Metasearch

PhocusWire's in-depth coverage of the metasearch sector, featuring news, analysis, interviews, research and more on the brands and their strategies, executives and positions in the market.

Google unveils Gemini’s new trip planning capabilities
News / Technology
Google unveils Gemini’s new trip planning capabilities
By D.J. Catron | May 14, 2024
Google’s new version of Gemini uses spatial data and reasoning to prioritize and make decisions while building a personal itinerary. Read More
Steve Hafner on 20 years at Kayak: "The innovation isn't over yet"
News / Online
Steve Hafner on 20 years at Kayak: "The innovation isn't over yet"
By D.J. Catron | May 11, 2024
As the metasearch site passes 20 years since its launch, CEO Steve Hafner shares his views on generative AI, Kayak for Business, the future of metasearch and more.   Read More
Tripadvisor is not for sale - at least not for now
News / Online
Tripadvisor is not for sale - at least not for now
By Morgan Hines | May 8, 2024
Tripadvisor announced it is not selling amid first quarter earnings results that included revenue of $395 million, reflecting year-over-year growth of 6%. Read More
Trivago claims early success of brand marketing switch
News / Online
Trivago claims early success of brand marketing switch
By Linda Fox | May 1, 2024
Trivago reported a net loss for the quarter of €8.4 million compared with net profit of €9.9 million for Q1 2023. Read More
How visual content is reshaping flight shopping for travelers, airlines and resellers
News / Technology
How visual content is reshaping flight shopping for travelers, airlines and resellers
By Mitra Sorrells | May 1, 2024
One of the pillars of customer-centricity in the airline industry is rich content – giving flight shoppers a clear and visually compelling booking experience similar to what they see... Read More
Ben Drew announces Viator departure after 12 years at Tripadvisor
News / Online
Ben Drew announces Viator departure after 12 years at Tripadvisor
By Morgan Hines | April 9, 2024
Ben Drew announced his decision to leave his position as Viator's president on LinkedIn Tuesday. Read More
A visual history of digital travel brands’ revenues since 1995
News / Online
A visual history of digital travel brands’ revenues since 1995
By Mitra Sorrells | April 9, 2024
Watch a visual progression of the quarterly revenues for publicly-traded digital travel companies dating back to 1995. Read More
Google enhances generative AI trip planning – without ads for now
News / Technology
Google enhances generative AI trip planning – without ads for now
By Mitra Sorrells | March 27, 2024
The suggested itineraries will pull ideas from sites across the web and include things such as reviews, photos and other Google Business profile details for more than 200 million places around the... Read More
Fritz Demopoulos on new frontiers in travel and beyond
News / Online
Fritz Demopoulos on new frontiers in travel and beyond
By Yeoh Siew Hoon - WiT | March 26, 2024
Fritz Demopolous co-founded Qunar, the first travel metasearch company in China, and has invested in several travel companies including GetYourGuide, TravelPerk and Tourlane. Read More
STARTUP STAGE: Explorely wants to be “Kayak for outdoor travel”
Interview / Startups
STARTUP STAGE: Explorely wants to be “Kayak for outdoor travel”
By Mitra Sorrells | March 18, 2024
Explorely is a platform to help travelers find and book campsites and vehicles such as campervans, trailers and motorhomes around North America, with plans to expand into Europe. Read More
Point.me announces American Express partnership
News / Online
Point.me announces American Express partnership
By Morgan Hines | March 11, 2024
American Express card members will be able to use Point.me, a PhocusWire Hot 25 Travel Startup for 2024, to search for reward flights. Read More
Kayak launches image recognition tool to compare flight prices from a screenshot
News / Technology
Kayak launches image recognition tool to compare flight prices from a screenshot
By Derek Catron and Morgan Hines | March 5, 2024
Extensive training of ChatGPT’s AI model on Kayak’s database of billions of consumer travel queries helped produce the metasearch site’s new features. Read More
TravelAI relaunches Casai website with focus on luxury short-term rentals
News / Online
TravelAI relaunches Casai website with focus on luxury short-term rentals
By D.J. Catron | March 1, 2024
After acquiring the domain name of the Latin American short-term rental startup, TravelAI will use the site to target travelers interested primarily in the Mediterranean and Caribbean.   Read More
Tripadvisor Plus is shutting down after three years
News / Online
Tripadvisor Plus is shutting down after three years
By Morgan Hines | March 1, 2024
In remarks at the Phocuswright Conference in November, Tripadvisor CEO Matt Goldberg said the company would focus on the benefits of free membership versus trying to build the paid subscription program. Read More
Study: How AI boosts digital advertising and direct bookings
News / Technology
Study: How AI boosts digital advertising and direct bookings
By Derek Catron | February 21, 2024
Recent advances in AI’s handling of digital advertising have increased the possibilities for hotels to grow direct bookings, a study from D-Edge found.   Read More