November 07, 2025

From Search to Discovery — Inside Expedia’s Vision for an AI-Driven Travel World w/ Greg Schulze, CCO of Expedia Group

37 minutes

Greg Schulze has spent more than two decades helping build one of the most influential companies in modern travel — Expedia Group.

But here’s the thing about Greg — he doesn’t talk like a corporate executive. He talks like a traveler.

He’s lived and worked all over the world. He named his dog Kaya after a coconut jam he discovered while living in Southeast Asia. And he still lights up when describing what it feels like to walk through an airport on the cusp of somewhere new.

Greg’s career has spanned from American Airlines in the early 2000s to leading Expedia Group’s global commercial strategy today — a period that’s seen the birth of OTAs, the rise of mobile, and now, the dawn of the AI-powered traveler.

In this episode, Greg and I explore:

How Expedia has evolved from a dot-com upstart to a travel empire spanning Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.

What he’s learned from 20 years of guiding one of the most complex, global marketplaces in the world.

The real story behind Expedia’s relationship with independent operators — and what “partner forward” actually means.

How the tension between discovery and control will define the next decade of travel planning.

And why he believes the future of OTAs will be built not on ads or algorithms — but on trust, clarity, and flexibility.

Greg’s a global citizen in the truest sense of the word — deeply thoughtful about the human side of technology and the emotional heartbeat of travel itself.

This conversation is the second episode in my new Behind the Stays series, The Future of Travel, recorded live at EXPLORE Connect in Austin, Texas — a gathering of the world’s top vacation rental operators and hospitality leaders.

If you care about where the industry is headed — and how the people behind its biggest brands are thinking about discovery, booking, and guest experience in the years ahead — this is a must-listen.

Connect with Greg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregschulze/?originalSubdomain=uk

Connect with Zach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharybusekrus/

Apply to join the Journey Alliance: http://journey.com/alliance/

Behind the Stays is brought to you by Journey — a first-of-its-kind loyalty program that brings together an alliance of the world’s top independently owned and operated stays and allows travelers to earn points and perks on boutique hotels, vacation rentals, treehouses, ski chalets, glamping experiences and so much more.

Your host is Zach Busekrus, Head of the Journey Alliance. If you are a hospitality entrepreneur who has a stay, or a collection of stays with soul, we’d love for you to apply to join our Alliance at journey.com/alliance.

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By Zach Busekrus

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