Technology >> CEO Interviews >> April 21, 2003

Robert Diener – Hotels.com (room)

ROBERT DIENER is President and co-Founder of Hotels.com (formerly Hotel Reservations Network). He has guided Hotels.com to become one of the Internet's primary sources of accommodations information and bookings worldwide. With almost 20 years' experience in the travel industry, Mr. Diener has been a pioneer in the hotel reservations industry and is a leader in the explosive e-commerce market. Mr. Diener practiced law with the international law firm of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher before beginning his career in the travel industry. In 1984, Mr. Diener, along with his Cornell Law School classmate, David Litman, began a career in the in the airline business. The two then founded Hotels.com in 1991. Today, Hotels.com is a leading provider of hotel accommodations worldwide, and its Internet operations, which began in 1996, are among the most successful on the WorldWide Web. Under Mr. Diener's direction, Hotels.com has forged long-lasting relationships with its hotel partners, as well as with its more than 29,000 Internet affiliates, including many of the Internet's major travel sites. As a leading travel industry expert, Mr. Diener is a frequent source for news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and The New York Times. Profile
TWST: We would like to begin with a brief historical sketch of

Hotels.com and an overview of things as they are now.

Mr. Diener: The company started in 1991. We were at the time a

call center