Social travel site Tripbirds pivots to focus solely on hotel bookings
Skift Take
It feels like Tripbirds left one crowded party only to enter an even more cramped space and still attempt to steal the spotlight, albeit there is potential for higher revenue return here.
Tripbirds launched its social travel service earlier this year, I thought it looked beautiful, worked well — and would, inevitably, struggle.
The reason was simple: the site was dipping its toes in a competitive-but-ineffective market for travel services built on top of the social substrate of the web. It’s an idea that is appealing, but unrewarding; a niche that has failed, time and time again, to produce any truly viable businesses. The problem? There are loads of products fighting for similar territory (Gogobot, Wanderfly, Everplaces and many more) but overall, demand for what they’re offering seems to be low.
Up Next
Hotels
How Data Quality Issues Impact Global Hospitality Operations
There are wide discrepancies in data quality for hotel transactions across global regions, with the largest occurring in Asia-Pacific. Because hotels and agencies need to harness data quality to thrive, they must take a more nuanced regional approach to monitoring potential issues.
Sponsored 
Hotels
LA Wildfires: Climate Change, Extreme Weather, and the Impact on Hotels
The travel industry needs to get ready: The LA wildfires are a reminder that climate change isn’t just an environmental issue.
Hotels
Redefining Luxury Hospitality in 2025
Luxury hotels can differentiate themselves by broadening their offerings and embracing lucrative experiential trends.
Airlines
Engine Shortage Forces Air New Zealand to Scrap Seoul Route, Again
With almost all of its new-generation aircraft impacted by maintenance or delivery snags, Air New Zealand has had a tougher time than most.
Online Travel
What Travel Brands Should Know About China's RedNote
As overseas travel rebounds and Chinese consumers increasingly seek out genuine travel tips and personalized recommendations, brands looking to engage this influential audience must understand what makes RedNote a powerful tool for modern travel marketing.