Audio Interview w/ Mike Kistner, OTA Chair and Sr. VP, Information Services/CIO of Best Western International, Inc., - Five Years Young, an Open Travel Alliance Update

About The OpenTravel(TM) Alliance - The Alliance develops communications specifications to allow for the efficient and effective exchange of travel industry information via the Internet. With over 120 members representing influential names in all sectors of the travel industry, OTA is comprised of representatives from the airlines, car rental firms, hotels, leisure suppliers, service providers, tour operators, travel agencies, and trade associations. OTA working groups, together with an OTA interoperability committee to coordinate their efforts, develop open internet-compatible messages using XML.

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 Allance (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.