TripAdvisor gives independent hotels a new way to compete for bookings
Skift Take
There's been so much talk about hotel rate parity, and the sameness when searching for a hotel room. TripAdvisor's invitation to often-overlooked independent hotels and B&Bs may provide some real choice.
TripAdvisor is renowned for its millions of traveler-written hotel reviews, and now it is taking a similar tack with its recently launched hotel metasearch product, inviting often-ignored independent hotels and B&Bs to participate en masse on a cost-per-click basis.
With big hotel chains and online travel agencies dominating the hotel metasearch real estate on sites such as Kayak, TripAdvisor's latest move can be seen as a clever way to give travelers more choice -- and to fatten TripAdvisor's revenue by opening up the metasearch flood gates to lesser-known properties.
TripAdvisor plans to launch TripAd
