Tag Archive for: TripAdvisor

How to Make Your Outdoor Recreation Page Stand Out

How to Spark New Blog Topic Ideas

TripAdvisor Redesign and Instagram Low Light Button

TripAdvisor Redesign

TripAdvisor RedesignA TripAdvisor redesign puts bookings front and center on the home page. Released this week, visitors will be presented with the option to search for – and book – hotels, attractions, restaurants and flights.

The new design shifts the focus of the site away from the simple hotel reviews the site was once known for. The new TripAdvisor redesign looks to capitalize on the huge growth in bookings on the site. In fact, TripAdvisor reports a 150% increase in bookings year-over-year, underlying the importance for such a redesign.

Along with the redesign, a new strapline, “Know Better. Book Better. Go Better” lets site visitors know right away they can educate themselves and book through TripAdvisor for a better travel experience. Read more

Custom Newsfeeds, TripAdvisor Bookings, Airfordable

Facebook adding custom newsfeeds?

Facebook Custom NewsfeedsWe’ve reported quite a bit on the ways Twitter is copying Facebook, but now it looks like Facebook may be taking a page from Twitter’s playbook. Category-specific newsfeeds similar to Twitter’s lists have been experimented with since October, according to some reports, but now appear to be rolling out a bit more widely.

In an example tweeted out by Laundry Services’ CEO there appeared to be 13 categories including style, travel and headlines. These feeds seem to include updates and posts from friends and pages being followed – as well as pages that aren’t being followed by someone, but the feeds do appear to offer some customization.

One big point worth noting is that, in the example tweeted out, no ads appeared – but some analysts expect that to change if this new newsfeed option rolls out to the wider Facebook audience.

TripAdvisor offers instant bookings in most popular locations

As TripAdvisor has increased its ability to allow for instant bookings instead of sending visitors to third-party sites so too has its ability to cover the most popular destinations in the world.

A December study by financial firm PiperJaffray found that TripAdvisor’s Instant Bookings covered a whopping 92% of the most popular hotels in the most popular markets in the world. That number is up from only 76% in September and is thinks to the Booking.com partnership TripAdvisor forged in November. The study involved the top 500 hotels in the top 100 markets.

Airfordable wants to make it…well, affordable, to fly

AirfordableDepending on where you want to go flying isn’t exactly what many would consider “cheap”. However, new startup Airfordable wants to change that and get more people to fly by paying for their tickets in installments.

Airfordable has a $2,000 maximum on tickets it allows right now and does not charge interest like a credit card would – but it does charge a flat 20% service fee it spreads out across all payments. Travelers must pay for one third of the ticket’s cost up front and select if they want to pay off the ticket in biweekly or monthly installments. The founder says she wanted to make traveling easier for those without credit cards or who can’t normally afford to fly. Airfordable says many of its users are people who have used it to plan trips for major life milestones, like honeymoons or anniversaries.

Likes Decline, Mobile Boarding & Travel Surveys

Facebook Cleans up Page Likes and Adds New Tool

Topic DataBrand managers could see a drop in the number of Facebook page likes on their pages. The social network recently announced it would remove likes on pages that come from deactivated or memorialized (pages kept active for the deceased) accounts. Facebook says that most pages shouldn’t see a significant drop in the number of likes and the change should provide more accurate insights for brands.

On the plus side, a new tool from Facebook may provide more information to brand managers looking for information on what target customer demographics are saying about topics of interest. Facebook, working with Data Sift, developed what it calls Topic Data. Facebook says Topic Data “Topic Data shows marketers what audiences are saying on Facebook about events, brands, subjects and activities.” The tool launched earlier this week and has limited availability at this time.

UPDATE: Some of the pages managed by TwoSix Digital and other professionals in the industry we communicate with are ranging anywhere from a decline of .02% of their total audience to as much as 4.3%.

Mobile Boarding

If a new report is to be believed, 1 in 3 boarding passes for airplanes will be delivered by mobile devices by 2019.

Juniper Research claims the number of people using their mobile devices as boarding passes will continue to rise exponentially. Juniper notes that proximity sensors in devices through apps will likely become the dominant way we check in and use passes but, for now, bar codes displayed on devices will continue to grow in use and popularity.

Travel Survey Results

Travel marketers and industry professionals can now get their hands on the latest TripBarometer report from TripAdvisor. The report surveyed more than 44,000 travelers and hoteliers to get their thoughts and travel practices. You can take a closer look at the report – broken down into a handy infographic – here.

Additionally, you can also check out a new report focusing on millennials and travel was also released by Yahoo Travel.