Chief Executive Officer of Priceline, Booking Holdings
Search every verified Brett Keller interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Brett Keller, CEO of Priceline, announced his departure from the company after 26 years, with his successor Bridget Zimmerman taking over on January 1, 2025. In a December 2024 interview, Keller stated he would remain for a few months to ensure a smooth transition. He said his biggest piece of advice to his successor was to "make sure you have the best possible team working around you." Keller expressed pride in "surviving some of the most challenging hits that a company can take over 25 years and coming out on top." He also said that Priceline's decision to keep the brand limited to North America was a "mistake" and that the company should have expanded worldwide. Throughout 2024, Keller discussed travel demand and the use of artificial intelligence. He stated that travel was "holding up quite well" despite inflation, with consumers continuing to prioritize travel over other spending. Keller noted that hotel prices were beginning to level off and that airlines were improving operationally, though he acknowledged that air travel had been "a mess" due to staffing shortages and delays. He highlighted Priceline's AI chatbot, "Penny," saying the company was using OpenAI's technology to create more natural conversations for planning, booking, and customer service. Keller said that AI would make travel "easier and faster" and that the industry was "finally on the verge of great personalization in travel."
“Make sure you have the best possible team working around you ... I think that makes all of the difference when you're trying to execute in a very fast-paced and exciting industry like travel and especially in technology.”
“We were that close to going out of business. We had to redo our business model and come out of both 9/11 and out of the internet bubble collapsing and we built a business out of it.”
“AI is rapidly changing the industry ... our company in particular has engaged now for several years on building out the infrastructure and the systems to be able to deploy it. And now we're building the product — I think we're still a few years away from reaching the vision of these AI agents, but they're coming and th...”
“Be careful in believing that you can acquire customers effectively in today's marketplace — that is probably the hardest thing to do in today's world.”
“We are finally on the verge of great personalization in travel ... the technology now that we're seeing really does break down the barriers and can empower that because it's easy to personalize in large chunks, but personalizing down to the individual is now a path forward.”
“We made some choices 15 years ago to really relegate the brand to that geographic footprint [North America]. And I think that was a mistake. We should have expanded the Priceline brand to become a worldwide platform.”
“One of the great successes of the negotiator campaign was that he as a spokesperson actually represented what we really did as people every day inside of our company — he fought for the very best prices and the very best deals. He wasn't a spokesperson. He was us. He was the brand.”
“It's too exciting to stay away from. We've been through a couple of really exciting tech evolutions — first the internet, then mobile, then cloud — but this one [AI] is a big one and I think you can't turn away from it and not engage with it.”
“That is what we are expecting. We are hoping every year produces a record as consumers spend and enjoy their holiday. I think we will see a lot of people on the road this year.”
“80 million predicted to travel, roughly 90% of those will be driving.”
“The first thing that we will start to see in the industry: there is just more information available for consumers making their decision. They will not have to leave to go somewhere else and spend a lot of time shopping and searching for that data; they can find it real time.”
“It will help them plan better trips so they will actually find destinations that they are happier with, and they will be able to find options that are suitable to them from a price and destination perspective.”
“Things will get easier and faster and consumers will save more money to use the tools to uncover great savings. That is something that we are focused on at Priceline — use A.I.”
“I hope not. I hope it improves that if anything. As we help them, help consumers find the best option.”
“We partner with several companies, but we're leaning heavily on OpenAI, and their technology is impressive.”
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Brett Keller, Priceline CEO, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the holiday season travel demand, outlook for 2024, the company's A.I. chatbot 'Penny', and more.
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