Hilton CEO: ‘We’re Not Trying to Compete With Google, Amazon and Apple’
At a time when a number of travel and hospitality CEOs are increasingly concerned with the idea of who "owns" the customer — and are attempting to build extensive "experience platforms" to do just that — Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta has a slightly different take on those efforts versus peers.
Whereas AccorHotels CEO Sebastien Bazin and Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson see technology companies such as Google, Amazon, Apple, and others as direct competitors, Nassetta doesn't necessarily see things in the same light.
"We're not trying to compete with Google, Amazon, and Apple," Nassetta told Skift recently at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit. "We're not trying to. We're a platform and a network, and our view is that we're on the fulfillment side, that we're the experience. We're the hearts and souls that make that stay different, and we make sure that product is right, along with the amenities, and the service delivery. I don't think those guys are going to want to be in that form of fulfillment for a long, long time. I mean, I may be wrong, but … we jointly own the customer."
