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.

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
With speculation of a sale in the air, Tripadvisor reports record revenue driven – again – by Viator
News / Online
With speculation of a sale in the air, Tripadvisor reports record revenue driven – again – by Viator
By Mitra Sorrells | February 14, 2024
Two days after announcing it has created a special committee and retained a mergers and acquisition advisory firm, Tripadvisor reported an all-time high for revenue in 2023 led by a 49% growth in... Read More
Trivago counting on increased marketing spend to improve results
News / Online
Trivago counting on increased marketing spend to improve results
By Linda Fox | February 7, 2024
Full year revenue for the hotel metasearch service came in at €485 million, down 9% versus 2022, and €92 million for the quarter, down 13% year over year. Read More
Google under fire for proposed changes to search in Europe
News / Online
Google under fire for proposed changes to search in Europe
By Linda Fox | January 24, 2024
The search giant has been criticized for not engaging with businesses on planned changes to comply with the Digital Markets Act as well as falling short of the regulation's requirements with those... Read More
Travel executives react to Rabbit AI agent device
News / Technology
Travel executives react to Rabbit AI agent device
By Arvindh Yuvaraj - WebinTravel | January 18, 2024
In the week since its unveiling at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the Rabbit R1 has created a frenzy in the tech space. Read More
Travel's journey through the generative AI platform shift
Opinion / Technology
Travel's journey through the generative AI platform shift
By Mario Gavira | January 16, 2024
Mario Gavira discusses whether we're in the midst of a pivotal moment that will see the rise of a new platform allowing us to interact and harness artificial intelligence. Read More
The Phocuswright Conference 2026