Expedia Finally Joins TripAdvisor Instant Booking
Skift Take
TripAdvisor has been struggling but it is a testament to its continued power as a marketing vehicle that Expedia Inc. felt compelled to participate in TripAdvisor Instant Booking even though Expedia controls its own TripAdvisor wannabe. It's called Trivago. A newly anointed public company, Trivago's growth could one day be an Expedia hedge against TripAdvisor's clout, although Trivago isn't there yet.
More than a year after Expedia Inc. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi complained that rival Booking.com's agreement to participate in TripAdvisor Instant Booking appeared to have exclusivity provisions, Expedia is finally getting in on the action as a TripAdvisor booking partner, as well.
TripAdvisor and Expedia Inc. announced Tuesday that certain Expedia Inc. brands -- possibly Expedia.com, Hotels.com, or others -- would be available to participate in the TripAdvisor booking feature on its U.S. desktop site as they begin to test the feature together.
TripAdvisor has been struggling to transition from metasearch, or click-based revenue only, to a combination of clicks plus booking and commission revenue, and the company's stock has been trading near 52-week lows as it tries to get consumers used to the changes. Consumers can book the hotel on TripAdvisor and the partner, whether it be Booking.com, Marriott.com or now Expedia.com, processes the transaction and is responsible for customer service.
In this way, TripAdvisor doesn't lose credit for bookings when consumers navigate to partner sites and disappear along the way.
TripAdvisor's revenue per hotel shopper has been decelerating because of the switch to Instant Booking and the prolifer
