Can TripAdvisor Blame Its Hotel-Bidding Slump on Expedia or Priceline?
Skift Take
TripAdvisor is still a must-have marketing channel for online travel agency and hotel advertisers. But if the Priceline Group and Expedia tilt their spend more toward other marketing vehicles, there aren't a lot of other players with the marketing resources they have to make TripAdvisor whole.
TripAdvisor had some bright spots, such as higher-than-expected revenue growth (31 percent) in its attractions, restaurants and vacation rentals segment in the second quarter, but one thing to watch in upcoming quarters is whether the company's largest customers such as the Priceline Group and Expedia begin to shift some of their marketing spend away from TripAdvisor.
That's because the company on Tuesday said that in July, which is the start of the third quarter, TripAdvisor saw softer cost-per-click pricing in its hotel auction. In other words, online travel agencies or hotels seeking to place their links and rates in
