New Tripadvisor CEO on the future of travel

Matt Goldberg recently completed his first 100 days as president and CEO of Tripadvisor, but he says “people should be writing a book about the second 100 days because that’s where the action is.”

The veteran media executive became CEO of the travel information and booking website on July 1. He spoke on Nov. 15 at The Phocuswright Conference in Phoenix.

Goldberg says he looks forward to reimagining the future of travel – while “putting the consumer at the heart of everything we do.”

Tripadvisor will continue to provide “trusted guidance” while becoming more immersive and meeting the traveler wherever they are, Goldberg says. Travelers turn to Tripadvisor to verify the choices they’re making.

“Ultimately that trust is still a fundamental part of what our brand stands for. In the travel space, we’re more trusted than many of our competitors, including Google. So we need to reinforce that.”

Tripadvisor can also enhance the app experience - an area that Viator, one of its brands, has had great success with, according to the CEO.

“What we're all about is connecting people to experiences that are worth sharing, and we need to make sure that our product experience reflects that as well.”

Right now Tripadvisor is “in the messy middle” of identifying which areas to strengthen, which ones to do differently and what to drop completely.

“How can we engage consumers in a far more meaningful way?” Goldberg says. “Why would somebody become a member of Tripadvisor?

“It’s a little bit jarring to start with, ‘You’re a member, and we’re going to charge you something right away,’” when people aren’t accustomed to spending money on the site, he adds.

Tripadvisor has a wealth of data about what travelers want, where they want to go and the kinds of experiences they want to have. The company can make better use of that data and leverage it to imagine future commercial opportunities, according to the CEO.

Watch the full discussion with PhocusWire editor in chief Mitra Sorrells below.