About LastMinuteTravel.com
Founded in 1997, LastMinuteTravel.com is a leader in selling online travel. The site offers many exclusive deals, saving consumers both time and money on booking airline tickets, hotels, cruises, car rentals and vacation packages. Over the past year, LastMinuteTravel.com has been recognized by savvy travelers as the best site for last-minute deals because of its millions of great offers, and easy to use booking features. In addition, LastMinuteTravel.com has been recognized by Travel & Leisure Magazine as the best site for spontaneous travel and most recently by Forbes as a "Best of the Web."
LastMinuteTravel.com, the superstore for last-minute travel deals, has marked down prices for hotels, airfares, and vacation packages to Europe. In addition, it has eliminated all airline booking fees, insuring that consumers find and receive what are simply the best rates on travel.
document.
Since 1997, LastMinuteTravel.com has grown organically among savvy Internet travel shoppers as the best site to find the lowest prices. "Our objective is to deliver great travel deals to people who are ready to go," said Uri Argov, President, LastMinuteTravel.com. "Our customers don't care about fancy advertising and celebrity spokespeople, they want great prices at great places -- and that's what we deliver," explains Argov.
All prices are well below retail and feature the lowest available rates at that point in time. The site's dynamic nature means that travel deals move quickly through the site. As new deals come available they are added to the inventory on a daily basis, but as deals sell out they are eliminated.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Expedia Inspirator
Inspirator
Answer these simple questions and we'll show youthe perfect place for your next trip and some greatdeals to get you there!
1. How far do you want to fly?
I don't mind
Take off, touch down
Drink and a snooze
Cross an ocean/continent
Movie marathon
2. How much do you want to spend?
I don't mind
Don't break the bank
Good value for money
Feeling a bit flash
3. What weather are you looking for?
I don't mind
Sun not essential
Nothing too grey
In need of a tan
Scorchio!
4 What do you want from this holiday? (Choose two):
Relaxation
Romance
Sightseeing
Beaches
Active
Shopping
Nightlife
Culture
E-consultancy report extract... (Full report cost £9 or £99 pa sub....)
Expedia forks out on brand campaign UK online travel company Expedia.co.uk has splashed out a reported £12m on a brand campaign, it's biggest yet. The campaign urges people to 'Stop searching and start creating, at Expedia.co.uk.'
The venture seeks to create awareness of Expedia's holiday planning and booking tools. The campaign, created by Clemmow Hornby Inge, uses the tagline 'Create Your Perfect Trip..
2. ...' The venture seeks to create awareness of Expedia's holiday planning and booking tools. The campaign, created by Clemmow Hornby Inge, uses the tagline 'Create Your Perfect Trip,' and will cover all mediums including online sector. The company has also developed a new tool, the Inspirator, which according to Expedia 'guides travellers to help them create their perfect trip in seconds'....
The promo email content
Dear Traveller,
This week we have fabulous trips to hip US cities nestled beside chic European capitals - and to top it all, a selection of entertainment extras to make your holiday a perfect one! What's more the summer of sport is almost upon us with Wimbledon, Euro 2004 and the Olympics to boot ..... will you be savoring every moment, or doing your best to be as far away as possible?
Expedia's new travel tool
If you're sure you want to get away, but not sure where you want to go – let the Expedia Inspirator help you to find your perfect trip. Answer a few simple questions and in moments we will give you a choice of destinations that could be ideal for you, along with some great deals to get you there!
This summer brings the Euro 2004 tournament, Wimbledon, and the Olympics will you be:
Watching all the sport
Avoiding all the sport
Sneaking the odd peak at the sport
(Having problems with this form? Click here for an online version.)
Amazing flight deals which will have you jetting off with loads of spending money to spare...
Palma - Return flight only from £69
Ibiza - Return flight only from £69
Faro - Return flight only from £69
Malaga - Return flight only from £69
Book by 31 May 2004 for travel before 31 Oct 2004.
PragueStanding astride the banks of the River Vltava the city of Prague has it all, the imposing architecure is as breathtaking as it is varied, the nightlife is super cool, and the beer is amongst the cheapest in Europe. When you get hungry then traditional Czech fare includes roasted pork with cabbage, and fruit dumplings - and there are many wonderful restaurants to choose from.Prague - Flight + 3 nights from £154
Prague Hotels
Prague Flights
Prague Guide
Add a Prague Vltava River Lunch Cruise from £16.50 when you book your trip to Prague.
2004 offers a huge range of cultural experiences across Spain. From the "Universal Forum of Cultures" in Barcelona which runs throughout the summer until September 26, to the celebrations marking the centennial year of Salvador Dalí, you'll find plenty to keep even the most ardent culture-vulture occupied.
Quoted "from" prices are correct at time 4.00pm on 11th May 2004, but availability cannot be guaranteed and places could be limited.
If you do not wish to receive any further mails from us, please reply with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.Questions about your privacy? Read our Privacy Statement.
© 2004 Expedia Inc. All rights reserved.Photos: Corbis and Getty Images/PhotoDisc
Answer these simple questions and we'll show youthe perfect place for your next trip and some greatdeals to get you there!
1. How far do you want to fly?
I don't mind
Take off, touch down
Drink and a snooze
Cross an ocean/continent
Movie marathon
2. How much do you want to spend?
I don't mind
Don't break the bank
Good value for money
Feeling a bit flash
3. What weather are you looking for?
I don't mind
Sun not essential
Nothing too grey
In need of a tan
Scorchio!
4 What do you want from this holiday? (Choose two):
Relaxation
Romance
Sightseeing
Beaches
Active
Shopping
Nightlife
Culture
E-consultancy report extract... (Full report cost £9 or £99 pa sub....)
Expedia forks out on brand campaign UK online travel company Expedia.co.uk has splashed out a reported £12m on a brand campaign, it's biggest yet. The campaign urges people to 'Stop searching and start creating, at Expedia.co.uk.'
The venture seeks to create awareness of Expedia's holiday planning and booking tools. The campaign, created by Clemmow Hornby Inge, uses the tagline 'Create Your Perfect Trip..
2. ...' The venture seeks to create awareness of Expedia's holiday planning and booking tools. The campaign, created by Clemmow Hornby Inge, uses the tagline 'Create Your Perfect Trip,' and will cover all mediums including online sector. The company has also developed a new tool, the Inspirator, which according to Expedia 'guides travellers to help them create their perfect trip in seconds'....
The promo email content
Dear Traveller,
This week we have fabulous trips to hip US cities nestled beside chic European capitals - and to top it all, a selection of entertainment extras to make your holiday a perfect one! What's more the summer of sport is almost upon us with Wimbledon, Euro 2004 and the Olympics to boot ..... will you be savoring every moment, or doing your best to be as far away as possible?
Expedia's new travel tool
If you're sure you want to get away, but not sure where you want to go – let the Expedia Inspirator help you to find your perfect trip. Answer a few simple questions and in moments we will give you a choice of destinations that could be ideal for you, along with some great deals to get you there!
This summer brings the Euro 2004 tournament, Wimbledon, and the Olympics will you be:
Watching all the sport
Avoiding all the sport
Sneaking the odd peak at the sport
(Having problems with this form? Click here for an online version.)
Amazing flight deals which will have you jetting off with loads of spending money to spare...
Palma - Return flight only from £69
Ibiza - Return flight only from £69
Faro - Return flight only from £69
Malaga - Return flight only from £69
Book by 31 May 2004 for travel before 31 Oct 2004.
PragueStanding astride the banks of the River Vltava the city of Prague has it all, the imposing architecure is as breathtaking as it is varied, the nightlife is super cool, and the beer is amongst the cheapest in Europe. When you get hungry then traditional Czech fare includes roasted pork with cabbage, and fruit dumplings - and there are many wonderful restaurants to choose from.Prague - Flight + 3 nights from £154
Prague Hotels
Prague Flights
Prague Guide
Add a Prague Vltava River Lunch Cruise from £16.50 when you book your trip to Prague.
2004 offers a huge range of cultural experiences across Spain. From the "Universal Forum of Cultures" in Barcelona which runs throughout the summer until September 26, to the celebrations marking the centennial year of Salvador Dalí, you'll find plenty to keep even the most ardent culture-vulture occupied.
Quoted "from" prices are correct at time 4.00pm on 11th May 2004, but availability cannot be guaranteed and places could be limited.
If you do not wish to receive any further mails from us, please reply with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.Questions about your privacy? Read our Privacy Statement.
© 2004 Expedia Inc. All rights reserved.Photos: Corbis and Getty Images/PhotoDisc
Expedia and Hotels.com Renew and Expand Relationship with Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Article: Expedia, Inc. and Hotels.com(TM) today announced a renewed agreement with Interstate Hotels & Resorts (IHR) to extend the reach of Interstate-managed properties via Expedia.com(R) and Hotels.com. This agreement with the nation's largest independent hotel management company continues to emphasize the added value Expedia(R) and Hotels.com bring to suppliers by showcasing their properties to 30 million unique travel shoppers each month.
Expedia and Hotels.com have already established direct connectivity with the reservations systems of about 100 Interstate properties. As part of this agreement, the parties will continue to direct connect to additional properties over the coming months. Direct connectivity makes it easier and more cost-effective for hotels to manage the inventory and rates on the two Web sites, while customers benefit from real-time information on room availability.
"Expedia and Hotels.com offer the broadest reach of any third party online Web site, and our portfolio of hotels will immediately benefit from exposure to an expanded base of customers that would be otherwise difficult to reach," said Pam Streeter, vice president of electronic distribution and marketing for Interstate Hotels & Resorts. "Leveraging this important relationship will help to boost occupancy rates during periods of both low and high demand. This is a testament to the valuable partnership that working with Expedia and Hotels.com brings us."
As part of the agreement, the hundreds of hotels operated by Interstate will be able to efficiently market to the 30 million active travel shoppers that visit Expedia and Hotels.com each month.
About Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Interstate Hotels & Resorts operates approximately 270 hospitality properties with more than 60,000 rooms in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Russia, and Portugal. BridgeStreet Corporate Housing Worldwide, an Interstate Hotels & Resorts' subsidiary, is one of the world's largest corporate housing providers. BridgeStreet and its network of Global Partners offer more than 8,500 corporate apartments located in 84 MSAs throughout the United States and internationally. For more information about Interstate Hotels & Resorts, visit the company's Web site: www.ihrco.com.
About Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. is the world's leading online travel service and the fourth largest travel agency in the U.S. Expedia's award-winning Expert Searching and Pricing (ESP) technology delivers the most comprehensive flight options available online. ESP also allows customers to dynamically build complete trips that combine flights, Expedia(R) Special Rate hotels and other lodging, ground transportation, and destination services and activities. Expedia's quality and leadership have been recognized in awards such as PC Magazine's "Editors' Choice" and Forbes' "Favorite General Travel Site." Expedia is an operating company of IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI).
About Hotels.com
Hotels.com is a leading provider of lodging worldwide, offering reservation services through its own websites (including www.hotels.com and others), its interactive affiliate network (www.IAN.com), and its toll-free call centers (1-800-2-HOTELS). Hotels.com gives travelers the widest selection of lodging accommodations from traditional hotels to vacation rentals at over 12,000 properties in more than 400 cities in North America, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia. The company is a one-stop shopping source for hotel pricing, amenities and availability, and also specializes in providing travelers with accommodations during sold-out periods. Hotels.com is an operating business of IAC/InterActiveCorp.
NOTE: Expedia, Expedia.com, and the airplane logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the United States, Canada and/or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Expedia and Hotels.com have already established direct connectivity with the reservations systems of about 100 Interstate properties. As part of this agreement, the parties will continue to direct connect to additional properties over the coming months. Direct connectivity makes it easier and more cost-effective for hotels to manage the inventory and rates on the two Web sites, while customers benefit from real-time information on room availability.
"Expedia and Hotels.com offer the broadest reach of any third party online Web site, and our portfolio of hotels will immediately benefit from exposure to an expanded base of customers that would be otherwise difficult to reach," said Pam Streeter, vice president of electronic distribution and marketing for Interstate Hotels & Resorts. "Leveraging this important relationship will help to boost occupancy rates during periods of both low and high demand. This is a testament to the valuable partnership that working with Expedia and Hotels.com brings us."
As part of the agreement, the hundreds of hotels operated by Interstate will be able to efficiently market to the 30 million active travel shoppers that visit Expedia and Hotels.com each month.
About Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Interstate Hotels & Resorts operates approximately 270 hospitality properties with more than 60,000 rooms in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Russia, and Portugal. BridgeStreet Corporate Housing Worldwide, an Interstate Hotels & Resorts' subsidiary, is one of the world's largest corporate housing providers. BridgeStreet and its network of Global Partners offer more than 8,500 corporate apartments located in 84 MSAs throughout the United States and internationally. For more information about Interstate Hotels & Resorts, visit the company's Web site: www.ihrco.com.
About Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. is the world's leading online travel service and the fourth largest travel agency in the U.S. Expedia's award-winning Expert Searching and Pricing (ESP) technology delivers the most comprehensive flight options available online. ESP also allows customers to dynamically build complete trips that combine flights, Expedia(R) Special Rate hotels and other lodging, ground transportation, and destination services and activities. Expedia's quality and leadership have been recognized in awards such as PC Magazine's "Editors' Choice" and Forbes' "Favorite General Travel Site." Expedia is an operating company of IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI).
About Hotels.com
Hotels.com is a leading provider of lodging worldwide, offering reservation services through its own websites (including www.hotels.com and others), its interactive affiliate network (www.IAN.com), and its toll-free call centers (1-800-2-HOTELS). Hotels.com gives travelers the widest selection of lodging accommodations from traditional hotels to vacation rentals at over 12,000 properties in more than 400 cities in North America, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia. The company is a one-stop shopping source for hotel pricing, amenities and availability, and also specializes in providing travelers with accommodations during sold-out periods. Hotels.com is an operating business of IAC/InterActiveCorp.
NOTE: Expedia, Expedia.com, and the airplane logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the United States, Canada and/or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
About Travelocity Business : Corporate Deals From Spirit Air; Continues Expanding Program Air, Hotel and Car Rental Discounts for Business Travelers
Travelocity Business Offers Corporate Deals From Spirit Air; Continues Expanding Program Offering Air, Hotel and Car Rental Discounts With Flexibility Needed for Business Travelers Travelocity Business offers companies and their travelers the highly discounted air, car and hotel deals available on Travelocity(R), but has also created a program in which it negotiates discounts for corporations with fewer restrictions and greater flexibility for business travel. Some of the other airlines offering discounted rates to Travelocity Business clients include Lufthansa, AeroMexico, Frontier Airlines, Japan Airlines and Qantas. Travelocity Business also provides "corporate rates" at thousands of hotel properties, such as Best Western and Pegasus Solutions' Utell Properties, and car rental discounts through Avis and Hertz.
"Travelocity Business is excited to offer its customers these specially negotiated corporate discounts from Spirit," said Scott Hyden, general manager, Travelocity Business...
About Travelocity Business
Travelocity Business(SM) is a full-service corporate travel agency that helps companies easily manage travel and reduce costs, while providing more choices to travelers. Travelocity Business combines the savings and convenience of online with the full service of dedicated agents available 24/7 who typically answer the phone in 20 seconds, and within 60 seconds guaranteed. Companies can cut travel costs through flight deals, Web fares, hotel discounts and service fee savings -- representing an average savings of more than $100 per trip, including airfare savings averaging 26 percent per ticket and service fee savings of up to 82 percent.
Travelocity Business combines the expertise, service and travel choices of Travelocity with corporate experience gained from serving more than half of the Fortune 200. For more information, companies can visit www.travelocitybusiness.com.
"Travelocity Business is excited to offer its customers these specially negotiated corporate discounts from Spirit," said Scott Hyden, general manager, Travelocity Business...
About Travelocity Business
Travelocity Business(SM) is a full-service corporate travel agency that helps companies easily manage travel and reduce costs, while providing more choices to travelers. Travelocity Business combines the savings and convenience of online with the full service of dedicated agents available 24/7 who typically answer the phone in 20 seconds, and within 60 seconds guaranteed. Companies can cut travel costs through flight deals, Web fares, hotel discounts and service fee savings -- representing an average savings of more than $100 per trip, including airfare savings averaging 26 percent per ticket and service fee savings of up to 82 percent.
Travelocity Business combines the expertise, service and travel choices of Travelocity with corporate experience gained from serving more than half of the Fortune 200. For more information, companies can visit www.travelocitybusiness.com.
Monday, August 30, 2004
Comments: Holiday Inn Pulls Out Of Expedia, Hotels.com
Techdirt:Holiday Inn Pulls Out Of Expedia, Hotels.comWell, the battle is clearly on between hotels and the online travel booking sites. Initially, hotels completely underestimated the power of online booking sites, assuming they would just be used by discount shoppers. The hotels handed off their lowest priced inventory to them, assuming they'd still make money from expensive business travelers. They never expected those business travelers to figure out how to use the web themselves. Late last year, the hotels started fighting back, reserving the cheapest rooms for their own websites. Now, InterContinental Hotels Group, owners of Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and a variety of other well known hotels has decided they're pulling their inventory from Expedia and Hotels.com completely. While individual franchisees do have some ability to work with whatever channels they want, InterContinental said they're making it clear that their franchisees need to follow this policy as part of "brand standards." InterContinental claims the reason for pulling out of Expedia and Hotels.com is a failure to meet the "certification" process they've laid out, but it really just means they want more control over their own inventory. The real question is what real impact this will have on those hotels. How much of their sales comes via Expedia or Hotels.com, and are those users comparison shopping on other sites as well. Generally speaking, it seems like a backwards move to completely cut off a popular sales channel, but if they really believe they can do better elsewhere, then more power to them.
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Yahoo will honor all FareChase's existing contracts and agreements with travel partners
CMPnetAsiaAlthough she declined to discuss integration plans for the travel vendor, Yahoo spokesperson Nicki Dugan noted that ""FareChase's travel expertise will help further Yahoo's goal to create the most comprehensive and relevant travel experience on the Web."
The majority of FareChase employees will relocate to the Yahoo facility in Sunnyvale, California. FareChase's U.S. headquarters is in New York; the company's research and development team is based in Israel.
Currently, Travelocity.com offers air, car, and hotel through Yahoo Travel. Dugan stressed that the FareChase acquisition does not in any way impact Yahoo Travel and Travelocity continues to be the exclusive travel partner.
Yahoo will honor all FareChase's existing contracts and agreements with travel partners. Current FareChase customers include Worldspan, Sabre, Amadeus, and TRX.
The majority of FareChase employees will relocate to the Yahoo facility in Sunnyvale, California. FareChase's U.S. headquarters is in New York; the company's research and development team is based in Israel.
Currently, Travelocity.com offers air, car, and hotel through Yahoo Travel. Dugan stressed that the FareChase acquisition does not in any way impact Yahoo Travel and Travelocity continues to be the exclusive travel partner.
Yahoo will honor all FareChase's existing contracts and agreements with travel partners. Current FareChase customers include Worldspan, Sabre, Amadeus, and TRX.
Friday, August 27, 2004
About www.ertico.com by 2010 future of travel info and mobile purchases
About us - Vision:
"For every traveller
Mobile access to door-to-door journey planning and travel information services
The possibility to remotely purchase transport tickets via hand-held devices
Real-time transit information services available en route
All public transport stops and stations equipped with real-time service and departure time displays
For drivers
Ability to equip every new car with
a traffic information and route guidance unit
automatic emergency and breakdown call capabilities
remote diagnostic sensors
20% of new cars with some form of driver assistance system
ITS equipment in every emergency response vehicle and centre"
"For every traveller
Mobile access to door-to-door journey planning and travel information services
The possibility to remotely purchase transport tickets via hand-held devices
Real-time transit information services available en route
All public transport stops and stations equipped with real-time service and departure time displays
For drivers
Ability to equip every new car with
a traffic information and route guidance unit
automatic emergency and breakdown call capabilities
remote diagnostic sensors
20% of new cars with some form of driver assistance system
ITS equipment in every emergency response vehicle and centre"
about Kayak.com ( prelaunch ...request info)
About Kayak
Corporate
Kayak was founded in January 2004 to establish a leadership position in online travel search. Our goal is to help consumers find and navigate the wealth of travel information available on the web. We've launched a "preview release" to demonstrate some of our early technology capabilities, but membership is currently by invitation only. We expect to launch our website to the general public soon. Thank you for your patience!
Kayak Team
Our team includes...
Steve Hafner, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Steve was Executive Vice President of Consumer Travel at Orbitz, Inc., which he helped found in November 1999.
Paul English, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer. Paul was the Vice President of Technology at Intuit, Inc. following its acquisition of Boston Light Software, an e-commerce company which he founded in 1999.
Terry Jones, Chairman of the Board. Terry was President and Chief Executive Officer of Travelocity.com which he helped found in 1996. Terry also serves on the board of Earthlink, Inc. and La Quinta, and he is a special venture partner with General Catalyst Partners.
Greg Slyngstad, Director. Greg was Senior Vice President of Destinations and Lodging at Expedia.com, which he helped found while at Microsoft.
Joel Cutler, Director. Joel is a Managing Director at General Catalyst Partners, a leading venture capital firm with extensive software and travel investments, including National Leisure Group.
Keith Melnick, VP Business Development. Keith was a manager at the Boston Consulting Group, where he served on the launch team of Orbitz, Inc. He also worked in the revenue and finance departments at American Airlines.
Matt Mancuso, VP Finance. Matt was the Corporate Controller at Hotwire, Inc., which he helped found in 2000. Prior to Hotwire, he was a Vice President at Morgan Stanley where he built the financial and accounting systems for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Online.
Bill O'Donnell, Chief Architect. Bill was Chief Architect at Intuit where he drove design of a common Java platform for building web applications for Intuit business units. In 1994, he invented one of the first HTML web site publishing systems, Cyberleaf.
Paul Schwenk, VP of Engineering. Paul was a senior project manager at Intuit for the Small Business Internet Platform. Prior to Intuit, Paul was co-founder and President of Digital Direct Network, a multi-media networking company.
Jim Giza, VP Operations. Jim was Technical Evangelist at Intuit and built a community of developers around QuickBooks. His 18 years of industry experience includes engineering and managerial leadership positions at AOL, Lotus and Interleaf.
Dana Galin, VP Communications. Dana was the Communications Director at the Trickle Up Program, an international nonprofit organization. Previously, she was an SVP at Robinson Lerer & Montgomery in New York City and Managing Director at the Gable Group in Los Angeles.
Drew Patterson, Business Development. Drew was the Director of Pricing, Distribution, and E-commerce for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, where he oversaw the formation of Travelweb, a hotel industry consortium to distribute net rate inventory.
Contact
Kayak Corporate Headquarters 20 Marshall Street, Suite 320 Norwalk, CT 06854 USA tel +1 203-899-3120; fax +1 203-899-3125 Map; Directions.
Kayak US Technology Team One Clock Tower Place, Suite 350 Maynard MA 01754 USA tel +1 978-897-1800; fax +1 978-897-1850 Location; Map; Directions.
Kayak India Technology Team Travel Search Company Pvt. Ltd. No: 5, 80 Feet Road Koramangala, Bangalore, 560 034 India tel +91 80 5121 7805
Corporate
Kayak was founded in January 2004 to establish a leadership position in online travel search. Our goal is to help consumers find and navigate the wealth of travel information available on the web. We've launched a "preview release" to demonstrate some of our early technology capabilities, but membership is currently by invitation only. We expect to launch our website to the general public soon. Thank you for your patience!
Kayak Team
Our team includes...
Steve Hafner, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Steve was Executive Vice President of Consumer Travel at Orbitz, Inc., which he helped found in November 1999.
Paul English, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer. Paul was the Vice President of Technology at Intuit, Inc. following its acquisition of Boston Light Software, an e-commerce company which he founded in 1999.
Terry Jones, Chairman of the Board. Terry was President and Chief Executive Officer of Travelocity.com which he helped found in 1996. Terry also serves on the board of Earthlink, Inc. and La Quinta, and he is a special venture partner with General Catalyst Partners.
Greg Slyngstad, Director. Greg was Senior Vice President of Destinations and Lodging at Expedia.com, which he helped found while at Microsoft.
Joel Cutler, Director. Joel is a Managing Director at General Catalyst Partners, a leading venture capital firm with extensive software and travel investments, including National Leisure Group.
Keith Melnick, VP Business Development. Keith was a manager at the Boston Consulting Group, where he served on the launch team of Orbitz, Inc. He also worked in the revenue and finance departments at American Airlines.
Matt Mancuso, VP Finance. Matt was the Corporate Controller at Hotwire, Inc., which he helped found in 2000. Prior to Hotwire, he was a Vice President at Morgan Stanley where he built the financial and accounting systems for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Online.
Bill O'Donnell, Chief Architect. Bill was Chief Architect at Intuit where he drove design of a common Java platform for building web applications for Intuit business units. In 1994, he invented one of the first HTML web site publishing systems, Cyberleaf.
Paul Schwenk, VP of Engineering. Paul was a senior project manager at Intuit for the Small Business Internet Platform. Prior to Intuit, Paul was co-founder and President of Digital Direct Network, a multi-media networking company.
Jim Giza, VP Operations. Jim was Technical Evangelist at Intuit and built a community of developers around QuickBooks. His 18 years of industry experience includes engineering and managerial leadership positions at AOL, Lotus and Interleaf.
Dana Galin, VP Communications. Dana was the Communications Director at the Trickle Up Program, an international nonprofit organization. Previously, she was an SVP at Robinson Lerer & Montgomery in New York City and Managing Director at the Gable Group in Los Angeles.
Drew Patterson, Business Development. Drew was the Director of Pricing, Distribution, and E-commerce for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, where he oversaw the formation of Travelweb, a hotel industry consortium to distribute net rate inventory.
Contact
Kayak Corporate Headquarters 20 Marshall Street, Suite 320 Norwalk, CT 06854 USA tel +1 203-899-3120; fax +1 203-899-3125 Map; Directions.
Kayak US Technology Team One Clock Tower Place, Suite 350 Maynard MA 01754 USA tel +1 978-897-1800; fax +1 978-897-1850 Location; Map; Directions.
Kayak India Technology Team Travel Search Company Pvt. Ltd. No: 5, 80 Feet Road Koramangala, Bangalore, 560 034 India tel +91 80 5121 7805
Reviews kayak.com, bookingbuddy.com, Mobissimo, Qixo and other start ups
This year, US consumers will spend $51.5 billion booking travel online, according to Forrester Research. That's expected to soar to $110 billion by 2009.
Jones, of Dallas, is chairman of a start-up called Kayak.com, which has offices in Maynard and Norwalk, Conn. Initial funding came from the Cambridge venture capital firm General Catalyst, where Jones is a partner. Kayak aspires to be the Google of online travel, providing the Web's most comprehensive search for consumers who want to make sure they're getting the best possible deal. Kayak will compete against a handful of other start-ups -- and possibly Google itself -- in an arena dubbed "multi-site search."
Another firm, Lexington's TripAdvisor, which collects reviews on hotels and destinations, was sold in April for $200 million to Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp. It had just 35 employees, and had raised only $4.5 million in venture funding. Cofounder Langley Steinert says his company has plans to offer multi-site search this year, in part to compete with Kayak.
SmarterLiving, a profitable Cambridge company that has eschewed venture capital, is adding employees and expects its revenues to double this year. Its roots are in an e-mail newsletter that founder Daniel Saul sent to his friends, alerting them to last-minute air fare bargains. Founded in 1998, the company has evolved into the Filene's Basement of the Web, offering page after page of information about air fare sales and dirt-cheap cruises. It launched a separate site last year, BookingBuddy.com, which allows users to search multiple sites for air fares, car rental quotes, hotel rates, or cruise packages.
Only one Boston-area site of substance, Somerville-based BizTravel.com, vanished for good after Sept. 11. VacationCoach.com, which offered guidance in selecting a vacation spot based on user preferences like travel time and available activities, went dark in 2002 when it was unable to raise additional venture capital. But its former chief executive, Rob Roberts, recently bought back VacationCoach's assets (except for its domain name), and revived the same service with a new name: TripSight.com. He paid less than $1 million, he says, for technology investors had put $5 million into, though he did give old investors a stake.
ITA Software, of Cambridge, supplies e-commerce technology to two of the top 10 most-trafficked travel sites, Orbitz and Cheap Tickets. This year, it has grown from 50 people to 75, and chief executive Jeremy Wertheimer says he expects revenue to be up about 60 percent. (Like Saul at SmarterLiving, Wertheimer runs a profitable company that never took venture capital money.) Later this year, ITA plans to debut a more sophisticated search engine for hotel availability. Small, independent hotels sometimes don't show up in the big reservations databases, Wertheimer says, and bigger hotels may advertise different prices on different sites. "Rather than forcing you to look at pages manually," he explains, "we're going to be able to say, 'We've looked at everything, and now we're showing it to you in some easy-to-read form.' "
Everyone seems to be interested in multi-site search, in part to stop consumers from shopping around. And everyone's anticipating Kayak.com's takeoff, waiting to see what the new site will do better than its rivals. Some competitors scoff at the idea of trying to launch a travel site in 2004: "It took us 4 years to get where we are," says Steinert at TripAdvisor.
The main thing that makes Kayak worth watching is the team behind it. Jones from Travelocity is chairman, Steve Hafner, a former Orbitz executive, is CEO, and Greg Slyngstad, a founder of Expedia, is on the board. "This is a start-up that comes with people who understand how quickly this industry mutates," Jones says. They picked the name Kayak to evoke the watercraft's lightness and maneuverability.
Kayak will need that maneuverability, since its rivals include not just TripAdvisor and BookingBuddy, but SideStep, Qixo, Mobissimo, Yahoo (which bought a company called FareChase last month), and potentially Google and Microsoft. All face the challenge of comprehensiveness; some airlines, like Southwest, don't seem eager to play in the sandbox. Others may not want to pay each site for customers referred their way, a key source of revenue.
"It's going to be incredibly difficult for all of these guys to survive," says Forrester analyst Henry Harteveldt.
Perhaps. But even though many dot-coms disappeared, travel sites have shown an amazing propensity for staying aloft.
A new way to shop online for travel bargains
Eleena De LisserWall Street JournalAug. 18, 2004 01:31 PM
Comparing Travel Search EnginesServices like these look for travel prices on many different sites at once:
FareChaser, www.farechase.comWHAT IT SEARCHES: Looks at 150 or so travel Web sites for air, hotel and car rental prices.EXAMPLE: Found fare of $148 from Atlanta to Chicago's Midway airport. Lowest price on Orbitz for the same dates and to the same airport was $172 on Delta Air Lines.COMMENT: Yahoo Inc. recently bought it.
Mobissimo, www.mobissimo.comWHAT IT SEARCHES: Currently only air fares, but company will add hotel and car rental capability later this year.EXAMPLE: Search for inexpensive flight to New Orleans from New York City, turned up JetBlue flight for $166.70. Lowest price on CheapTickets.com was $239 on American Airlines.COMMENT: Searches non-U.S. travel sites, and plans to allow searches based on activity. (Example: New York to the beach, instead of New York to Jamaica.)
SideStep, www.sidestep.comWHAT IT SEARCHES: Company says it searches "dozens" of travel Web sites.EXAMPLE: A search on www.sidestephotels.com for a room in Beverly Hills spotted a $98.47 nightly rate at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Beverly Hills. On Travelocity the price for the same class of room and same date was $129.94 a night.COMMENT: For hotels and car rentals, consumers can search SideStep via any Web browser. For airfare, currently SideStep is software that you must download and install.
Qixo, www.qixo.comWHAT IT SEARCHES: Searches more than 28 airfare sites, and also has limited hotel and car-rental search tools.EXAMPLE: Looking for a Miami to Las Vegas flight, we found a $201 flight on American Airlines. The price on Expedia for the same flight was $200 (not including Qixo's $20 fee).COMMENT: This search engine acts like a travel agent because it makes the reservation for consumers, unlike the other engines. Qixo charges users $20 per ticket.Examples were searches done last week for flights departing Aug. 30 returning Sept. 6. Hotel example in SideStep was for one night, Aug. 30.
A fast-growing class of travel search engines can help find good prices quickly:
• Search engine Mobissimo.com found a $152 flight on American (listed on Travelocity.com)
• Qixo.com found a $153 American flight (but it tacks on a $20 charge)
• For comparison: The lowest offering from travel agent Expedia.com was $191 on DeltaNote: Searches performed Monday for roundtrips Sept. 6-10 between New York JFK and New Orleans.
For bargain-hunting travelers, it has become almost second nature to turn to Web sites like Expedia.com, Orbitz.com and Travelocity.com in planning a trip. But increasingly, the established players lack some of the best prices - and are being challenged by a new generation of price-searching sites.Rather than serving as online travel agents, the new sites are search engines that scan as many as 150 other travel sites, including the majors, for prices. That lets travelers do side-by-side comparisons rather than having to check lots of different sites.In addition to scanning the travel-agent sites, the search engines also typically pull prices directly from the Web sites of airlines, hotels, car-rental agencies too. For example, a search might provide the price of a plane ticket on Delta Air Lines through Expedia, as well as the price available by booking directly through Delta. That's important because, as the travel industry gets squeezed, many companies are keeping some of their best prices on their own sites. Airlines, for instance, can save up to $17 in various costs per ticket by selling directly to the public.
One of the more powerful new search engines is Mobissimo.com, which rolled out a tool for finding airline prices in March and plans to expand into hotel and rental-car prices by Thanksgiving. Also, the company is developing a search tool that will let you search based on an activity, like skiing or going to the beach, rather than a specific destination. For example, Mobissimo says that later this year, you will be able to ask the site to search for the best prices between New York and the beach.
SideStep, a travel search engine that previously required installation of special software, has two new Web sites that browse for prices - www.sidestephotels.com and www.sidestepcars.com. It plans to add Web capability for airline searches later this year. (Airfare searches are currently available through its downloadable software.)One of the newest entrants:
A group of former executives from three major online travel agencies - Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity - have launched a company, Kayak Software Corp., that next month plans to offer a test version of a new search engine at Kayak.com.
Yahoo Inc. has also recently gotten into this business. Last month, it acquired FareChase Inc., whose FareChaser service at FareChase.com searches about 150 travel sites.
The new sites aim to address what they see as shortcomings of the major online travel agents. For example, most of the fast-growing discount airlines like JetBlue and Southwest Airlines don't show up on the big travel sites at all. Other discount carriers like Spirit Airlines sometimes offer promotional fares only via their own sites. And just this week, InterContinental Hotels Group said it intends to remove its 3,500 hotels from Expedia and Hotels.com in its continuing effort to wrest control of its room inventory from third-party Web sites.
A search on Mobissimo for flights the first week of September between New York and Paris generated a list of options culled from travel Web sites both foreign and domestic. The least expensive was $478 for Virgin Atlantic on OneTravel.com, a budget-travel site; the highest was $1,953 for an American Airlines flight listed on American Express's travel Web site. Click on a specific flight, and Mobissimo sends you directly to the vendor selling that flight.Almost none of the search engines charge a fee. Rather, they hope to make money by getting referral fees or commissions from the hotels, airlines, car-rental and travel agencies when users click through and make a purchase.
One exception to that rule: Qixo.com. The site searches roughly 28 sites, charges a $20 transaction fee to users who make a purchase through the service. Qixo says charging a fee is appropriate since the site is providing a service to customers.These search engines don't see themselves as a direct threat to the big online agencies, because in many cases they are simply steering sales traffic to the sites of Orbitz, Expedia and the others. The benefit to travelers, the search engines say, is that they don't have to scour Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity separately but can instead see all those sites' prices, as well as results from other sites, at once.
Still, there is some reluctance in parts of the travel industry to fully embrace the search engines. FareChase in June 2003 settled a lawsuit filed against it by AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, which objected to FareChase accessing its fares without permission and selling that information to third parties such as corporate travel agents. Under the terms of the settlement, American agreed to let FareChase search prices on its Web site for the "mutual benefit" of both companies.
Kendra Thornton, a spokeswoman for Orbitz, says SideStep is a "good opportunity for us to reach new customers" but says the travel search-engine business model is imperfect because search engines have an interest in steering customers to the sites where the search engines receive the most compensation.
David Dennis, a product manager for Expedia, concedes that Expedia won't always have the lowest price on airfares. But he says it does have the lowest prices on the hotels in its system because the hotel chains have agreed not to undercut Expedia's prices on their own Web sites.
The new search engines are the latest effort to capitalize on the rapid expansion of the $58 billion online travel-booking industry. Last year an estimated 35 million Americans booked travel online, a nearly 17 percent jump from the year before.Some of the travel search engines are still in testing phase or just do some types of searches and not others. Still, they provide some powerful tools for comparison shopping.
Mobissimo, for example, is useful for international travel because it searches both foreign and domestic sites.
FareChase, which previously focused on corporate travel, is now going after leisure travelers by making its technology available to the general public. The company has a test site up and running at FareChase.com that is accessible to Windows PC users. FareChase.com sorts by price, supplier and number of connections. You type in what you're looking for - say, a Tuesday flight to Miami from Atlanta - and the search engine goes out and looks for prices. Yahoo says it is looking for ways to combine FareChase's service into Yahoo's travel platform.
One of the key differences between SideStep and its competitors is that it searches fewer sites than some rivals. However, SideStep points out that it has formal agreements with the sites it is accessing, which it says increases the odds that it is getting access to all of those sites' best prices.
By contrast, some rivals rely on a different method to collect prices sometimes called "screen scraping" - where special software visits the site and performs searches much like a human visitor might. The risk is that the software might miss special promotions. Mobissimo's president, Svetlozar Nestorov, says the risk of missing a price is minimal.
Jones, of Dallas, is chairman of a start-up called Kayak.com, which has offices in Maynard and Norwalk, Conn. Initial funding came from the Cambridge venture capital firm General Catalyst, where Jones is a partner. Kayak aspires to be the Google of online travel, providing the Web's most comprehensive search for consumers who want to make sure they're getting the best possible deal. Kayak will compete against a handful of other start-ups -- and possibly Google itself -- in an arena dubbed "multi-site search."
Another firm, Lexington's TripAdvisor, which collects reviews on hotels and destinations, was sold in April for $200 million to Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp. It had just 35 employees, and had raised only $4.5 million in venture funding. Cofounder Langley Steinert says his company has plans to offer multi-site search this year, in part to compete with Kayak.
SmarterLiving, a profitable Cambridge company that has eschewed venture capital, is adding employees and expects its revenues to double this year. Its roots are in an e-mail newsletter that founder Daniel Saul sent to his friends, alerting them to last-minute air fare bargains. Founded in 1998, the company has evolved into the Filene's Basement of the Web, offering page after page of information about air fare sales and dirt-cheap cruises. It launched a separate site last year, BookingBuddy.com, which allows users to search multiple sites for air fares, car rental quotes, hotel rates, or cruise packages.
Only one Boston-area site of substance, Somerville-based BizTravel.com, vanished for good after Sept. 11. VacationCoach.com, which offered guidance in selecting a vacation spot based on user preferences like travel time and available activities, went dark in 2002 when it was unable to raise additional venture capital. But its former chief executive, Rob Roberts, recently bought back VacationCoach's assets (except for its domain name), and revived the same service with a new name: TripSight.com. He paid less than $1 million, he says, for technology investors had put $5 million into, though he did give old investors a stake.
ITA Software, of Cambridge, supplies e-commerce technology to two of the top 10 most-trafficked travel sites, Orbitz and Cheap Tickets. This year, it has grown from 50 people to 75, and chief executive Jeremy Wertheimer says he expects revenue to be up about 60 percent. (Like Saul at SmarterLiving, Wertheimer runs a profitable company that never took venture capital money.) Later this year, ITA plans to debut a more sophisticated search engine for hotel availability. Small, independent hotels sometimes don't show up in the big reservations databases, Wertheimer says, and bigger hotels may advertise different prices on different sites. "Rather than forcing you to look at pages manually," he explains, "we're going to be able to say, 'We've looked at everything, and now we're showing it to you in some easy-to-read form.' "
Everyone seems to be interested in multi-site search, in part to stop consumers from shopping around. And everyone's anticipating Kayak.com's takeoff, waiting to see what the new site will do better than its rivals. Some competitors scoff at the idea of trying to launch a travel site in 2004: "It took us 4 years to get where we are," says Steinert at TripAdvisor.
The main thing that makes Kayak worth watching is the team behind it. Jones from Travelocity is chairman, Steve Hafner, a former Orbitz executive, is CEO, and Greg Slyngstad, a founder of Expedia, is on the board. "This is a start-up that comes with people who understand how quickly this industry mutates," Jones says. They picked the name Kayak to evoke the watercraft's lightness and maneuverability.
Kayak will need that maneuverability, since its rivals include not just TripAdvisor and BookingBuddy, but SideStep, Qixo, Mobissimo, Yahoo (which bought a company called FareChase last month), and potentially Google and Microsoft. All face the challenge of comprehensiveness; some airlines, like Southwest, don't seem eager to play in the sandbox. Others may not want to pay each site for customers referred their way, a key source of revenue.
"It's going to be incredibly difficult for all of these guys to survive," says Forrester analyst Henry Harteveldt.
Perhaps. But even though many dot-coms disappeared, travel sites have shown an amazing propensity for staying aloft.
A new way to shop online for travel bargains
Eleena De LisserWall Street JournalAug. 18, 2004 01:31 PM
Comparing Travel Search EnginesServices like these look for travel prices on many different sites at once:
FareChaser, www.farechase.comWHAT IT SEARCHES: Looks at 150 or so travel Web sites for air, hotel and car rental prices.EXAMPLE: Found fare of $148 from Atlanta to Chicago's Midway airport. Lowest price on Orbitz for the same dates and to the same airport was $172 on Delta Air Lines.COMMENT: Yahoo Inc. recently bought it.
Mobissimo, www.mobissimo.comWHAT IT SEARCHES: Currently only air fares, but company will add hotel and car rental capability later this year.EXAMPLE: Search for inexpensive flight to New Orleans from New York City, turned up JetBlue flight for $166.70. Lowest price on CheapTickets.com was $239 on American Airlines.COMMENT: Searches non-U.S. travel sites, and plans to allow searches based on activity. (Example: New York to the beach, instead of New York to Jamaica.)
SideStep, www.sidestep.comWHAT IT SEARCHES: Company says it searches "dozens" of travel Web sites.EXAMPLE: A search on www.sidestephotels.com for a room in Beverly Hills spotted a $98.47 nightly rate at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Beverly Hills. On Travelocity the price for the same class of room and same date was $129.94 a night.COMMENT: For hotels and car rentals, consumers can search SideStep via any Web browser. For airfare, currently SideStep is software that you must download and install.
Qixo, www.qixo.comWHAT IT SEARCHES: Searches more than 28 airfare sites, and also has limited hotel and car-rental search tools.EXAMPLE: Looking for a Miami to Las Vegas flight, we found a $201 flight on American Airlines. The price on Expedia for the same flight was $200 (not including Qixo's $20 fee).COMMENT: This search engine acts like a travel agent because it makes the reservation for consumers, unlike the other engines. Qixo charges users $20 per ticket.Examples were searches done last week for flights departing Aug. 30 returning Sept. 6. Hotel example in SideStep was for one night, Aug. 30.
A fast-growing class of travel search engines can help find good prices quickly:
• Search engine Mobissimo.com found a $152 flight on American (listed on Travelocity.com)
• Qixo.com found a $153 American flight (but it tacks on a $20 charge)
• For comparison: The lowest offering from travel agent Expedia.com was $191 on DeltaNote: Searches performed Monday for roundtrips Sept. 6-10 between New York JFK and New Orleans.
For bargain-hunting travelers, it has become almost second nature to turn to Web sites like Expedia.com, Orbitz.com and Travelocity.com in planning a trip. But increasingly, the established players lack some of the best prices - and are being challenged by a new generation of price-searching sites.Rather than serving as online travel agents, the new sites are search engines that scan as many as 150 other travel sites, including the majors, for prices. That lets travelers do side-by-side comparisons rather than having to check lots of different sites.In addition to scanning the travel-agent sites, the search engines also typically pull prices directly from the Web sites of airlines, hotels, car-rental agencies too. For example, a search might provide the price of a plane ticket on Delta Air Lines through Expedia, as well as the price available by booking directly through Delta. That's important because, as the travel industry gets squeezed, many companies are keeping some of their best prices on their own sites. Airlines, for instance, can save up to $17 in various costs per ticket by selling directly to the public.
One of the more powerful new search engines is Mobissimo.com, which rolled out a tool for finding airline prices in March and plans to expand into hotel and rental-car prices by Thanksgiving. Also, the company is developing a search tool that will let you search based on an activity, like skiing or going to the beach, rather than a specific destination. For example, Mobissimo says that later this year, you will be able to ask the site to search for the best prices between New York and the beach.
SideStep, a travel search engine that previously required installation of special software, has two new Web sites that browse for prices - www.sidestephotels.com and www.sidestepcars.com. It plans to add Web capability for airline searches later this year. (Airfare searches are currently available through its downloadable software.)One of the newest entrants:
A group of former executives from three major online travel agencies - Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity - have launched a company, Kayak Software Corp., that next month plans to offer a test version of a new search engine at Kayak.com.
Yahoo Inc. has also recently gotten into this business. Last month, it acquired FareChase Inc., whose FareChaser service at FareChase.com searches about 150 travel sites.
The new sites aim to address what they see as shortcomings of the major online travel agents. For example, most of the fast-growing discount airlines like JetBlue and Southwest Airlines don't show up on the big travel sites at all. Other discount carriers like Spirit Airlines sometimes offer promotional fares only via their own sites. And just this week, InterContinental Hotels Group said it intends to remove its 3,500 hotels from Expedia and Hotels.com in its continuing effort to wrest control of its room inventory from third-party Web sites.
A search on Mobissimo for flights the first week of September between New York and Paris generated a list of options culled from travel Web sites both foreign and domestic. The least expensive was $478 for Virgin Atlantic on OneTravel.com, a budget-travel site; the highest was $1,953 for an American Airlines flight listed on American Express's travel Web site. Click on a specific flight, and Mobissimo sends you directly to the vendor selling that flight.Almost none of the search engines charge a fee. Rather, they hope to make money by getting referral fees or commissions from the hotels, airlines, car-rental and travel agencies when users click through and make a purchase.
One exception to that rule: Qixo.com. The site searches roughly 28 sites, charges a $20 transaction fee to users who make a purchase through the service. Qixo says charging a fee is appropriate since the site is providing a service to customers.These search engines don't see themselves as a direct threat to the big online agencies, because in many cases they are simply steering sales traffic to the sites of Orbitz, Expedia and the others. The benefit to travelers, the search engines say, is that they don't have to scour Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity separately but can instead see all those sites' prices, as well as results from other sites, at once.
Still, there is some reluctance in parts of the travel industry to fully embrace the search engines. FareChase in June 2003 settled a lawsuit filed against it by AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, which objected to FareChase accessing its fares without permission and selling that information to third parties such as corporate travel agents. Under the terms of the settlement, American agreed to let FareChase search prices on its Web site for the "mutual benefit" of both companies.
Kendra Thornton, a spokeswoman for Orbitz, says SideStep is a "good opportunity for us to reach new customers" but says the travel search-engine business model is imperfect because search engines have an interest in steering customers to the sites where the search engines receive the most compensation.
David Dennis, a product manager for Expedia, concedes that Expedia won't always have the lowest price on airfares. But he says it does have the lowest prices on the hotels in its system because the hotel chains have agreed not to undercut Expedia's prices on their own Web sites.
The new search engines are the latest effort to capitalize on the rapid expansion of the $58 billion online travel-booking industry. Last year an estimated 35 million Americans booked travel online, a nearly 17 percent jump from the year before.Some of the travel search engines are still in testing phase or just do some types of searches and not others. Still, they provide some powerful tools for comparison shopping.
Mobissimo, for example, is useful for international travel because it searches both foreign and domestic sites.
FareChase, which previously focused on corporate travel, is now going after leisure travelers by making its technology available to the general public. The company has a test site up and running at FareChase.com that is accessible to Windows PC users. FareChase.com sorts by price, supplier and number of connections. You type in what you're looking for - say, a Tuesday flight to Miami from Atlanta - and the search engine goes out and looks for prices. Yahoo says it is looking for ways to combine FareChase's service into Yahoo's travel platform.
One of the key differences between SideStep and its competitors is that it searches fewer sites than some rivals. However, SideStep points out that it has formal agreements with the sites it is accessing, which it says increases the odds that it is getting access to all of those sites' best prices.
By contrast, some rivals rely on a different method to collect prices sometimes called "screen scraping" - where special software visits the site and performs searches much like a human visitor might. The risk is that the software might miss special promotions. Mobissimo's president, Svetlozar Nestorov, says the risk of missing a price is minimal.
UPDATE: Yahoo has bought travel search-engine vendor, FareChase
Yahoo buys travel search engine vendor
Yahoo has bought travel search-engine vendor, FareChase, for an undisclosed sum. Although the deal was completed on July 2, neither company has made an announcement according to a Yahoo spokesperson who confirmed the acquisition. Most FareChase employees will move to the Yahoo facility in California. FareChase has US headquarters in New York while the company...
UPDATE: Update: Yahoo has confirmed they bought the company, more than a month ago. Why was this kept quiet? SEC rules did not require disclosure due to the small size of the deal...the statement they sent to me: "FareChase's travel expertise will help further Yahoo!'s goal to create the most comprehensive and relevant travel experience on the Web." Yahoo stressed this will not impact the Yahoo Travel! property in which Travelocity continues to be the exclusive partner. Well, maybe, but...I'm not sure about that long term!
COMMENTS: FareChase is a best of breed technology only next best thing to come down the pike is kayak.com.. stay tuned
No further details as yet...
Yahoo has bought travel search-engine vendor, FareChase, for an undisclosed sum. Although the deal was completed on July 2, neither company has made an announcement according to a Yahoo spokesperson who confirmed the acquisition. Most FareChase employees will move to the Yahoo facility in California. FareChase has US headquarters in New York while the company...
UPDATE: Update: Yahoo has confirmed they bought the company, more than a month ago. Why was this kept quiet? SEC rules did not require disclosure due to the small size of the deal...the statement they sent to me: "FareChase's travel expertise will help further Yahoo!'s goal to create the most comprehensive and relevant travel experience on the Web." Yahoo stressed this will not impact the Yahoo Travel! property in which Travelocity continues to be the exclusive partner. Well, maybe, but...I'm not sure about that long term!
COMMENTS: FareChase is a best of breed technology only next best thing to come down the pike is kayak.com.. stay tuned
No further details as yet...
Travel sites booking stats (USA) UK review Hitwise August
Normal is a relative thing : Orbitz (the airline owned website) saw a 17% drop in bookings for July, but described this as a return to more normal travel buying trends. However, Cheap Tickets saw an 8% increase, Travelocity reported a 15% increase, and Expedia enjoyed a 20% increase in July.
But who is winning the share of mind amongst UK Internet users? Simon Chamberlain noted: “With search engines driving more than a third of visits to the Travel sector, understanding the brands people are searching for is a great way to assess the relative strength of brands online. In those terms, “easyJet” continues to be front of mind for UK consumers, with “Ryanair” and “British Airways” just behind, showing the clear dominance of low cost carriers on the web.” Most searched for Travel brands The following report lists the most popular terms typed into a search engine over the last 12 weeks that resulted in traffic to websites classified by Hitwise within the 'Travel' industry. For example, the most popular search term was 'easyjet' representing 2.36% of all search terms that delivered users to websites classified by Hitwise in the 'Travel' industry.
search term market share %
easyjet 2.36
ryanair 1.82
cheap flights 1.67
british airways 1.24
flights 0.98
train times 0.84
holidays 0.84
expedia 0.73
cheap holidays 0.68
travel inn 0.62
travel lodge 0.57
hotels 0.55
easy jet 0.54
national express 0.53
ryan air 0.51
Hitwise:
Visits to travel-related websites represented 5% of all online visits - one in 20 - in July, compared with one in 25 in January.
The statistics compiled by leading online competitive intelligence service Hitwise demonstrate continued strong growth in traffic to travel sites.
This correlates with forecasts published in a Hitwise travel report earlier this year, which estimated the sector would reach 5% of all online visits by August 2004.
Between June and July 2004, visits to sites within the travel sector grew by 18%, compared with only 3.7% growth between May and June.
During the first two weeks of Euro 2004 (weeks ending July 12 and 19) visits to the travel sector actually declined, indicating that people decided to defer booking holidays until the end of Euro 2004, according to Hitwise.
The uplift in visits to the category which occurred in July suggests that consumers have taken advantage of late holiday deals, with traffic to the travel sector peaking in the week ending July 24 and reaching 5.09% of visits.
Hitwise data further reveals that average session duration on a travel website has also increased in the last two months, up from 5 minutes and 50 seconds in June to 6 minutes and 7 seconds in August.
Top 10 travel sites in the week ending August 21:
1) Multimap.com (4.09% market share)
2) lastminute.com (2.85%)
3) easyJet (2.49%)
4) Expedia.co.uk (2.29%)
5) National Rail (2.08%)
6) Automobile Association (1.86%)
7) Ryanair.com (1.62%)
8) Streetmap.co.uk (1.49%)
9) British Airways (1.41%)
10) MyTravel UK (1.28%)
But who is winning the share of mind amongst UK Internet users? Simon Chamberlain noted: “With search engines driving more than a third of visits to the Travel sector, understanding the brands people are searching for is a great way to assess the relative strength of brands online. In those terms, “easyJet” continues to be front of mind for UK consumers, with “Ryanair” and “British Airways” just behind, showing the clear dominance of low cost carriers on the web.” Most searched for Travel brands The following report lists the most popular terms typed into a search engine over the last 12 weeks that resulted in traffic to websites classified by Hitwise within the 'Travel' industry. For example, the most popular search term was 'easyjet' representing 2.36% of all search terms that delivered users to websites classified by Hitwise in the 'Travel' industry.
search term market share %
easyjet 2.36
ryanair 1.82
cheap flights 1.67
british airways 1.24
flights 0.98
train times 0.84
holidays 0.84
expedia 0.73
cheap holidays 0.68
travel inn 0.62
travel lodge 0.57
hotels 0.55
easy jet 0.54
national express 0.53
ryan air 0.51
Hitwise:
Visits to travel-related websites represented 5% of all online visits - one in 20 - in July, compared with one in 25 in January.
The statistics compiled by leading online competitive intelligence service Hitwise demonstrate continued strong growth in traffic to travel sites.
This correlates with forecasts published in a Hitwise travel report earlier this year, which estimated the sector would reach 5% of all online visits by August 2004.
Between June and July 2004, visits to sites within the travel sector grew by 18%, compared with only 3.7% growth between May and June.
During the first two weeks of Euro 2004 (weeks ending July 12 and 19) visits to the travel sector actually declined, indicating that people decided to defer booking holidays until the end of Euro 2004, according to Hitwise.
The uplift in visits to the category which occurred in July suggests that consumers have taken advantage of late holiday deals, with traffic to the travel sector peaking in the week ending July 24 and reaching 5.09% of visits.
Hitwise data further reveals that average session duration on a travel website has also increased in the last two months, up from 5 minutes and 50 seconds in June to 6 minutes and 7 seconds in August.
Top 10 travel sites in the week ending August 21:
1) Multimap.com (4.09% market share)
2) lastminute.com (2.85%)
3) easyJet (2.49%)
4) Expedia.co.uk (2.29%)
5) National Rail (2.08%)
6) Automobile Association (1.86%)
7) Ryanair.com (1.62%)
8) Streetmap.co.uk (1.49%)
9) British Airways (1.41%)
10) MyTravel UK (1.28%)
Orbitz Completes Implementation of its Dynamic Packaging Engine
Company Expects Improved Revenues and Margins on Packages
Orbitz (ORBZ), the site that makes it easy to find more travel deals, has completed the full implementation of its dynamic packaging engine. As a result, Orbitz expects to improve packaging revenues and packaging margins per transaction while offering travelers new opportunities to save by booking flights, hotels or rental cars together in a single transaction.
The company's dynamic packaging engine now integrates package-only travel offerings, such as specially negotiated OrbitzSaver(TM) discount merchant hotel rates, special package airfares, web-only airfares and package-only rental car rates. By transitioning from a third-party service in most markets, Orbitz can better tailor its package offerings, pricing and merchandising to consumer demand. Orbitz' packaging engine now displays up to twice as many air itineraries and three times as many hotels as part of its vacation packages than were previously displayed on the search matrix. The company is able to offer more flexible last-minute travel capabilities, as well. Users can book travel packages up to eight hours before the scheduled departure time.
"Orbitz continues to expand the convenience, choice and savings we offer vacationers," said John Samuel, Orbitz' executive vice president of consumer travel. "For example, earlier this summer Orbitz.com became the first travel site to display multiple hotel and car options on a single screen with estimated total pricing that includes all rental taxes and fees. In fact, vacation travel packages have become one of Orbitz' fastest-growing categories."
Orbitz is a leading online travel company that enables travelers to search for and purchase a broad array of travel products, including airline tickets, lodging, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages. Since launching its website to the general public in June 2001, Orbitz has become the third largest online travel site based on gross travel bookings. Orbitz, Inc. became a publicly traded company on Dec. 17, 2003, when its shares were listed on the Nasdaq National Market under the ticker symbol ORBZ. For more information on the company, visit http://www.orbitz.com .
Orbitz (ORBZ), the site that makes it easy to find more travel deals, has completed the full implementation of its dynamic packaging engine. As a result, Orbitz expects to improve packaging revenues and packaging margins per transaction while offering travelers new opportunities to save by booking flights, hotels or rental cars together in a single transaction.
The company's dynamic packaging engine now integrates package-only travel offerings, such as specially negotiated OrbitzSaver(TM) discount merchant hotel rates, special package airfares, web-only airfares and package-only rental car rates. By transitioning from a third-party service in most markets, Orbitz can better tailor its package offerings, pricing and merchandising to consumer demand. Orbitz' packaging engine now displays up to twice as many air itineraries and three times as many hotels as part of its vacation packages than were previously displayed on the search matrix. The company is able to offer more flexible last-minute travel capabilities, as well. Users can book travel packages up to eight hours before the scheduled departure time.
"Orbitz continues to expand the convenience, choice and savings we offer vacationers," said John Samuel, Orbitz' executive vice president of consumer travel. "For example, earlier this summer Orbitz.com became the first travel site to display multiple hotel and car options on a single screen with estimated total pricing that includes all rental taxes and fees. In fact, vacation travel packages have become one of Orbitz' fastest-growing categories."
Orbitz is a leading online travel company that enables travelers to search for and purchase a broad array of travel products, including airline tickets, lodging, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages. Since launching its website to the general public in June 2001, Orbitz has become the third largest online travel site based on gross travel bookings. Orbitz, Inc. became a publicly traded company on Dec. 17, 2003, when its shares were listed on the Nasdaq National Market under the ticker symbol ORBZ. For more information on the company, visit http://www.orbitz.com .
Thursday, August 26, 2004
fears of terrorist strike on internet servers..today?
A coordinated online strike against Internet servers by terrorists, dubbed "electronic jihad," may or may not strike this week, security experts said. One security researcher in Moscow warned that Thursday would be the day in question.
Buzz re sidestep and use technology to “service the customer better than a human interaction”
I attended Ad:Tech Chicago in July to explore usability from a marketer’s point of view. What, I wondered, does the ad-sales side of the industry think of user experience and how functionality can turn into dollars?
The answer, to my pleasant surprise, is plenty.
The rest of the presentation showcased how a forward thinking company, even one with deep roots in offline commerce, can improve its Internet-based products with a focus on usability.
Some of my interactions on the exhibition floor included:
The vice president of sales for Business.com showing me how its simplified interface and dedicated results drive repeat visits
A sales manager at Fastclick talking to me about internal efforts to make its GUI easier to use
A marketer for ePrize showing me how offline/online combined experiences entice users, and how the site has built-in solutions for forgetful types who lose their offline game cards
The regional rep for Verizon SuperPages telling me he ”[doesn’t] think about the tech stuff”
(Well, three out of four ain’t bad.)
United.com: Service better than a human interaction
My most interesting takeaways came from the airline industry. Given its customer focus and multiple angles, it’s a microcosm for all industries. Given the airlines’ growing reliance on online transactions, what we see in these companies may spread to many more firms over the next year or two.
Pete Peterson, president of travel distribution for United.com, gave the Monday-morning keynote. After supplying the usual complement of statistics about online travel bookings and United Airlines’ online growth, he made a crucial statement: “United.com’s goal is to service the customer better than a human interaction.”
The rest of the presentation showcased how a forward thinking company, even one with deep roots in offline commerce, can improve its Internet-based products with a focus on usability. United.com shoots for “simplicity and options” with instant results—for example, revising itineraries after booking—that please its customers. The early–check-in option (more on this later) saves customers time and aggravation at the airport. And the company is exploring options for continued monetization in ways that aim to help, rather than burden, its customers. For example, United is exploring iMode-like PDA implementations to help travelers rent cars when they arrive at their destinations.
Peterson went on to throw around terms such as “user-centered design” and “expert heuristic review,” wonderful things to hear in a room full of marketing and sales executives. The tenets of the user experience community are finally taking firm root in sales and marketing channels, and at smarter firms, championing usability has become a company-wide goal.
SideStep: Commit to improve
SideStep is one of those smarter firms. It has already shown itself to be a fast learner; its re-engineering of the SideStep application for better privacy led to a positive reclassification from spyware to general-use app by Spybot and other software monitors.
It was fun to discover SideStep. This is an application most users have only dreamed about, come to life. Its cross-site travel-deal comparison tool (think Shopping.com), cleverly placed within the Internet Explorer sidebar, ably pinpoints cheap flights (I used it successfully for my travel to Ad:Tech).
But what I like most about SideStep is its commitment to data mining and continually revising their product. Users want access to the discount, not-on-Orbitz carriers? Done. Advertising should be at the bottom of the pane, accessible but not in the way? Done. Defaults should include nearby airports? Done. Tweaking on the go is a hallmark of dot-com startups, and SideStep does it nimbly.
Limitations of lean resources
One thing SideStep lacks is standardization; the applet doesn’t work in Mozilla. When I asked Phil Carpenter, SideStep’s vice president of corporate marketing, about this omission, he took the pragmatic route: Too few Mozilla users means the company can’t dedicate its resources to cross-browser functionality. SideStep is working on an in-browser version that omits the sidebar applet. Still, using standard code and providing a single experience across browsers would help the program’s long-term acceptance and interoperability—right now, if I want to use it to look up a fare, I have to get off my Mac and fire up my Windows machine, then avoid Firefox. Few applications would get me to do that.
User experience concerns followed me to the airport. I flew ATA, a competent and welcoming discount carrier. ATA has online check-in, but no way to revise an itinerary once a ticket is booked, and no way to see if other flights have seats available. Emailing ATA for assistance generated a form letter that promised a reply “within a week”—not much help since I was traveling the next day. I managed to change my plans and take the flight I wanted, but only with the help of a gate agent at Chicago Midway Airport—even though the plane was only two-thirds full. Two days after I arrived home I received an email from ATA telling me a representative at the airport could help me change my plans. Super.
Supporting user experience means customer satisfaction
Obviously, ATA is a smaller and leaner organization than United, and its resources are not deployed in the same manner. But why wouldn’t ATA aim to use technology to “service the customer better than a human interaction,” too? Both consumer and company would benefit in the end. Success stories like United.com and SideStep are proving that every day. And happily, the non-geeks in the industry are pulling in the same direction.
The answer, to my pleasant surprise, is plenty.
The rest of the presentation showcased how a forward thinking company, even one with deep roots in offline commerce, can improve its Internet-based products with a focus on usability.
Some of my interactions on the exhibition floor included:
The vice president of sales for Business.com showing me how its simplified interface and dedicated results drive repeat visits
A sales manager at Fastclick talking to me about internal efforts to make its GUI easier to use
A marketer for ePrize showing me how offline/online combined experiences entice users, and how the site has built-in solutions for forgetful types who lose their offline game cards
The regional rep for Verizon SuperPages telling me he ”[doesn’t] think about the tech stuff”
(Well, three out of four ain’t bad.)
United.com: Service better than a human interaction
My most interesting takeaways came from the airline industry. Given its customer focus and multiple angles, it’s a microcosm for all industries. Given the airlines’ growing reliance on online transactions, what we see in these companies may spread to many more firms over the next year or two.
Pete Peterson, president of travel distribution for United.com, gave the Monday-morning keynote. After supplying the usual complement of statistics about online travel bookings and United Airlines’ online growth, he made a crucial statement: “United.com’s goal is to service the customer better than a human interaction.”
The rest of the presentation showcased how a forward thinking company, even one with deep roots in offline commerce, can improve its Internet-based products with a focus on usability. United.com shoots for “simplicity and options” with instant results—for example, revising itineraries after booking—that please its customers. The early–check-in option (more on this later) saves customers time and aggravation at the airport. And the company is exploring options for continued monetization in ways that aim to help, rather than burden, its customers. For example, United is exploring iMode-like PDA implementations to help travelers rent cars when they arrive at their destinations.
Peterson went on to throw around terms such as “user-centered design” and “expert heuristic review,” wonderful things to hear in a room full of marketing and sales executives. The tenets of the user experience community are finally taking firm root in sales and marketing channels, and at smarter firms, championing usability has become a company-wide goal.
SideStep: Commit to improve
SideStep is one of those smarter firms. It has already shown itself to be a fast learner; its re-engineering of the SideStep application for better privacy led to a positive reclassification from spyware to general-use app by Spybot and other software monitors.
It was fun to discover SideStep. This is an application most users have only dreamed about, come to life. Its cross-site travel-deal comparison tool (think Shopping.com), cleverly placed within the Internet Explorer sidebar, ably pinpoints cheap flights (I used it successfully for my travel to Ad:Tech).
But what I like most about SideStep is its commitment to data mining and continually revising their product. Users want access to the discount, not-on-Orbitz carriers? Done. Advertising should be at the bottom of the pane, accessible but not in the way? Done. Defaults should include nearby airports? Done. Tweaking on the go is a hallmark of dot-com startups, and SideStep does it nimbly.
Limitations of lean resources
One thing SideStep lacks is standardization; the applet doesn’t work in Mozilla. When I asked Phil Carpenter, SideStep’s vice president of corporate marketing, about this omission, he took the pragmatic route: Too few Mozilla users means the company can’t dedicate its resources to cross-browser functionality. SideStep is working on an in-browser version that omits the sidebar applet. Still, using standard code and providing a single experience across browsers would help the program’s long-term acceptance and interoperability—right now, if I want to use it to look up a fare, I have to get off my Mac and fire up my Windows machine, then avoid Firefox. Few applications would get me to do that.
User experience concerns followed me to the airport. I flew ATA, a competent and welcoming discount carrier. ATA has online check-in, but no way to revise an itinerary once a ticket is booked, and no way to see if other flights have seats available. Emailing ATA for assistance generated a form letter that promised a reply “within a week”—not much help since I was traveling the next day. I managed to change my plans and take the flight I wanted, but only with the help of a gate agent at Chicago Midway Airport—even though the plane was only two-thirds full. Two days after I arrived home I received an email from ATA telling me a representative at the airport could help me change my plans. Super.
Supporting user experience means customer satisfaction
Obviously, ATA is a smaller and leaner organization than United, and its resources are not deployed in the same manner. But why wouldn’t ATA aim to use technology to “service the customer better than a human interaction,” too? Both consumer and company would benefit in the end. Success stories like United.com and SideStep are proving that every day. And happily, the non-geeks in the industry are pulling in the same direction.
Travelers trust Web for best deals - survey results
A pair of surveys reported what appears to be obvious: People like to do their travel shopping in one place and don't trust that hotels will give them the best prices.
Harris Interactive (HPOL) said 91 percent of Web users want to comparison-shop multiple hotel brands when searching for a room. And 49 percent believe that a Web site like Orbitz.com (ORBZ), which sponsored the study, will give them better prices than they will get by calling a hotel directly (40 percent) or visiting a hotel's Web site (35 percent).
Meanwhile, JupiterResearch (JUPM) reported online shoppers check an average of 2.5 sources, including travel agents and Web sites, before making a buying decision. "Online travel consumers continue to be price-sensitive and increasingly demanding," said Diane Clarkson, a Jupiter analyst.
"Best-rate guarantees have begun to benefit suppliers in increasing direct online bookings. If airfare prices are equal, consumers are more likely to use an airline site than any other type of site to book their travel." she added.
Orbitz promotional bumph re above surveys
" (ORBZ), the site that makes it easy to find great travel deals, today announced the results of a national survey of travelers with internet access that reveals the majority (91%) want to comparison shop multiple hotel brands when booking a hotel. According to the Orbitz Hotel Survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive(R), nearly half of consumers (49%) believe web sites like Orbitz offer the lowest hotel rates more than calling hotels directly (25%) or using hotel websites (22%) do.
Amid industry discussion on where consumers find the best hotel deals, with online agencies or through hotels directly, the survey found that over the next 12 months, more online travelers (43%) anticipate using third-party sites like Orbitz most frequently for hotel reservations than calling a hotel directly (40%) or using hotel websites (35%).
"More than half of all hotels booked online are booked by a third-party agency such as Orbitz," according to a 2004 study by PhoCusWright. The study also confirmed, "Third-party sites offer compelling deals and shopping options and will continue to represent the greater share of hotel Internet bookings."
Low prices aren't the only reason consumers turn to sites like Orbitz when booking hotel rooms. Besides price, the majority (65%) of travelers look for the ability to search for hotels near a specific address, and another 33 percent value the ability to search for hotels by specific amenities such as a pool or fitness center -- features that are both available on Orbitz.
"This study confirms that the vast majority of travelers want to shop multiple hotel brands when booking a hotel," said Kurt Weinsheimer, vice president of Hotels at Orbitz. "At Orbitz, travelers get a one-stop shop for hotels, and our unique Matrix display makes it easy to compare different brands and properties by location, price and quality. Plus, our OrbitzSaver rate guarantee means travelers have access to the lowest prices available online."
The Harris Interactive(R) survey also validates that many consumers do not want to call hotels directly to haggle over rates. Among those who look at hotel rates online, 27 percent said they wouldn't call because there was no guarantee the rate would be lower; 21 percent indicated that they would avoid calling to request a lower rate because they were uncomfortable negotiating by phone; another 17 percent said they didn't have the time to make such a call; and 8 percent said they didn't want to spend the money on the call.
Harris Interactive (HPOL) said 91 percent of Web users want to comparison-shop multiple hotel brands when searching for a room. And 49 percent believe that a Web site like Orbitz.com (ORBZ), which sponsored the study, will give them better prices than they will get by calling a hotel directly (40 percent) or visiting a hotel's Web site (35 percent).
Meanwhile, JupiterResearch (JUPM) reported online shoppers check an average of 2.5 sources, including travel agents and Web sites, before making a buying decision. "Online travel consumers continue to be price-sensitive and increasingly demanding," said Diane Clarkson, a Jupiter analyst.
"Best-rate guarantees have begun to benefit suppliers in increasing direct online bookings. If airfare prices are equal, consumers are more likely to use an airline site than any other type of site to book their travel." she added.
Orbitz promotional bumph re above surveys
" (ORBZ), the site that makes it easy to find great travel deals, today announced the results of a national survey of travelers with internet access that reveals the majority (91%) want to comparison shop multiple hotel brands when booking a hotel. According to the Orbitz Hotel Survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive(R), nearly half of consumers (49%) believe web sites like Orbitz offer the lowest hotel rates more than calling hotels directly (25%) or using hotel websites (22%) do.
Amid industry discussion on where consumers find the best hotel deals, with online agencies or through hotels directly, the survey found that over the next 12 months, more online travelers (43%) anticipate using third-party sites like Orbitz most frequently for hotel reservations than calling a hotel directly (40%) or using hotel websites (35%).
"More than half of all hotels booked online are booked by a third-party agency such as Orbitz," according to a 2004 study by PhoCusWright. The study also confirmed, "Third-party sites offer compelling deals and shopping options and will continue to represent the greater share of hotel Internet bookings."
Low prices aren't the only reason consumers turn to sites like Orbitz when booking hotel rooms. Besides price, the majority (65%) of travelers look for the ability to search for hotels near a specific address, and another 33 percent value the ability to search for hotels by specific amenities such as a pool or fitness center -- features that are both available on Orbitz.
"This study confirms that the vast majority of travelers want to shop multiple hotel brands when booking a hotel," said Kurt Weinsheimer, vice president of Hotels at Orbitz. "At Orbitz, travelers get a one-stop shop for hotels, and our unique Matrix display makes it easy to compare different brands and properties by location, price and quality. Plus, our OrbitzSaver rate guarantee means travelers have access to the lowest prices available online."
The Harris Interactive(R) survey also validates that many consumers do not want to call hotels directly to haggle over rates. Among those who look at hotel rates online, 27 percent said they wouldn't call because there was no guarantee the rate would be lower; 21 percent indicated that they would avoid calling to request a lower rate because they were uncomfortable negotiating by phone; another 17 percent said they didn't have the time to make such a call; and 8 percent said they didn't want to spend the money on the call.
Eventbookings.com Receives Microsoft Winning Customer Award
Article link
Eventbookings.com received this award based on its innovative use of the latest Microsoft technologies to deliver solutions that exceeded its customers’ expectations. Winners were selected from a group of Microsoft Certified Partners that demonstrated excellence in emerging technologies. The Microsoft Partner Program helps partners build successful Microsoft technology-based businesses by offering a variety of resources including training, technical support, products and peer-networking opportunities.The award reflects the successful implementation of the Eventbookings.com solution for financial services provider – Friends Provident. Sue Woods, Marketing Promotions Manager at Friends Provident commented "The service provided by Eventbookings to our delegates and event staff enables our travel incentive events to run smoothly and efficiently. Delegates can easily manage & modify their own information, and do not need to repeat it for each event they attend. Our own staff have 24 x 7 access to the reports that we need to ensure the event is a success. Overall there has been an increase in the service levels we have been able to deliver as well as reduced costs in areas such as communications...
About EventbookingsFounded in 1996 Eventbookings has established itself as Europe’s leading provider of online event management software, services and solutions. Major financial services, pharmaceutical, entertainment, communications and technology organisations all benefit from Eventbookings solutions.# # #For additional information:Please contact Philip Haines directly on 01730 231810, philip.haines@eventbookings.comPhotos of the award being presented are available.Eventbookings.comMarden House3a Penns RoadPetersfieldHampshireGU32 2EWT: +44 1730 302930"
Eventbookings.com received this award based on its innovative use of the latest Microsoft technologies to deliver solutions that exceeded its customers’ expectations. Winners were selected from a group of Microsoft Certified Partners that demonstrated excellence in emerging technologies. The Microsoft Partner Program helps partners build successful Microsoft technology-based businesses by offering a variety of resources including training, technical support, products and peer-networking opportunities.The award reflects the successful implementation of the Eventbookings.com solution for financial services provider – Friends Provident. Sue Woods, Marketing Promotions Manager at Friends Provident commented "The service provided by Eventbookings to our delegates and event staff enables our travel incentive events to run smoothly and efficiently. Delegates can easily manage & modify their own information, and do not need to repeat it for each event they attend. Our own staff have 24 x 7 access to the reports that we need to ensure the event is a success. Overall there has been an increase in the service levels we have been able to deliver as well as reduced costs in areas such as communications...
About EventbookingsFounded in 1996 Eventbookings has established itself as Europe’s leading provider of online event management software, services and solutions. Major financial services, pharmaceutical, entertainment, communications and technology organisations all benefit from Eventbookings solutions.# # #For additional information:Please contact Philip Haines directly on 01730 231810, philip.haines@eventbookings.comPhotos of the award being presented are available.Eventbookings.comMarden House3a Penns RoadPetersfieldHampshireGU32 2EWT: +44 1730 302930"
SideStep Expands Email Marketing Solutions With Launch of TravelFinds Spotlight
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug 25, 2004 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- SideStep, Inc. (www.sidestep.com), the traveler's search engine, today announced the launch of TravelFinds Spotlight, an email newsletter that promotes thematic, seasonal and destination-based travel offers.
TravelFinds Spotlight builds on the success of SideStep's TravelFinds Specials newsletter, which delivers time-sensitive flight, hotel, rental car, cruise and vacation offers to more than 1.3 million active travelers every week. With Spotlight, advertisers now have the opportunity to reach frequent travelers in newsletters focused on specific topics, such as ski vacations, fall getaways and Las Vegas escapes.
TravelFinds Spotlight will be offered as a bonus to existing subscribers to the Specials newsletter. As a result, Spotlight advertisers will benefit from both focus and reach.
Spotlight ad units are clickable text links, making it fast and easy for advertisers to create and test their messages. Spotlight's text ads drive consumers directly to advertisers' sites, immediately engaging buyers with featured brands. SideStep also provides Spotlight advertisers with regular reporting and works closely with them to maximize campaign ROI.
Charter Spotlight advertisers include travel leaders such as Marriott International, Kimpton Hotels Group, Aeromexico, The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts. "TravelFinds Spotlight will reach a large audience of active, adventurous travelers -- and that makes it a good match for Kimpton," said Jimmy Suh, Kimpton's vice president of Revenue Management and Distribution. "Whether consumers are looking for urban escapes to San Francisco or New York, a hiking trip to Aspen, or a ski vacation in Whistler, we offer stylish, distinctive hotel choices to suit a range of travel interests," Suh continued. "TravelFinds Spotlight gives us the opportunity to promote the right Kimpton properties to SideStep users intrigued by specific themes."
"The TravelFinds Spotlight newsletter represents a valuable addition to the set of marketing solutions we offer our travel partners," said Brent Stewart, SideStep's Director of Advertising Sales. "Spotlight provides advertisers with the ability to zero in on prospects with specific interests. The ROI for Spotlight advertisers promises to be excellent, and we are confident that demand for this new product will be strong."
For more information on advertising opportunities with SideStep, including screen shots, pricing, and creative specifications, see SideStep's online media kit at http://www.sidestep.com/mediakit .
TravelFinds Spotlight builds on the success of SideStep's TravelFinds Specials newsletter, which delivers time-sensitive flight, hotel, rental car, cruise and vacation offers to more than 1.3 million active travelers every week. With Spotlight, advertisers now have the opportunity to reach frequent travelers in newsletters focused on specific topics, such as ski vacations, fall getaways and Las Vegas escapes.
TravelFinds Spotlight will be offered as a bonus to existing subscribers to the Specials newsletter. As a result, Spotlight advertisers will benefit from both focus and reach.
Spotlight ad units are clickable text links, making it fast and easy for advertisers to create and test their messages. Spotlight's text ads drive consumers directly to advertisers' sites, immediately engaging buyers with featured brands. SideStep also provides Spotlight advertisers with regular reporting and works closely with them to maximize campaign ROI.
Charter Spotlight advertisers include travel leaders such as Marriott International, Kimpton Hotels Group, Aeromexico, The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts. "TravelFinds Spotlight will reach a large audience of active, adventurous travelers -- and that makes it a good match for Kimpton," said Jimmy Suh, Kimpton's vice president of Revenue Management and Distribution. "Whether consumers are looking for urban escapes to San Francisco or New York, a hiking trip to Aspen, or a ski vacation in Whistler, we offer stylish, distinctive hotel choices to suit a range of travel interests," Suh continued. "TravelFinds Spotlight gives us the opportunity to promote the right Kimpton properties to SideStep users intrigued by specific themes."
"The TravelFinds Spotlight newsletter represents a valuable addition to the set of marketing solutions we offer our travel partners," said Brent Stewart, SideStep's Director of Advertising Sales. "Spotlight provides advertisers with the ability to zero in on prospects with specific interests. The ROI for Spotlight advertisers promises to be excellent, and we are confident that demand for this new product will be strong."
For more information on advertising opportunities with SideStep, including screen shots, pricing, and creative specifications, see SideStep's online media kit at http://www.sidestep.com/mediakit .
Travelocity Launches First Comprehensive Online Local Car Rental Site (Full article)
Car rental shoppers now have faster and easier accessibility to more than 20,000 neighborhood and airport locations across the world. Travelocity customers now also have the ability to pick up and drop off a car at different rental locations, even in different states.
Enhancements to Travelocity's car rental functionality include:
-- A new geo-coding system that provides rental car shoppers with
timesaving ways to search for a car rental location by
address, ZIP code or nearby attraction
-- Search results include a new display grid offering the
TotalPrice and daily rental rate, along with a map
highlighting the closest, most relevant location options
-- In keeping with Travelocity's new look and feel throughout the
entire site, an arched progress bar has been added to the top
of each page on the car rental section to further assist
consumers during the shopping and booking process
-- Local and one-way car rental options will also be available on
Travelocity Business(SM)
TC have also edited their details/ description:
Travelocity's industry-leading technology and straight-talking, honest information help travelers take more rewarding and affordable trips. With 44 million registered users and booking nearly $4 billion of travel in 2003, Travelocity(R) negotiates thousands of low-priced deals with the world's most reputable travel providers -- top airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, and other destination attractions and services. Additionally, Travelocity offers deeply-discounted rates for weekend getaways and dynamic packages through its Last Minute Deals and TotalTrip(SM) shopping engines, and provides customer service support over the phone 24 hours a day. Based in Southlake, Texas, Travelocity also operates Travelocity Business(SM) for corporate customers, powers international travel Web sites in eight languages, and has been recognized for its consumer advocacy and global leadership in online travel. More information about Travelocity is available at www.travelocity.com. Travelocity is owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation (TSG), a world leader in travel commerce. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at www.sabre-holdings.com.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Analyst Mary Meeker is still a believer in the Internet
Analyst Mary Meeker is still a believer in the InternetMary Meeker, Internet analyst for Morgan Stanley (MWD: news, chart, profile), is still recommending Internet stocks. Her current picks are up 1 percent for the year, while the Nasdaq is off 8 percent, Meeker says.
Investors lost hundreds of millions of dollars during the Internet boom of several years ago as she boosted Morgan clients including HomeGrocer.com and Women.com.
"I'm not hiding out anymore," Meeker told Newsweek magazine. She surfaced four months ago as an author of her firm's "China Internet Report." As many as 25,000 copies have been printed, the magazine reported. Meeker sees China as the next frontier for tech.
She also had a hand in last week's Google (GOOG: news, chart, profile) stock offering, playing a crucial behind-the-scenes role helping Morgan Stanley win the designation of offering co-underwriter. The analyst is friends with the founders and often dines with them, the magazine reported.
Ever a cheerleader for the World Wide Web, Meeker said, "As far as the Internet is concerned, we're still in the second inning."
Investors lost hundreds of millions of dollars during the Internet boom of several years ago as she boosted Morgan clients including HomeGrocer.com and Women.com.
"I'm not hiding out anymore," Meeker told Newsweek magazine. She surfaced four months ago as an author of her firm's "China Internet Report." As many as 25,000 copies have been printed, the magazine reported. Meeker sees China as the next frontier for tech.
She also had a hand in last week's Google (GOOG: news, chart, profile) stock offering, playing a crucial behind-the-scenes role helping Morgan Stanley win the designation of offering co-underwriter. The analyst is friends with the founders and often dines with them, the magazine reported.
Ever a cheerleader for the World Wide Web, Meeker said, "As far as the Internet is concerned, we're still in the second inning."
Friday, August 20, 2004
ABTA president quits as Travelscene folds - 20-Aug-04.
BREAKING NEWS%3A ABTA president quits as Travelscene folds - 20-Aug-04.: "ABTA president John Harding has resigned after his company Travelscene went bust.long-established short breaks operator had its bond called yesterday by the Civil Aviation Authority after it ceased trading."
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Yahoo kicks off domain promotion
Yahoo is moving to expand its small business clientele with a new campaign marketing low-cost domain names and expanded Web hosting.
The move throws Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo (YHOO: news, chart, profile) into heightened competition with such providers as Microsoft's bCentral (MSFT: news, chart, profile), Herndon, Va.-based Network Solutions, 1&1 Internet, the U.S. subsidiary of Europe's United Internet (DE:508903: news, chart, profile); Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Go Daddy and New York-based Register.com (RCOM: news, chart, profile), according to media reports Tuesday.
The move is based at least partially on industry observers noting that a record 4 million new domain names were registered in the first quarter of 2004, suggesting that small businesses previously without a Web presence on coming on line, Netcraft News reported.
But about 10 million of 23 million small businesses in the United States still don't have a Web sit, the Associated Press said it was told by Rich Riley, Yahoo's general manager and vice president of small business services, who added: " We want to create a one-stop shop for them."
Yahoo already offers Web hosting, site designs and e-mail service packages for small businesses. Now it is selling domain names for a $9.95 annual fee, less than many of its competitors. The Internet giant also lets users move a domain name to Yahoo hosting for the same $9.95 fee and is offering expanded storage of 2 gigabytes each for disk files and e-mail, starting at $11.95 a month.
Riley said Yahoo's pricing is designed to attract new users, not to draw businesses away from other hosting sites, Netcraft reported.
Yahoo closed Monday ahead of the reports at $28.25, up 76 cents or 2.76 percent and rose another penny after hours.
The move throws Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo (YHOO: news, chart, profile) into heightened competition with such providers as Microsoft's bCentral (MSFT: news, chart, profile), Herndon, Va.-based Network Solutions, 1&1 Internet, the U.S. subsidiary of Europe's United Internet (DE:508903: news, chart, profile); Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Go Daddy and New York-based Register.com (RCOM: news, chart, profile), according to media reports Tuesday.
The move is based at least partially on industry observers noting that a record 4 million new domain names were registered in the first quarter of 2004, suggesting that small businesses previously without a Web presence on coming on line, Netcraft News reported.
But about 10 million of 23 million small businesses in the United States still don't have a Web sit, the Associated Press said it was told by Rich Riley, Yahoo's general manager and vice president of small business services, who added: " We want to create a one-stop shop for them."
Yahoo already offers Web hosting, site designs and e-mail service packages for small businesses. Now it is selling domain names for a $9.95 annual fee, less than many of its competitors. The Internet giant also lets users move a domain name to Yahoo hosting for the same $9.95 fee and is offering expanded storage of 2 gigabytes each for disk files and e-mail, starting at $11.95 a month.
Riley said Yahoo's pricing is designed to attract new users, not to draw businesses away from other hosting sites, Netcraft reported.
Yahoo closed Monday ahead of the reports at $28.25, up 76 cents or 2.76 percent and rose another penny after hours.
NB Google IPO and its Effect on the Venture Capital Industry
FundingPost is available to provide expert commentary on the impact of the Google IPO on the venture capital market. 8/17/2004 10:26:00 AM
NEW YORK, Aug 17, 2004 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- "Will the Google IPO have any impact on the Venture Capital market?" FundingPost (http://www.FundingPost.com) surveyed 32 Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors for their opinions. FundingPost is a leading information source and conference producer for the Venture industry and is available to provide feedback on the below responses:
1) Google raised $25 million from Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Would you have invested in Google's Series A round if they had presented to you?
Joe Rubin, Director, FundingPost:
"We received mixed answers -- the Angel Investors basically said 'yes' as they liked the technology."
Atul Madahar, Principal, TL Ventures:
"No, because it would have been too difficult for us to really understand the superiority of their engine without working code. Also Yahoo was the dominant search engine at the time followed by half a dozen other engines, meta-engines, etc."
Darren Wallis, Venture Partner, Cross Atlantic Capital Partners:
"I would have passed on it because I would have thought the business model would not be sustainable, given the highly-fragmented space at that time. It just shows you that sometimes you have to look past the business model and focus on the superior technology. Then, the technology drove the business model."
Eric Janszen, Managing Director, Osborn Capital (Early-stage angel fund)
"We have certainly invested in bright students with good ideas out of universities, but not recently. Would we have invested in these particular bright students at that time? I was fortunate enough to meet Google's founders last year at Stanford and was impressed by the simplicity and clarity of their vision, which had not changed from day one, and no doubt that would have appealed to us then. Most company ideas you see today are features of Cisco or Microsoft products, or business applications."
2) Does the Google IPO have any impact on venture investing for the next 12 months? Will it increase valuations? Does this mean there is new "hope" for exits for venture-backed companies?
Joe Rubin, Director, FundingPost:
"The majority of the VCs told us that it is 'business as usual' and there will not be much of an impact. At FundingPost, we believe that the impact will be felt at the CEO level -- where a founder of a startup sees the potential for a home run in their exit."
Jack Carsten, Managing Director, Horizon Ventures:
"The firms that invested in this company are going to be 'rescued' from poor returns, as it is one of the only successes in the sector. That might influence LPs to reinvest in Internet centric funds...but I doubt it. Public and private valuations tend to move together sector by sector, even though this often does not make logical sense. So if the Google IPO valuation holds up over time, it can become a benchmark for exit valuations. On the other hand, if it tanks, it will only reflect badly on the sector - the greedy VCs cheated the public again...."
Chris Roser, General Partner, Roser Ventures:
"The IPO market always has an impact on venture investing in regards to higher valuations the more open the IPO window. The question is how much Google will influence the IPO market and to the extent it is successful, I believe, it will contribute to a good IPO market."
3) Do you feel that this will heat up the M&A space -- with Google now having "currency" for acquisitions and Yahoo and Microsoft racing to compete?
Joe Rubin, Director, FundingPost:
"The majority of the investors felt that only a few companies would benefit directly and that the M&A space has improved this year independently."
John Shulman, Managing Director, Allied Capital:
"There is no doubt that M&A will heat up. It is happening anyway, and this will only accelerate the velocity of activity."
Jesse Lawrence, Associate, Updata Partners:
"The IPO may heat up the M&A activity within the search and related sectors, but should not have a significant effect on other software sectors."
For more information / commentary on this Venture survey or FundingPost, contact Keith Henry at (203) 659-6649 or visit the Website at http://www.FundingPost.com
About FundingPost
For over three years FundingPost has worked with thousands of Angel and Venture Capital Investors and Entrepreneurs. With over 3,500 CEOs and 600 Venture Funds attending events in 15 cities nationwide, a quarterly Dealflow magazine, and a deal-exchange Website that has, on average, seen an introduction of an Investor to an Entrepreneur every business day since its inception, FundingPost believes that it is important to reach investors in every medium possible -- both online and offline, and is experiencing strong growth as the capital markets continue to improve worldwide and has established itself as a leading source of expert information in the Venture Capital industry.
For the Media:
FundingPost is available to provide research and quotes on the state of the Venture Capital market for any upcoming stories and/or features. FundingPost is also available to assist the media in securing interviews and/or quotes directly from Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, or CEOs of emerging companies nationwide.
SOURCE FundingPost Keith Henry of FundingPost, +1-203-659-6649,
press@FundingPost.com
http://www.fundingpost.com
NEW YORK, Aug 17, 2004 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- "Will the Google IPO have any impact on the Venture Capital market?" FundingPost (http://www.FundingPost.com) surveyed 32 Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors for their opinions. FundingPost is a leading information source and conference producer for the Venture industry and is available to provide feedback on the below responses:
1) Google raised $25 million from Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Would you have invested in Google's Series A round if they had presented to you?
Joe Rubin, Director, FundingPost:
"We received mixed answers -- the Angel Investors basically said 'yes' as they liked the technology."
Atul Madahar, Principal, TL Ventures:
"No, because it would have been too difficult for us to really understand the superiority of their engine without working code. Also Yahoo was the dominant search engine at the time followed by half a dozen other engines, meta-engines, etc."
Darren Wallis, Venture Partner, Cross Atlantic Capital Partners:
"I would have passed on it because I would have thought the business model would not be sustainable, given the highly-fragmented space at that time. It just shows you that sometimes you have to look past the business model and focus on the superior technology. Then, the technology drove the business model."
Eric Janszen, Managing Director, Osborn Capital (Early-stage angel fund)
"We have certainly invested in bright students with good ideas out of universities, but not recently. Would we have invested in these particular bright students at that time? I was fortunate enough to meet Google's founders last year at Stanford and was impressed by the simplicity and clarity of their vision, which had not changed from day one, and no doubt that would have appealed to us then. Most company ideas you see today are features of Cisco or Microsoft products, or business applications."
2) Does the Google IPO have any impact on venture investing for the next 12 months? Will it increase valuations? Does this mean there is new "hope" for exits for venture-backed companies?
Joe Rubin, Director, FundingPost:
"The majority of the VCs told us that it is 'business as usual' and there will not be much of an impact. At FundingPost, we believe that the impact will be felt at the CEO level -- where a founder of a startup sees the potential for a home run in their exit."
Jack Carsten, Managing Director, Horizon Ventures:
"The firms that invested in this company are going to be 'rescued' from poor returns, as it is one of the only successes in the sector. That might influence LPs to reinvest in Internet centric funds...but I doubt it. Public and private valuations tend to move together sector by sector, even though this often does not make logical sense. So if the Google IPO valuation holds up over time, it can become a benchmark for exit valuations. On the other hand, if it tanks, it will only reflect badly on the sector - the greedy VCs cheated the public again...."
Chris Roser, General Partner, Roser Ventures:
"The IPO market always has an impact on venture investing in regards to higher valuations the more open the IPO window. The question is how much Google will influence the IPO market and to the extent it is successful, I believe, it will contribute to a good IPO market."
3) Do you feel that this will heat up the M&A space -- with Google now having "currency" for acquisitions and Yahoo and Microsoft racing to compete?
Joe Rubin, Director, FundingPost:
"The majority of the investors felt that only a few companies would benefit directly and that the M&A space has improved this year independently."
John Shulman, Managing Director, Allied Capital:
"There is no doubt that M&A will heat up. It is happening anyway, and this will only accelerate the velocity of activity."
Jesse Lawrence, Associate, Updata Partners:
"The IPO may heat up the M&A activity within the search and related sectors, but should not have a significant effect on other software sectors."
For more information / commentary on this Venture survey or FundingPost, contact Keith Henry at (203) 659-6649 or visit the Website at http://www.FundingPost.com
About FundingPost
For over three years FundingPost has worked with thousands of Angel and Venture Capital Investors and Entrepreneurs. With over 3,500 CEOs and 600 Venture Funds attending events in 15 cities nationwide, a quarterly Dealflow magazine, and a deal-exchange Website that has, on average, seen an introduction of an Investor to an Entrepreneur every business day since its inception, FundingPost believes that it is important to reach investors in every medium possible -- both online and offline, and is experiencing strong growth as the capital markets continue to improve worldwide and has established itself as a leading source of expert information in the Venture Capital industry.
For the Media:
FundingPost is available to provide research and quotes on the state of the Venture Capital market for any upcoming stories and/or features. FundingPost is also available to assist the media in securing interviews and/or quotes directly from Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, or CEOs of emerging companies nationwide.
SOURCE FundingPost Keith Henry of FundingPost, +1-203-659-6649,
press@FundingPost.com
http://www.fundingpost.com
online retailers see better numbers but more abandon carts
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid={ADDFFD73-616F-43D4-906B-EB00D4804B05}&siteid=mktw&dist=nbkThe online advertising and technology company reports a 14 percent annual rise in so-called conversion rates -- that is, the proportion of online browsers who turn into buyers.
More importantly, shoppers are buying more per purchase. Order sizes increased 15 percent over the past year, to an average transaction of $134.01.
But there's a dark side to these trends. Abandoned online shopping carts rose 24 percent over the past year. Today, roughly half of Web shopping baskets never make it to checkout.
Furthermore, consumers are less likely to come back and complete the transactions; during the second quarter of 2004, 26.5 percent of online sales were of "previously carted items," down from 35.6 percent a year before.
"Consumers are looking at more pages, carting more products and converting more often -- so the opportunity is there," says Eric Kirby, vice president of strategic services at DoubleClick (DCLK: news, chart, profile). "Now, it's up to marketers to not only make the shopping experience as engaging as possible but also to introduce new strategies such as remarketing to lost prospects."
More importantly, shoppers are buying more per purchase. Order sizes increased 15 percent over the past year, to an average transaction of $134.01.
But there's a dark side to these trends. Abandoned online shopping carts rose 24 percent over the past year. Today, roughly half of Web shopping baskets never make it to checkout.
Furthermore, consumers are less likely to come back and complete the transactions; during the second quarter of 2004, 26.5 percent of online sales were of "previously carted items," down from 35.6 percent a year before.
"Consumers are looking at more pages, carting more products and converting more often -- so the opportunity is there," says Eric Kirby, vice president of strategic services at DoubleClick (DCLK: news, chart, profile). "Now, it's up to marketers to not only make the shopping experience as engaging as possible but also to introduce new strategies such as remarketing to lost prospects."
Taking a Trip to the Web; Consumers Using the Internet for Travel
59% Have Recently Purchased Travel Online; 82% Prefer to Make Travel Arrangements Online
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug 17, 2004 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Online activity around the travel category is sky-high, according to independent research conducted by Feedback Research, a division of the Claria Corporation (www.claria.com), a leader in online behavioral marketing.
Feedback Research analyzed the actual online traffic of Claria's more than 43 million users and surveyed a random sample of users who viewed major travel sites to gain insight into their online travel purchasing and research habits. Results indicated that consumers are searching online for their hotel, airline and car rental needs with 82% preferring to make travel arrangements online and 59% of total survey respondents citing they had purchased travel online in the past 90 days. Of those respondents, 67% made their purchases at either a travel aggregator site such as Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity or a specific airline site.
Airline Sites and Travel Aggregators Battle for the Skies
-- 78% of survey respondents who purchased from a travel aggregator site typically preferred to go there first when they begin researching travel arrangements.
-- 50% of survey respondents who ultimately purchased from an airline site typically preferred to go to an airline site first when they begin researching travel arrangements while 41% preferred to go to a travel aggregator site first.
-- Airline tickets were the most popular online travel purchase with 87% of survey respondents who purchased from a travel aggregator site in the past 90 days saying that they purchase airline tickets; followed by hotels with 54% and car rentals with 42%.
Driving Loyalty
-- Of those loyal respondents who repeatedly purchase from 1 or 2 favorite travel aggregator sites, 82% reported doing so because of "good price";30% because of "good packages."
* Online analysis of those respondents who answered "good price,"indicates that they actually came back to the category more often (8.4% more) and viewed 5% more sites than the average consumer.
* Online analysis of those respondents who answered "good packages," indicates that they Actually came back to the category 16% more and viewed 9% more sites than the average viewer.
-- 76% of respondents said that they repeatedly purchase from 1 or 2 favorite airline sites, because of "good price"; 17% because of "good packages."
-- 54% of survey respondents said that they prefer to use different sites when making their travel arrangements.
* Online analysis of those respondents revealed that the average number of sites viewed per user was 2.62 and the average user came back to the travel category 11.49 times during the research period.
Shopping Around for Travel
-- Online analysis reveals that low-cost airline site shoppers viewed an average of 17.8% more sites that the average airline shopper.
-- During the research period, the average shopper within the travel aggregator category came back 12% more times than the average shopper within the airline category.
The Difference between Planning Business and Pleasure Travel
-- Of total respondents who travel for business, 24% usually book their travel within 1 week in advance on an airline site; while 78% of total respondents who travel for leisure usually book their travel on an airline site 3 or more weeks in advance.
For more information and insights into online advertising statistics contact Mandy Mladenoff of SHIFT Communications, LLC -- 415-591-8420, mmladenoff@shiftcomm.com.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug 17, 2004 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Online activity around the travel category is sky-high, according to independent research conducted by Feedback Research, a division of the Claria Corporation (www.claria.com), a leader in online behavioral marketing.
Feedback Research analyzed the actual online traffic of Claria's more than 43 million users and surveyed a random sample of users who viewed major travel sites to gain insight into their online travel purchasing and research habits. Results indicated that consumers are searching online for their hotel, airline and car rental needs with 82% preferring to make travel arrangements online and 59% of total survey respondents citing they had purchased travel online in the past 90 days. Of those respondents, 67% made their purchases at either a travel aggregator site such as Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity or a specific airline site.
Airline Sites and Travel Aggregators Battle for the Skies
-- 78% of survey respondents who purchased from a travel aggregator site typically preferred to go there first when they begin researching travel arrangements.
-- 50% of survey respondents who ultimately purchased from an airline site typically preferred to go to an airline site first when they begin researching travel arrangements while 41% preferred to go to a travel aggregator site first.
-- Airline tickets were the most popular online travel purchase with 87% of survey respondents who purchased from a travel aggregator site in the past 90 days saying that they purchase airline tickets; followed by hotels with 54% and car rentals with 42%.
Driving Loyalty
-- Of those loyal respondents who repeatedly purchase from 1 or 2 favorite travel aggregator sites, 82% reported doing so because of "good price";30% because of "good packages."
* Online analysis of those respondents who answered "good price,"indicates that they actually came back to the category more often (8.4% more) and viewed 5% more sites than the average consumer.
* Online analysis of those respondents who answered "good packages," indicates that they Actually came back to the category 16% more and viewed 9% more sites than the average viewer.
-- 76% of respondents said that they repeatedly purchase from 1 or 2 favorite airline sites, because of "good price"; 17% because of "good packages."
-- 54% of survey respondents said that they prefer to use different sites when making their travel arrangements.
* Online analysis of those respondents revealed that the average number of sites viewed per user was 2.62 and the average user came back to the travel category 11.49 times during the research period.
Shopping Around for Travel
-- Online analysis reveals that low-cost airline site shoppers viewed an average of 17.8% more sites that the average airline shopper.
-- During the research period, the average shopper within the travel aggregator category came back 12% more times than the average shopper within the airline category.
The Difference between Planning Business and Pleasure Travel
-- Of total respondents who travel for business, 24% usually book their travel within 1 week in advance on an airline site; while 78% of total respondents who travel for leisure usually book their travel on an airline site 3 or more weeks in advance.
For more information and insights into online advertising statistics contact Mandy Mladenoff of SHIFT Communications, LLC -- 415-591-8420, mmladenoff@shiftcomm.com.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
More re InterContinental commends Travelocity but dumps IAC Expedia and Hotels.comThe
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News Events and Analysis: "InterContinental commends Travelocity but dumps IAC Expedia and Hotels.comThe InterContinental Hotels Group has certified Travelocity as an online third party intermediary for more than hotels worldwide. IHG recently stated that its hotels will only work with intermediaries that meet its standards for consumer practices and hotel relations. "
Liverpool granted World Heritage City status by UNESCO plus this is a great example of keyphrase writing
travmedia.com: "LIVERPOOL DECLARED WORLD HERITAGE CITY BY UNESCO.
The city of Liverpool in North-West England has been granted World Heritage City status by UNESCO. This recognizes the importance of Liverpool as a commercial port at the time of Britains greatest global influence. The area covered includes the architecture of the Waterfront commercial and cultural districts including an area of warehouses Pier Head and the historic docks. Liverpool nominated as European Capital of Culture 2008 has also been acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Hit Singles as World Capital of Pop. The birthplace of the Beatles visitors can take a Magical Mystery Tour around Beatles sights and visit the reconstructed Cavern Club where they were discovered. Among the citymany museums historic Albert Dock the largest collection of grade one Listed buildings in the country houses the Tate Liverpool gallery the Maritime Museum and the Beatles Story"
The city of Liverpool in North-West England has been granted World Heritage City status by UNESCO. This recognizes the importance of Liverpool as a commercial port at the time of Britains greatest global influence. The area covered includes the architecture of the Waterfront commercial and cultural districts including an area of warehouses Pier Head and the historic docks. Liverpool nominated as European Capital of Culture 2008 has also been acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Hit Singles as World Capital of Pop. The birthplace of the Beatles visitors can take a Magical Mystery Tour around Beatles sights and visit the reconstructed Cavern Club where they were discovered. Among the citymany museums historic Albert Dock the largest collection of grade one Listed buildings in the country houses the Tate Liverpool gallery the Maritime Museum and the Beatles Story"
Ebookers LastMinute.com Financials British Web travel stocks spur Euro ADR rally
British Web travel stocks spur Euro ADR rally: "Online travel agents EBookers and LastMinute.com on Monday paced a broad-based rally in U.S.-listed shares of European companies.
Ebookers (EBKR: news, chart, profile) led all percentage advancers with a 13 percent gain to close at $5.10. The company said revenue rose 12 percent on a US GAAP basis to 15.8 million pounds due to "performance-related incentive payments" from airlines.
Fellow London-based travel agent LastMinute.com (LMIN: news, chart, profile) saw similar movement from its stock, which closed up $1.17, or 13 percent, at $10.33.
Still, both companies year-to-date are down 65 percent and 50 percent, respectively.
"
Ebookers (EBKR: news, chart, profile) led all percentage advancers with a 13 percent gain to close at $5.10. The company said revenue rose 12 percent on a US GAAP basis to 15.8 million pounds due to "performance-related incentive payments" from airlines.
Fellow London-based travel agent LastMinute.com (LMIN: news, chart, profile) saw similar movement from its stock, which closed up $1.17, or 13 percent, at $10.33.
Still, both companies year-to-date are down 65 percent and 50 percent, respectively.
"
ebookers financials NewsFinder
NewsFinder: "Online travel ebookers%3A Q3 sales in line %28UK%3AEBR%2C EBKR%29 By Emily Church%0D%0ALONDON %28CBS.MW%29 -- Online European travel agency ebookers %28EBKR%29 %28UK%3AEBR%29 said revenue rose 12 percent on a US GAAP basis to 15.8 million pounds. Its margin declined to 11.7 percent on the year against 12 percent in the year-ago quarter. %22The key reason for this is that our air business includes an increasing proportion of revenue derived from performance-related incentive payments from airlines rather than fixed-percentage commission-based revenue%2C%22 it said. Its loss narrowed to 3.8 million pounds from a loss of 14.9 million a year ago. Looking ahead%2C it said%3A %22Following the slow travel market in June%2C in part because of the Euro 2004 football championship%2C third quarter trading from July 1 to date has been encouraging and in line with our expectations.%22 "
Travelzoo Inc. Announces Phase-Up to NASDAQ National Market
Travelzoo Inc. Announces %27Phase-Up%27 to NASDAQ National Market: "NEW YORK%2C Aug 16%2C 2004 %28BUSINESS WIRE%29 -- Travelzoo Inc. %28TZOO%29%2C the Internet%27s largest publisher of outstanding travel offers available directly from hundreds of travel companies%2C today announced that the NASDAQ Stock Market has approved the Company%27s application to lists its securities on the NASDAQ National Market. Travelzoo is currently listed on the NASDAQ SmallCap Market. Travelzoo is expected to %22phase-up%22 to the National Market on Wednesday%2C Aug. 18. "
Travelocity Business Named Certified Partners of Intercontinental Hotels Group
Travelocity%2C Travelocity Business Named Certified Partners of Intercontinental Hotels Group: "Travelocity"
"IHG hotels include some of the world's most recognized and respected brands, so we're pleased to deepen our relationship with IHG," said Ross Mantione, vice president partner marketing for Travelocity. "The benefits of this relationship, including getting the best rates publicly available for our customers, will be particularly helpful as we grow Travelocity Business and roll out our hotel program to sites in Europe and Asia Pacific during the next several months."
Travelocity can now offer the best room rates publicly available at IHG's hotels, plus it will have access to bundled rates for its TotalTrip dynamic packaging product and distressed rates for its Last Minute Deals product. Travelocity, which has always held that working closely with suppliers and looking out for mutual customers is essential to its business, was certified in recognition by IHG that Travelocity meets its distribution standards. IHG has stated that its hotels will only work with intermediaries that meet its standards for consumer practices and hotel relations.
"We've long had a collaborative approach to working with hotels: we keep our mutual customers in mind throughout the process, we provide industry-leading two-way seamless connectivity that ensures fewer customer service problems, we provide automated hotel payments and we give hoteliers choices when it comes to inventory and rate management," said Josh Feuerstein, vice president, hotels for Travelocity. "Two years ago, we took a major risk, believing that a different business model, where we work together with suppliers to benefit consumers was the model of the future. Clearly, hoteliers are recognizing that our business model is superior, as our supplier-friendly philosophy continues to pay off for Travelocity and our customers. It made it easy for us to meet IHG's standards."
About Travelocity
Travelocity's industry-leading technology and straight-talking, honest information help travelers take more rewarding and affordable trips. With 44 million registered users and booking nearly $4 billion of travel in 2003, Travelocity(R) negotiates thousands of low-priced deals with the world's most reputable travel providers -- top airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, and other destination attractions and services. Additionally, Travelocity offers deeply-discounted rates for weekend getaways and dynamic packages through its Last Minute Deals and TotalTrip(SM) shopping engines, and provides customer service support over the phone 24 hours a day. Based in Southlake, Texas, Travelocity powers international travel Web sites in eight languages, and has been recognized for its consumer advocacy and global leadership in online travel. More information about Travelocity is available at www.travelocity.com. Travelocity is owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation (TSG), a world leader in travel commerce. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at www.sabre-holdings.com.
About Travelocity Business
Travelocity Business is a full-service corporate travel agency that helps companies easily manage travel and reduce costs, while providing more choices to travelers. Travelocity Business combines the savings and convenience of online with the full service of dedicated agents available 24/7 who typically answer the phone in 20 seconds, and within 60 seconds guaranteed. Companies can cut travel costs through flight deals, Web fares, hotel discounts and service fee savings -- representing an average savings of more than $100 per trip, including airfare savings averaging 26 percent per ticket and service fee savings of up to 82 percent. Travelocity Business combines the expertise, service and travel choices of Travelocity with corporate experience gained from serving more than half of the Fortune 200. For more information, companies can visit www.travelocitybusiness.com.
"IHG hotels include some of the world's most recognized and respected brands, so we're pleased to deepen our relationship with IHG," said Ross Mantione, vice president partner marketing for Travelocity. "The benefits of this relationship, including getting the best rates publicly available for our customers, will be particularly helpful as we grow Travelocity Business and roll out our hotel program to sites in Europe and Asia Pacific during the next several months."
Travelocity can now offer the best room rates publicly available at IHG's hotels, plus it will have access to bundled rates for its TotalTrip dynamic packaging product and distressed rates for its Last Minute Deals product. Travelocity, which has always held that working closely with suppliers and looking out for mutual customers is essential to its business, was certified in recognition by IHG that Travelocity meets its distribution standards. IHG has stated that its hotels will only work with intermediaries that meet its standards for consumer practices and hotel relations.
"We've long had a collaborative approach to working with hotels: we keep our mutual customers in mind throughout the process, we provide industry-leading two-way seamless connectivity that ensures fewer customer service problems, we provide automated hotel payments and we give hoteliers choices when it comes to inventory and rate management," said Josh Feuerstein, vice president, hotels for Travelocity. "Two years ago, we took a major risk, believing that a different business model, where we work together with suppliers to benefit consumers was the model of the future. Clearly, hoteliers are recognizing that our business model is superior, as our supplier-friendly philosophy continues to pay off for Travelocity and our customers. It made it easy for us to meet IHG's standards."
About Travelocity
Travelocity's industry-leading technology and straight-talking, honest information help travelers take more rewarding and affordable trips. With 44 million registered users and booking nearly $4 billion of travel in 2003, Travelocity(R) negotiates thousands of low-priced deals with the world's most reputable travel providers -- top airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, and other destination attractions and services. Additionally, Travelocity offers deeply-discounted rates for weekend getaways and dynamic packages through its Last Minute Deals and TotalTrip(SM) shopping engines, and provides customer service support over the phone 24 hours a day. Based in Southlake, Texas, Travelocity powers international travel Web sites in eight languages, and has been recognized for its consumer advocacy and global leadership in online travel. More information about Travelocity is available at www.travelocity.com. Travelocity is owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation (TSG), a world leader in travel commerce. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at www.sabre-holdings.com.
About Travelocity Business
Travelocity Business is a full-service corporate travel agency that helps companies easily manage travel and reduce costs, while providing more choices to travelers. Travelocity Business combines the savings and convenience of online with the full service of dedicated agents available 24/7 who typically answer the phone in 20 seconds, and within 60 seconds guaranteed. Companies can cut travel costs through flight deals, Web fares, hotel discounts and service fee savings -- representing an average savings of more than $100 per trip, including airfare savings averaging 26 percent per ticket and service fee savings of up to 82 percent. Travelocity Business combines the expertise, service and travel choices of Travelocity with corporate experience gained from serving more than half of the Fortune 200. For more information, companies can visit www.travelocitybusiness.com.
VisitBritain and travel agency consortium Virtuoso struck a marketing and sales pact
%3A%3A Travel Weekly - The National Newspaper of the Travel Industry %3A%3A: "British tourist office VisitBritain and travel agency consortium Virtuoso struck a marketing and sales pact designed to position England Scotland and Wales as a preferred destination for the networks luxury specialists.Under the agreement VisitBritain will provide Virtuoso member agencies with exclusive offers -- as well as access to programs such as its BritAgent online specialist training program and its new Booking Britain online sales guide -- and will engage preferred suppliers in direct marketing activities to showcase the range and quality of British products.In return Virtuoso will promote Britain to its customer database of some 1 million affluent leisure travelers and distribute VisitBritain new luxury travel magazine So British to its member specialist agents.The agreement will be formally announced at Virtuoso 2004 TravelMart scheduled for Aug. 22 to 27 at The Bellagio resort in Las Vegas"
IHG drops Expedia, Hotels.com over Web standards policy
%3A%3A Travel Weekly - The National Newspaper of the Travel Industry %3A%3A: "InterContinental Hotels Group will continue to distribute through Travelocity Priceline Hotwire and Mark Travel Web sites but will drop Expedia and Hotels.com in a dispute over a new IHG standard. IHG officials said its 3500 properties including all brands that it owns mannages or franchises will cease selling merchant and retail inventory through Expedia and Hotels.com in three months. Sales on these two sites account for about 1% of IHGs room revenue IHG officials said. And thats about half of the room revenue that IHG takes in from major online distributors.IHG adopted a new distribution standard for its online partners May 20. Among the elements distributors are required to clearly present fees to consumers must avoid confusing marketing practices and must automate the reservations process. officials said Expedia and Hotels.com -- sister companies owned by IAC InterActiveCorp -- were not certified because they bundle taxes and service fees mislead consumers that inventory is sold out when it is only the merchant inventory that is unavailable and use an inefficient and manual reservations process. However Hotwire another IAC company satisfied the hotel companys concerns officials said.An Expedia spokesman said talks with IHG were at a standstill but he was surprised that IHG went public with a press release and press conference. "
Cardiff Welcome Card
travmedia.com: "Visitors to Cardiff can save money at the city%27s top attractions%2C restaurants and shops with the launch of a new discount and all-day travel card.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe Cardiff Welcome Card offers unlimited travel around Cardiff and Penarth and discounts at attractions such as Cardiff Castle%2C Techniquest and Millennium Stadium tours%2C as well as savings in a variety of restaurants and shops around the city.%0D%0A%0D%0ACards cost %A37%2C %A311 or %A315 for one%2C two or three days and offer savings that can top %A3100. They are on sale at Tourist Information Centres in Cardiff Bay and the Old Library in The Hayes%2C and from Arriva Bus travel centre in Wood Street.%0D%0A%0D%0AFor further information%2C please contact Mike Evans on 01656 672931%2C or at %0D%0Atravel@southernwales.org"
Trailfinders
travmedia.com: "On Monday 16th August Trailfinders opens its thirteenth UK Travel Centre in Covent Garden London Located on the 1st Floor of Stanford flagship store you can now find the unique combination of Trailfinders extremely well travelled enthusiastic and knowledgeable consultants and the UKs leading specialist retailer of maps and travel books. Your holiday is sure to be the trip of a lifetimeOpen Monday-Saturday 10am to 7pm and Sunday 12pm to 6pm their team of experienced consultants can tailormake the perfect holiday for you combining the widest range of airfares hotels tours cruises and vehicle hire around the globe priced amongst the lowest you will find anywhereTrailfinders has no hidden extras no credit card surcharges no premium phone numbers and no extra postal fees.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Robust recovery on the cards for London hotel industry
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "HotStats revealed that revenue per available room in the first three months has jumped 13.5%. Provincial hoteliers apparently saw a slightly lower but still healthy 4.9% rise in revpar. This meant that, for the entire HotStats sample of 544 hotels, revpar climbed by 7.9%.
'This is the clearest signal yet that the industry is now on a recovery path, ending the challenging trading environment of the last three years,' says Jonathan Langston, Managing Director of TRI Hospitality Consulting. "
'This is the clearest signal yet that the industry is now on a recovery path, ending the challenging trading environment of the last three years,' says Jonathan Langston, Managing Director of TRI Hospitality Consulting. "
Top 10 Global 'Travel - Destinations and Accommodation'
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "Top 10 Global 'Travel - Destinations and Accommodation' sites for the week ending 14 August, 2004 based on visits: (8/16/2004)
1. (8.28 %) lastminute.com
2. (2.99 %) Trip Advisor
3. (2.33 %) Active Hotels
4. (1.85 %) Holidays Uncovered
5. (1.75 %) SuperBreak 6. (1.26 %) Travelodge UK
7. (1.21 %) InterContinental Hotels Group
8. (1.16 %) Open Roads
9. (1.10 %) Travel Inn
10. (0.97 %) This is Travel"
1. (8.28 %) lastminute.com
2. (2.99 %) Trip Advisor
3. (2.33 %) Active Hotels
4. (1.85 %) Holidays Uncovered
5. (1.75 %) SuperBreak 6. (1.26 %) Travelodge UK
7. (1.21 %) InterContinental Hotels Group
8. (1.16 %) Open Roads
9. (1.10 %) Travel Inn
10. (0.97 %) This is Travel"
"Agents earn more online" - Average 18%Travelscene - 13-Aug-04.
"Agents earn more online" - Travelscene - 13-Aug-04.: "Average commission earnings on accommodation-only bookings have risen by 18% for agents booking online rather than using viewdata, Travelscene claims."
"Agents earn more online" - Average 18%Travelscene - 13-Aug-04.
"Agents earn more online" - Travelscene - 13-Aug-04.: "Average commission earnings on accommodation-only bookings have risen by 18% for agents booking online rather than using viewdata, Travelscene claims."
Optimise press releases for news search... Yahoo News and Google News Audience Story
Yahoo News and Google News Audience Story: "News search engines cull information from thousands of 'news sources' - including the press release distribution services. Just do a search on Google News for Mike Grehan - just to pick a name out of the hat. You'll not only find articles in ClickZ News, e-consultancy, and Search Engine Watch that mention him, you'll also see press releases distributed by eMediaWire and PR Web that mention him, too.
This means you can optimize a press release for the news search engines - just as you can optimize a page on a website. They difference, however, is that the news search engines only contain stories from the past 30 days, while it can often take up to 30 days to get the search engines to index a new page.
Got news?
This isn't a trick question. If you optimize a press release that doesn't contain compelling news, then you might get someone to click on your headline, but you won't get them to click through to your website after reading the first few paragraphs. If you do have compelling news, you can generate web traffic and sales leads as well as publicity.
One optimized press release generated more than $80,000 in ticket sales for Southwest Airlines as well as articles in The New York Times, Washington Post, and more than a dozen other media. And this doesn't work just for the big brands. One optimized press release prompted CNN to interview the editor of HSToday Magazine. Using ClickTracks Analyzer Hosted, WineZap was able to see that 32% of the people who read their press release clicked on one of the three links to relevant pages on their new website. "
This means you can optimize a press release for the news search engines - just as you can optimize a page on a website. They difference, however, is that the news search engines only contain stories from the past 30 days, while it can often take up to 30 days to get the search engines to index a new page.
Got news?
This isn't a trick question. If you optimize a press release that doesn't contain compelling news, then you might get someone to click on your headline, but you won't get them to click through to your website after reading the first few paragraphs. If you do have compelling news, you can generate web traffic and sales leads as well as publicity.
One optimized press release generated more than $80,000 in ticket sales for Southwest Airlines as well as articles in The New York Times, Washington Post, and more than a dozen other media. And this doesn't work just for the big brands. One optimized press release prompted CNN to interview the editor of HSToday Magazine. Using ClickTracks Analyzer Hosted, WineZap was able to see that 32% of the people who read their press release clicked on one of the three links to relevant pages on their new website. "
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