TripWare says it knows what road warriors hate: travel websites full of advertising and pre-checked travel extras.
So -- drumroll please -- TripWare introduced TripWare WebBook, "the first ad-free travel website for direct booking of flights, cars and hotels," the company says.
I'm not sure "business travelers dislike online display ads when planning and researching their travel," as TripWare vice president of marketing and brand Dean Wright says the company's research shows.
After all, if business travelers have no patience for ads -- perhaps for a hotel near their meeting or a restaurant reservation -- then who does?
Someone must be clicking on those ads and buying stuff. And, apart from the clutter-free, but still not very attractive user interface, the Phoenix-based company bills TripWare WebBook as a business travel offering, but says leisure travelers can use it just the same.
If road warriors want to feel they are special, then one size fits all won't really work. Also, TripWare WebBook doesn't offer bookings for JetBlue or Southwest, although the company says it is working on it.
There's not much differentiation or readily apparent reason to use TripWare WebBook over the legion of competitor travel websites, although the company argues that its personalization tools make everything super-relevant and fast.
And, then, unlike at airline and many online travel agency websites, TripWare WebBook charges a $4.99 online booking fee for air for each itinerary and it gets bumped up to $25 for a domestic flight and $45 for an international flight when booked over the phone. So the site may have no ads, but the booking fees may get in the way.