In today's edition: BCD brings forth Travix, TripAdvisor extends Excellence scheme, 101Holidays unveils 101FamilyHolidays, CarRentals apps into Facebook.
This is the regular Tnooz roundup of product news from around the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, all with a technology, online and digital twist - Monday 16 May 2011.
- Travix will be the branding for the five online travel agencies -- CheapTickets, Vliegwinkel, BudgetAir, Flugladen and Vayama -- which owner BCD Holdings has merged into flight-oriented OTA. With headquarters in Utrecht, The Netherlands and operations in 15 countries, including the U.S., Germany and India, Travix has 375 employees. CheapTickets is gearing up for a launch into Spain and Italy, as well, although a final decision on the brand name there has not been publicized.
- TripAdvisor is expanding its Certificate of Excellence program beyond lodging companies to include restaurants and attractions, the company says. Restaurants and attractions that earn travelers' reviews rating their venues four or higher, with five the top mark, earn a digital badge to display on their websites and a paper certificate.
- Another offering from the creators of 101Holidays, this time targeting fans of family holidays. 101FamilyHolidays is the fourth site using the common theme of matching high quality editorial with travel deals - but only 101 at any given time. Other sites in the stable include 101ShortBreaks and 101ShortBreaks.
- Facebook search and availability tools for UK car hire metasearch brand CarRentals. Fans of the site's Facebook page will be able to search and compare car hire services in 15,000 locations around the world and in four currencies (UK pound, US dollar, Euro, Australian dollar). The system also pre-populates search fields for the user based on their Facebook data.