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Disrupting Travel’s Billion-Dollar Blind Spot: John Choate Reclaims Value for Consumers

In this episode of Disruption Interruption, John Choate joins host Karla Jo Helms to expose the "value blindness" plaguing the travel industry. He reveals how Apogee Travel disrupts the OTA duopoly by converting hidden hotel commissions into guaranteed donations for charities, proving that philanthropy is the new loyalty.

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In this episode of Disruption Interruption, John Choate joins host Karla Jo Helms to expose the “value blindness” plaguing the travel industry. He reveals how Apogee Travel disrupts the OTA duopoly by converting hidden hotel commissions into guaranteed donations for charities, proving that philanthropy is the new loyalty.

10 December 2025 – With online travel agency (OTA) commissions ranging from 15-30% per booking and 45% of loyalty program accounts sitting inactive due to consumer disengagement, the hospitality industry is ripe for overhaul.^(1),(2) John Choate, co-founder of Apogee Travel, joins host Karla Jo Helms on the Disruption Interruption podcast to dismantle the illusion of online comparison shopping. He explains how his company is combating “value blindness” by redirecting travel profits toward social causes. As Choate notes, “Most people think charity is emotional. In our model, it’s structural. Travel’s the largest overlooked fundraising engine in the world. We just plugged it in.”

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The Illusion of Choice and Value Blindness

While consumers believe they are savvy comparison shoppers, the travel industry is dominated by a duopoly that controls over 90% of the market, creating an illusion of choice. The complexity of the system is not accidental; it is designed to obscure the flow of money and value. Travelers are trained to obsess over price-a metric easily manipulated-while losing sight of actual value, including the devaluation of traditional loyalty points.

“Travel is confusing because it behaves exactly like every other system where people have lost transparency,” explains Choate. “Finance hides fees, social platforms hide truths, and travel hides value. We aren’t here to manufacture outrage; we are just shining a light on the mechanics of an opaque industry.”

This lack of transparency extends to loyalty programs, which often trap consumers in a cycle of diminishing returns. “Loyalty programs are designed to keep you inside. They don’t want you looking at another brand, which is why their denominations are in points-nobody knows what a point is worth,” says Choate. “If you are comparison shopping travel sites, you are largely comparing the same price wrapped in different disguises.”

Philanthropy as the New Loyalty

Apogee Travel disrupts this model not by changing how people travel, but by rebuilding the value layer underneath it. By challenging the OTA status quo, Apogee allows travelers to book the same rooms at the same prices but redirects a significant portion of the commission to a charity of the traveler’s choice. This approach turns a transactional commodity into a powerful engine for social impact without costing the consumer an extra dime.

“We are the only online travel agency where you can still accrue your brand rewards points, while also earning cash back and funding your favorite cause,” Choate reveals. “Every transaction through Apogee generates a charitable donation. It isn’t a round-up feature-10% of our commission goes to any charity the consumer selects.”

This innovative model has already attracted major partnerships, including a four-year contract with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, proving that transparency and shared value can outperform traditional marketing. Choate concludes, “We fundamentally believe that philanthropy is the new loyalty. We found a way to merge maximum traveler reward with maximum social good, simply by removing the blinders and showing people where the value really is.”

Links

Disrupting Online Travel Scams: How John Choate Is Rebuilding Trust Through
Guaranteed Social Impact

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnchoate/
Company Website: https://www.apogeetravel.com/

Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you will hear from today’s biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about innovation and how they overcame opposition to adoption.

Disruption Interruption can be listened to in Apple’s App Store and Spotify.

About Disruption Interruption™

Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries— MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping, logistics, and more—and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more. But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, “THAT’S IT! I’VE HAD IT!”? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo “KJ” Helms, veteran communications disruptor. KJ interviews badasses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. She delves into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that uncover common traits—and not-so-common—that are changing our economic markets… and lives. Visit the world’s key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs at www.disruption-interruption.com.

About John Choate

John Choate is a trailblazer in the travel and hospitality industry, redefining how online travel agencies operate by merging social good with consumer rewards. As the co-founder of Apogee Travel, John is disrupting the traditional travel booking model by turning every hotel deal into a charitable donation—at no extra cost to the traveler. His innovative approach challenges the opaque, transactional nature of the industry, proving that philanthropy can be the new loyalty and building trust with consumers in a way that transforms the travel experience.

Before co-founding Apogee Travel, John served as a Navy SEAL officer, where he spent 12 years in active and reserve roles, deploying overseas in support of national security objectives. His operational teams received numerous distinguished awards, including the Presidential Unit Citation personally awarded by the President of the United States. After leaving active duty, John founded the Procinctu Group, a global risk management firm, and later served as CEO of Defense Venture Group, where he led the turnaround and growth of multiple subsidiaries within a $1.2 billion private equity portfolio.

John’s expertise extends beyond the boardroom. He holds a B.S. in History from the United States Naval Academy, an M.A. in National Security Studies from California State University, and dual MBAs in Finance and Strategy from Columbia University and the London Business School. He also earned a Certificate in Hotel Revenue Management from Cornell University. With a career spanning national security, private equity, and entrepreneurship, John is a dynamic leader who continues to innovate and inspire across industries.

About Karla Jo Helms

Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR® Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumnus of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators, and the media to help restore companies of goodwill into the good graces of public opinion — Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way, and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.

References

1. Cloudbeds. (2024). A guide to OTA commission rates. Cloudbeds. cloudbeds.com/online-travel-agencies/commissions/
2. Serge Vasin. (2024, August 12). Council post: How sharable rewards can give outdated loyalty programs new life. Forbes. forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2023/02/10/how-sharable-rewards-can-give-outdated-loyalty-programs-new-life/

SOURCE Disruption Interruption