Services · Vertical Playbook

Vertical Playbook · Travel

Travel & Hospitality.

Travel tech operator + travel data insider — for vendors unifying portfolios or modernizing the data graph.

  • Three acquisitions, three platform stories.
  • Travel data without a buyer narrative.
  • AI prioritization stuck in committee.
UNIFIED INTELLIGENCE STACKRate intelligenceHotel · OTA · STRTravel-intent dataSearch · book · tripDemand generationAcquisition · LTVPRODUCT VISIONDATA ARCHITECTUREBUYER NARRATIVEUNIFIED PLATFORMTravelintelligence.API-first · GDPR + CCPAModular · AI-personalized
Best mapped to
Market Entry Audit → GTM & BD Sprint, scoping into an Advisory Retainer.
Best fit
Travel data platforms, hospitality intelligence vendors, demand-gen platforms, portfolio companies with fragmented acquisitions, and travel media / commerce data owners.
Scope this playbook →
Operator thesis

I built travel tech that Expedia acquired — and ran travel-data syndication from inside one of the largest data marketplaces. When travel AdTech vendors need to unify scattered acquisitions, modernize their data architecture, or build the buyer narrative behind their travel-intent assets, I've already done the work from both sides of the table.

Representative engagement pattern from a leading travel rate-intelligence and AdTech portfolio (4-week scoping + 12-week execution archetype). Client names, decision-makers, and revenue targets are masked; operating logic and public career anchors are retained.

You are here

If any of these sound like your meeting last week.

  • We've acquired 3 products — they need to become one platform story.

  • Our travel data is syndicated but we don't own the buyer narrative.

  • We need AI integration but don't know which use case to prioritize.

  • Privacy posture is tightening (GDPR → CCPA → state laws) — we need a framework, not a patch.

This is not for you if
  • You're Pre-Series A / Pre-PMF — no enterprise traction or buyer urgency.
  • You want a media-mix line item without sharpening the buyer narrative.
  • You need a vendor-comparison spreadsheet, not a designed go-to-market motion.
  • You're not willing to narrow ICP or kill segments that look promising but don't close.
  • There is no internal owner to carry the work after the engagement ends.
What I bring to this vertical

Three operator anchors.

  1. 01

    Travel tech operator

    Built and exited HotelClub.com to Expedia Group; built RatesToGo.com (Orbitz / Expedia). Understands the hotelier rate-intelligence pain end-to-end.

  2. 02

    Travel data insider

    Scaled travel-data syndication architecture at Lotame — including travel-intent data products — to 121% YoY growth before the Publicis acquisition.

  3. 03

    Privacy-first AI / ML architecture

    PII-based data strategy frameworks for $1B+ clients; contributed to IAB REARC privacy frameworks. Privacy posture as design constraint, not bolt-on.

Signature framework

Unified Travel Intelligence Stack.

Three scattered product lines, one buyer-facing platform — bridged by product vision, data architecture, and the buyer narrative that turns travel-intent assets into commercial leverage.

UNIFIED INTELLIGENCE STACKRate intelligenceHotel · OTA · STRTravel-intent dataSearch · book · tripDemand generationAcquisition · LTVPRODUCT VISIONDATA ARCHITECTUREBUYER NARRATIVEUNIFIED PLATFORMTravelintelligence.API-first · GDPR + CCPAModular · AI-personalized
Sample deliverable archetype

What ships, shaped like this.

Unified Product Vision

Modular AI-powered platform vision integrating rate intelligence, demand generation, and travel-data surfaces. Customer-validated, API-first, GDPR/CCPA-ready, with a 12-week execution plan and KPIs.

  • Technical, product, and process assessment
  • Customer discovery insights (personas + use-case validation)
  • Detailed product roadmap (features, timeline, milestones)
  • Agile execution plan (engineering + team design)
  • AI / ML strategy for personalization + attribution
  • Privacy / compliance framework (GDPR + CCPA ready)
  • GTM strategy (messaging, onboarding, adoption flows)
  • KPIs and success metrics
ENGAGEMENT ARTIFACT Unified Product Vision SAMPLE · NO CLIENT DATA SECTIONS · 06 01 Technical, product, and process assessment 02 Customer discovery insights (personas + use-case validation) 03 Detailed product roadmap (features, timeline, milestones) 04 Agile execution plan (engineering + team design) 05 AI / ML strategy for personalization + attribution 06 Privacy / compliance framework (GDPR + CCPA ready) NO FLUFF ADVISORY · OPERATING ARTIFACT PAGE 01 · v1

Sample structure only — no client data. Final artifact is shaped to the engagement, the data available, and the decisions the read needs to drive.

Engagement cadence

Two-phase engagement (~12 weeks total)

Cadence at a glance Two-phase engagement (~12 weeks total)
01 PHASE 1 Scoping & Inventory Comprehensive current-state assessment… 4–6 weeks · stakeholder interviews complet… 02 PHASE 2 Roadmap & Execution Planning Customer-validated unified product vis… 8–12 weeks · customer discovery Week 4, ro…
  1. 01
    Phase 1 · Scoping & Inventory

    Comprehensive current-state assessment across product lines to identify unification opportunities.

    • Technical, product, and process assessment
    • Inventory of platforms, data flows, integrations
    • Stakeholder interviews (internal teams + key clients)
    • SWOT analysis and innovation gaps
    • Preliminary unification recommendations
    Milestone 4–6 weeks · stakeholder interviews complete by Week 2, SWOT by Week 4, recommendations by Week 6
  2. 02
    Phase 2 · Roadmap & Execution Planning

    Customer-validated unified product vision, modular architecture, and actionable execution plan.

    • Unified product vision across the portfolio
    • Customer discovery insights (personas + use-case validation)
    • Detailed product roadmap + agile execution plan
    • AI / ML strategy (personalization + attribution)
    • Privacy / compliance framework (GDPR + CCPA)
    • GTM strategy + KPIs
    Milestone 8–12 weeks · customer discovery Week 4, roadmap + GTM Week 8, execution plan + KPIs Week 12

Market references last validated: June 7, 2026. Revalidate before pitch use.

Next step

Unifying travel data, product, or portfolio assets?

Every engagement starts with a 30-minute fit call. Tell me what you're working on; if it's the right kind of problem, we'll scope it. If it isn't, you'll leave with a sharper read on the market.