Mike Coletta

Senior Manager, Research and Innovation
Phocuswright

2026 Phocuswright Conference speaker

Mike Coletta Senior Manager, Research and Innovation
Mr. Coletta has served in a variety of high-level roles spanning 25 years in the travel industry at startups, corporations and digital agencies. At Phocuswright, he oversees the company's technology and innovation research efforts, including the screening of startups for our recurring pitch competitions, as well as varied travel market research initiatives.

He is the author or co-author of Phocuswright's annual reports on the U.S. packaged travel, car rental, cruise and short-term rental markets, the state of travel startups, and numerous one-off research projects. He also maintains The State of Travel Startups Interactive Database.

He previously worked primarily in the startup world as an entrepreneur, investor, program manager and group organizer. He spent significant time in web development, web analytics, online marketing and tech project management, building a spectrum of expertise and network of contacts.

In the past he volunteered as the co-organizer of the Travel 2.0 Meetup group and as a global coordinator with Impact Travel Alliance. He was a member of Phocuswright's "Young Leaders Under 35" executive development program in 2013.

Sessions

Thursday, November 19, 2026
10:20 AM – 10:35 AM EST

Phocuswright Research: The State of AI in Travel — Adoption, Investment and the Startup Outlook

Travel companies have moved well beyond asking whether they should use AI. The questions now are where to deploy it, how much to invest and what results to expect. Drawing on Phocuswright’s latest industry survey, this session examines how companies are using and budgeting for AI, where implementation is gaining traction and what obstacles remain. It also looks at how startups are approaching AI and what the latest travel funding data reveals about where investors are placing their bets.

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Thursday, November 19, 2026
10:35 AM – 11:00 AM EST

Executive Panel: Rebuilding the Stack While the Business Keeps Running

Travel companies know their technology stacks need to evolve, but transformation rarely happens on a blank slate. Legacy systems still power critical operations while new platforms, modular architectures and AI capabilities are layered in around them. This session examines the choices behind modernization: what to replace versus integrate, how to prepare teams for new ways of working, where AI is ready for core operations and how to build a more flexible technology foundation without disrupting the business.

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