As the founder and CEO of Hitlist, an app that claims to have saved its users more than $20 million on flights, Gillian Morris knows a thing or two about online travel trends.
Once named as one of the top Young Leaders to Watch by PhocusWright, Morris' company has been seeded by the likes of the chairman of Orbitz and the founder of JetBlue.
Now, as HitList announced its Android launch, Morris talked with PhocusWire about travel trends, Google's place as the metasearch engine of record and how mobile apps are bridging a gap for travelers.
Hitlist has come so far in a short period of time, which reflects a larger industry trend of people not only wanting a good deal, but wanting a good deal at the last minute, while still retaining a quality traveler's experience.
That's exactly it -- today's traveler wants, not only a good deal, but a quality deal, and that's where Hitlist and the like comes in.
With today's traveler gravitating more towards mobile platforms, we fill a gap that currently exists between the user and the OTA.
What's more, we integrate other functionality within our app - like the ability to connect, via social media, to other users within our app to see where they've been, where they're going, and to provide suggestions for the user to book other destinations
at the same time.
Google clearly has positioned itself as "the" search engine of record.
Gillian Morris
Founder and CEO, Hitlist
Speaking to that social connection within the app - do you see, within the travel industry, that there's a greater desire to connect socially, rather than have that travel experience exist within a vacuum?
Absolutely, and our data bears that out.
People are more likely to go, not only to places where their friends have been, but will be more likely to book additional travel within the app upon seeing a recommendation for that place post-booking.
What other trends are you seeing from Hitlist data?
As was previously mentioned, we're seeing an increase in using a mobile platform - rather than a laptop platform - to book travel, and this is true no matter the age group of the traveler.
And this is where mobile apps like ours are filling the gap, even as OTAs are starting to feel the "crunch" of a downturn in usage.
Your comment on Twitter about Google and OTAs really intrigued me. Do you feel as though Google will ever enter that OTA
space? It was previously suggested that they will not.
No, Google definitely will not enter that OTA or direct booking space, because it won't ever take the risk of hiring customer service and other ancillary support staff.
However, Google clearly has positioned itself, not only as a metasearch engine, but the search engine of record.
And if we, and other apps, can use it to our advantage, we'll be able to continue to corner the market.