A question we often get asked is, “what is a day in a particular role like?” Thanks to Principal Data Engineer Lokesh, we can do just that, and explore more about his 6 years at Expedia Group so far.

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“9 to 5″ as a Principal Data Engineer at Expedia Group

9am: Every day, I start my time in the office with a nutritious breakfast with my team.

11am: From there, we dive into brainstorming sessions with various stakeholders and teams , focused on architecture and business features.

1pm: Typically my meetings are clustered around mornings, and early afternoons, across different regions.

3pm: During the afternoon I often have whiteboarding sessions with the team to get to the low-level design and implementation tasks.

5pm: After leaving the office, we generally step out for a coffee, or dinner, with the team every couple of weeks, which further improves team bonding and collaboration.

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How my time at Expedia Group started

I started at my career at EG as a Senior Developer, working on data products for our brand, Hotwire. Soon after, I gradually transitioned into my current role as EG evolved its platform thinking by leveraging new technologies to improve the service experience for our travellers. The core of my work has always been building data-driven products to improve the service of travellers with more contextual and personalised insights, which is something I have a passion for.

The technology I’ve worked on to transform travel

EG’s commitment to investing in data has paved the way for personalised experiences for travellers, demand and supply partners, and agents. I am also privileged to be part of this journey by contributing to building a service platform which offers Virtual Agent and Human Agent CRM offerings for all internal brands. The future looks even more exciting as we are planning to externalise these products for the world.

What excites me about technology at Expedia Group

Having the ability to choose the right tools, frameworks, and technology stacks is a significant advantage. This flexibility empowers our teams to deliver the best solutions while maintaining efficiency and speed. As a result, EG remains at the forefront of the tech industry, possessing expertise and continuously adopting new technologies, which is very exciting.

My proudest moments at Expedia Group so far

I take great pride in my career, especially in successfully delivering intelligent, and data-driven, products through the Conversations Platform at EG. This accomplishment enabled virtual agents and agent CRM tools to access a Customer 360 view, ultimately improving the service for our travellers. Currently, these products are serving over 50 components throughout EG by providing necessary contextual data points. Along with this, I presented a data product vision during the recent Intelligence Conference in London to an external audience, which also one of my proudest moments.

Career advice I’ve gathered in my journey here so far

At EG, we prioritize providing top-of-the-line technological solutions to enhance our customers’ travel experiences. Our approach revolves around traveller-centric thinking, collaboration with peers, openness to feedback, and adaptability to changing circumstances. I firmly believe that these are not only crucial for the travel industry but also for any technology organisation. Therefore, I’d highly recommend adopting these key ingredients for success.

The working environment at EG provides me with a sense of satisfaction and joy, knowing that I have had the privilege of working on cutting-edge technology that impacts millions of travellers around the world.

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