5 New Travel Startups Enabling Smarter Transactions

Mobile apps today are simply a platform for a transaction and more important than ‘what’ the transactions are is ‘how’ they are done both through user design, customer service, and end results.

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>> Hotels By Day is a hotel booking engine that allows users to reserve daytime periods in five major U.S. cities. Time blocks are between 6 and 9 hours but significantly less than a full night’s stay at the hotel.

SkiftTake: Increased transparency driven by online search and booking tools has resulted in a customer base that wants to customize every aspect of their stay and only pay for services that they use — down to the amount of time in a room.

>> TailorMadeTour is an itinerary builder and booking tool for tour operators and tourism boards. Users can develop itineraries and manage customers’ requests in order to upsell travelers, cut costs, and integrate more offerings into their tours.

SkiftTake: Back-end travel solutions aren’t as popular as consumer plays in the travel startup marketplace but they are often provide more valuable and sustenance to the existing travel industry.

>> Servy is a mobile app that rewards users for giving restaurants private, constructive feedback. Users can earn up to a 15 percent reimbursement while restaurants gain a higher quality and volume of feedback.

SkiftTake: Online feedback has completely revolutionized how restaurants market themselves, but rewarding customers for truly constructive feedback is a concept that’s yet to take off.

>> Flytographer is a marketplace that connects travelers with a network of 230 photographers in 130 destinations. Travelers can book a professional photographer to capture major events abroad including vacations, proposals and honeymoons. Packages ranges between $250 and $500 for shoots up to 90 minutes.

SkiftTake: Such a platform might seem unnecessary given the proliferation of cameras and smartphones today but Flytographer will find out whether travelers are willing to pay more for high-quality photos that capture special events.

>> Off N Drive is a peer-to-peer vehicle marketplace that has yet to launch. Currently, its unique proposition is that it eliminates key hand-offs and offers a quick, seamless key transaction.

SkiftTake: There are too few details to predict the success of Off N Drive, except that the peer-to-peer vehicle market has become increasingly competitive. It will need a truly unique differentiator in order to stand out.