This is a roundup of product news and announcements for travel MARKETING in tourism and hospitality for September 2014.
29 September 2014:
Olery opens its social API
- The Amsterdam-based company, which sells online reputation management and feedback tools to hotels and hospitality companies, has made available a single API to access millions of reviews from more than 100 sources for hotels worldwide including aggregated ratings and sentiment analysis. Its lets travel developers do some neat tricks.
20 September 2014:Wego debuts TV and online video ads
- The Asia-Pacific metasearch engine has created three 30-second and three 15-second ad-spots to bolster its brand with leisure travellers. The ads are currently running in Indonesia, with plans to extend the campaign to other markets in the region.
MatchByte secures Scoot ecommerce contract
- The Singapore Airlines off-shoot worked with MatchByte to get its original website off the ground in 2012. MatchByte says the new agreement will see it work on enhancing the carrier's ecommerce capabilities, mainly around improving the internet booking engine and other functionality.
TripFactory to power
Air Costa holidays
- The Indian domestic carrier will use the TripFactory platform to run a new holidays channel from its main website, giving passengers the chance to dynamically package a hotel with a flight on the carrier's network. The fledgling airline launched in October 2013 and currently flies to nine cities in the country, including Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
18 September 2014:Pintrips and Skyscanner get closer
- US travel startup Pintrips claims today that it has launched the "first ever technology to infer user intent for flight choices, making coordination and planning travel easier and cheaper." Pintrip users will also now be able to search for trips via Skyscanner, the UK-based metasearch site.
16 September 2014:Thomson smiles on marketing campaign
- UK-based tour operator Thomson has unveiled details of its latest marketing campaign which focuses on the brand's 'smile' logo. The 'Discover Your Smile' campaign kicks off with television advertising later this month and also features online activity, email marketing and a social media push. An interactive site has been developed which will also go live later this month.
Vegas.com redesign
- Online travel agency Vegas.com has rebranded itself with a new logo, tagline and site redesign based around being able to provide the inside scoop on the destination. The OTA has also introduced new features such as the Drop Watch rate tracking service to help users get the best hotel prices.
12 September 2014:HotelTonight reveals European booking trends
- Last-minute booking app HotelTonight has put together insights based on the habits of its customers. The research reveals that while on average most Europeans use the service to book a hotel at 3pm, the majority of Germans and Spanish book before midday. The top three concerns emerge as comfort, reliability and amenities. Users of the app tend to access the service about three times a week.
3 September 2014Urban Adventures partners with Uber
- Tours & Activities specialist Urban Adventures is offering anyone who books one of its tours in Ho Chi Minh City a free ride with Uber. The partnership is in support of Uber's launch in Ho Chi Minh City. The Uber ride can be used to or from the airport or tagged on to the Urban Adventures tour.
TrustYou and SmartDepart join forces
- Online reputation specialist TrustYou is partnering with newly launched hotel decision engine SmartDepart to help travellers book hotels. SmartDepart combines hotel prices with review summaries and TrustScores from TrustYou enabling travellers to compare and receive recommendations based on the information.
KLM enables Amsterdam-New York live high-five
- Hundreds of people from Amsterdam and New York were able to participate in a live high-five last week via a video link set up by KLM. The event was part of the airline's KLM World Deal Weeks with the high-five gesture as the campaign gesture.
2 September 2014Priceline launches its first TV national advertising campaign in Canada
- Canadian travelers have long found (and used) priceline.com through search engines and word-of-mouth. But, over the last year, the brand has added a significant number of new hotels along with a Canadian currency display for the core product offerings (on desktop and via mobile devices). And, with these updates, the brand felt the timing was right to increase its presence in Canada and elevate these new features among Canadian consumers by launching a TV blitz, including this 30-second William Shatner ad.
NB: Digital marketing image via Shutterstock.