Traxo, the travel organiser service, is promising a new level of personalisation in hotel search with 'Traxo Factor'.
The intelligence engine takes into account more than 12 elements within a traveller's profile and travel history to produce the 10 most relevant options. The system uses an algorithm to analyse elements including loyalty accounts, past stays, average star-rating previously booked and any submitted hotel reviews.
Traxo received funding of $4.2 million last October in a round led by Advantage Capital Partners saying the money was earmarked for product development and international expansion.
Commenting on the initiative, chief executive Andres Fabris claimed Traxo is the only service with a 360-degree insight into the traveller.
The company has provided the following example:
Two different travellers are provided with different recommendations for the same trip.
Traveler A - loyal to Starwood and Kimpton but frequently stays at the Hyatt Magnificent Mile when in Chicago and will see recommendations for that Hyatt, along with a Westin and Kimpton option for an upcoming Chicago trip.
Meanwhile traveller B - favors mid-tier properties at a lower price and isn’t loyal to a particular brand and the Traxo system recommends a mix of affordable three-star hotels based on TripAdvisor reviews and past hotel stays at similar properties (see image below).
Traxo Factor only uses information that travellers are happy to share to make the hotel recommendations.
The development is interesting given the ongoing quest for increased personalisation especially from the online travel agency sector as well as the emergence of sites such as Top10 (startup pitch here), which offers users a personalised shortlist of properties by using an algorithm to crunch data and find the best, relevant deal.
The company also says recommendations should get smarter over time as travellers use the system more and more.