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PhocusWire's in-depth coverage of travel search, featuring news, analysis, interviews, research and more on Google, other search engines, strategies, executives and role in the market.

tripadvisor sponsored placements direct booking
News / Online
TripAdvisor helps hoteliers boost direct bookings through new Sponsored Placements feature
By Jill Menze | October 23, 2019
TripAdvisor is introducing a direct-booking feature to its Sponsored Placements product for accommodation providers designed to help them boost revenue. Read More
REPORT: Building lifetime value in travel through travel recommendations
From Our Partners / Online
REPORT: Building lifetime value in travel through travel recommendations
By Marisa Garcia - PhocusWire | October 3, 2019
We explore the power of personal recommendations in the travel sector, as well as the best way to convert travelers to brand advocates and how to best use tools like NPS to drive new customer... Read More
Destination marketing, part 2: Opportunities in search and social
News / Technology
Destination marketing, part 2: Opportunities in search and social
By Mitra Sorrells | September 16, 2019
Destinations are embracing platforms such as Google, WeChat, Facebook and Instagram to educate and inspire travelers. Read More
koddi broken marketing funnel
Opinion / Online
Rethinking the (broken) travel marketing funnel
By Bill Chase - Koddi | September 11, 2019
As the digital media landscape continues to shift, it’s in the mid-funnel where travel brands stand to gain the greatest competitive edge - but only if they move quickly to rebalance their budgets... Read More
google price match hotels
Opinion / Distribution
Google price-matching: Are hotel bookings next?
By Gino Engels - OTA Insight | September 6, 2019
With Google testing a "lowest fare" price guarantee  on flights, what happens if the guarantee extends to hotels? Read More
vacasa google integration
News / Distribution
Google adds Vacasa to vacation rental search
By Jill Menze | September 5, 2019
In March, Google added vacation rental properties to its Hotel Search function, and it’s now adding the first vacation rental management brand to the mix through a partnership with Vacasa. Read More
Travelport EasyJet voice search in app
News / Technology
Travelport creates voice search for EasyJet’s app
By Mitra Sorrells | September 5, 2019
Dubbed “Speak Now,” the search tool has been created by Travelport using Google Cloud’s natural language understanding tool known as Dialogflow. Read More
tripadvisor free wi fi restaurants
News / Technology
TripAdvisor will offer Wi-Fi services to restaurants to help their marketing efforts
By Mitra Sorrells | August 20, 2019
TripAdvisor Wi-Fi Plus is a new option to enable restaurants to offer free Wi-Fi to their guests in return for sharing their email or social media credential. Read More
What’s next for Google’s expansion into vacation rentals?
Opinion / Distribution
What’s next for Google’s expansion into vacation rentals?
By James Burrows - Rentals United | August 16, 2019
With Google entering the vacation rental market, what future developments could impact direct bookings, guest experience, customer ownership and the current ecosystem? Read More
Trivago Q2 2019 earnings
News / Online
Trivago returns to referral revenue growth, ticks four consecutive quarters of profitability
By Mitra Sorrells | July 24, 2019
Trivago is on the upswing in the first half of 2019, with increased profitability and a return to positive referral revenue growth. Read More
TripActions 250M series D
News / Startups
TripActions raises again, $250M round going to aggressive growth plan
By Mitra Sorrells | June 27, 2019
This latest investment comes less than eight months after TripActions' Series C round last November which brought in $154 million. Read More
WEBINAR REPLAY! How hoteliers can succeed with the Google Ads Migration
News / Online
WEBINAR REPLAY! How hoteliers can succeed with the Google Ads Migration
By PhocusWire | June 20, 2019
To help advertisers use Hotel Ads in a more robust and scaled manner, Google is introducing a new Google Ads campaign type called Hotel Campaigns. Read More
VIDEO: MediaAlpha - Launch pitch runner-up at Phocuswright Europe 2019
Interview / Online
VIDEO: MediaAlpha - Launch pitch runner-up at Phocuswright Europe 2019
By PhocusWire | May 29, 2019
Exposing the muddy world of the dominant opaque travel comparison ad networks and introducing a new - completely transparent - way to buy and sell these high-performance, high-intent ad placements. Read More
VIDEO: Google on leveraging machine learning in travel search
News / Online
VIDEO: Google on leveraging machine learning in travel search
By Kevin May | May 28, 2019
Google is at the heart of the search experience and sits on enormous amounts of data that, it says, helps create a better search experience for travelers. Read More
VIDEO: Rethinking the entry of Google in travel
News / Online
VIDEO: Rethinking the entry of Google in travel
By Kevin May | May 20, 2019
A series of spiky (angry, even) tweets and comments during conferences over the years - that's been the mainstay of one critic of Google's role in travel. Read More
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