TripAdvisor has acquired Citymaps, a New York City-based, social-mapping startup.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed. A year ago, Citymaps raised a $6 million financing round -- with Nokia Growth Partners, Coatue Management, and Acadia Woods participating. It has raised $12 million, to date.
Citymaps will remain a standalone brand.
When Tnooz profiled Citymaps four months ago, its CEO and founder Elliot Cohen argued that his 16-person company had found a niche in the online navigation market.
Said Cohen:
“The incumbent players [e.g., Google Maps and Apple Maps] are designed for one thing, to get you from Point A to Point B, and they do that terrifically well. We wanted to create an interface that uses maps as a discovery tool.”
To that end, Citymaps — available via app, mobile browser and desktop website — takes a more dynamic approach. On the back end, it aggregates information from several dozen sources, including Wikitravel, Viator, OpenTable, Groupon, and Travelzoo (for deals) and Songkick and Ticketmaster (for events and performances).
On the user side, that translates into a more immersive experience. When a user brings up a map, nearby Points of Interest (POIs) are indicated by photos or logos, rather than just business names.
When tapped, each one brings up more detailed information, including, among other things, additional photos, insights and reviews from other users and a button that invites the user to save POIs they’re interested in via a so-called “Map Collection,” i.e., a personalized map.
“We all ask friends for insights, read blogs and jot down favorite places,” says Cohen. “Personal collections are a way to create locally based stories.”
Adding a social component, the company encourages users to make their collections public, which are incorporated into POIs’ “View more details” pages and then get surfaced when another user taps the icon.
The company also works with 200-plus publishers, ranging from Buzzfeed to Travel + Leisure, allowing them to create maps of their own curated suggestions.
Currently, the site has more than 1 million users and generates revenue through a variety of channels, including partnerships, advertising, bookings and licensing deals.
Put it all together and the result is a multi-layered interface that combines navigation, practical details, reviews from other travelers and professional insights from the likes of Michelin Guides and Anthony Bourdain.
In an emailed statement, Adam Medros, senior vice president, global product, TripAdvisor, said:
“The Citymaps team understands how people experience their day through a maps lens. We are excited to welcome the team to the TripAdvisor family of brands to help TripAdvisor ensure its mapping features best address the needs of its users who are increasingly accessing the site on mobile devices.”
TripAdvisor also said that its existing mapping features receive millions of views per day.
For more on Citymaps, read Tnooz's April 2016 profile: Steadily-growing Citymaps adds offline navigation to its mobile app and our 2015 story Citymaps raises $6 million to fuel its Yelp/Google Maps mashup.