Mr. Offutt brings over 20 years of experience in information technology, IT management and travel industry dynamics to Phocuswright. He was most recently the chief architect and senior vice president for Sabre Holdings where he defined the strategy and plan to migrate from a monolithic Mainframe environment to distributed open systems and a service oriented architecture. Prior to being Sabre's chief architect, Bob founded and led Sabre Labs, a technology incubator that made Sabre the industry leader in new online products and services. Before Sabre, he spent 26 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he led the agency's information technology unit. Bob has also served on the faculty of the University of Puget Sound, George Washington University and the University of Southern California. His education includes a B.S. in engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a master's degree in management science from the U.S. Navy Postgraduate School.
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Bob Offutt's Areas of Research
Bob Offutt is a travel technology visionary. His vast experience and hands on leadership in travel distribution make place him firmly at the forefront of innovation in travel. In his role as editorial director of Phocuswright's Innovation Edition and a leader of The Travel Innovation Summit, Bob Offutt knows how to identify the trends, technologies and platforms that will define the future of travel.
Disruption of the Travel Distribution Industry
Category: Technology Innovation Published: December 2015 Analysts: Bob OffuttToday, the technology used and services provided by the three major global distribution systems (GDSs) represent the foundational capability for most travel agencies and travel management companies...
Secondary Markets for Travel: A Mixed Bag
Category: Technology Innovation Published: October 2015 Analysts: Bob OffuttThere are a variety of travel products that lend themselves to a secondary-market approach, in which buyers and sellers engage in transactions without the involvement of the original party that offered...
Is It Time for Travelforce?
Category: Technology Innovation Published: October 2015 Analysts: Bob OffuttSalesforce is arguably the world’s most popular CRM platform for businesses. Given its success worldwide, it may be interesting to envision what a similar approach to the unique business of travel...
The Path to a Mobile Future
Category: Mobile Published: October 2015 Analysts: Bob OffuttA recent Phocuswright study of smartphone usage found that the mobile web is significantly changing how people use the Internet. Global smartphone penetration is phenomenal, exceeding 50% in many...
Cognitive Computing in Travel: Probable or Pipe Dream?
Category: Technology Innovation Published: July 2015 Analysts: Bob Offutt US $250Cognitive computing, including Intelligent Personal Assistant (IPA) products such as Siri (Apple), Google Now and Cortana (Microsoft), have gained prominence in recent years. While cognitive computing...