EyeforTravel: Optimizing Meta-Search Distribution Strategy

We start off today with a discussion about metasearch distribution in travel.

Sam Shank, DealBase.com

Thinks UGC sites have ethical responsibility to link to the hotel site…instead of only3rd-party vendors.

Consumers really like travel meta search. It’s growing 40% annually, and gaining more buzz in social media.

How sites can move away from just low-price competition (taking ideas from commodity retail comparison):

1. Seller reviews (reputation, service records, etc)
2. Product-level custom message to differentiate (special deals & offers)
3. Adding a best-value indicator (takes into consideration a number of factors)

Fixing meta-search is a shared responsibility:

• Suppliers need to provide content to differentiate products
• Meta-search engines need to show this content to travelers

Tammy Peter, Wyndham Hotel Group

Meta-search should bring people to our brand website. When given the chance, consumers prefer booking with the brand (more flexibility & options).

Suppliers need to:

• Maintain rate parity – train consumers to use your website
• Promote the positive – watch what people are saying about you
• Participate regionally – incorporate local meta-search partners around the globe

Always watch & compare ROI from metasearch to all other distribution channels.

Noreen Courtney-Wilds, JetBlue

Benefit of metasearch: it delivers the customer to you. It lets you define & control the customer experience from start to finish.

Likes the cost-effectiveness: they only pay for actual bookings. (No risk)

The big drawback is the commoditization….but that’s not unique to metasearch. Any travel purchase option is affected by this.