information systems to include financial, marketing and central reservation aspects.

Kistner holds Bachelor of Science and Associate of Arts degrees in accounting and information systems from Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD, and a Master of Science degree in information systems from Colorado State University.

Kevin Heilbronner is the US Editor for wiredhotelier.com and hospitalitynet.org, providing streaming multimedia-content for these websites. Based outside of Washington DC, Heilbronner has worked with Hsyndicate to conduct interviews at several hospitality trade shows in the US and Europe over the last couple of years. His column and content are featured in the Hospitality Net weekly newsletter. A familiar voice in Washington, DC, Heilbronner is the stadium announcer for the NBA's Washington Wizards, WNBA's Washington Mystics and WUSA's Washington Freedom. He resides in Centreville, VA and can be reached via email: [email protected].