The Trouble with TRIP

We've been close followers of TripAdvisor since the launch of its grand transformation from traveler review platform to hotel metasearch-cum-booking channel. Travel's largest website – at the top of its game – made a bold bet on a mobile-first future with metabooking at its center. Here's a short video we did in 2015 with our take on TRIP's big pivot.

The only catch is, pivots don't always work. TRIP's shift to metasearch and booking seems great in theory, but consumers just aren't having it – at least not yet. Conversion on TRIP's hotel path pales in comparison to other leading travel brands.*

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TRIP is the go-to destination for top-of-the-funnel travel planning, but travelers don't seem to be buying into Instant Booking. The big question for the company in 2017 is whether they can lasso those traveler hordes all the way through the funnel to Book Now. If not, this grand plan could become a pivot into a ditch.

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* This research was conducted in partnership with Jumpshot, and is based on an analysis of traffic, conversion and clickstream data for the U.S. websites of major hotel, OTA, metasearch and private accommodation brands between 2014 and 2016.