How is mobile impacting how people book travel?
What are trends in the competitive landscape?
- OTA: Priceline, Expedia
- Metasearch: Trivago, Kayak, C Trip, Hotels Combined
- Large Online Search (basically meta-search): Google, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, Facebook, Alibaba, Amazon
- Restaurants: Yelp, OpenTable (Priceline)
- Vacation Rentals (Airbnb, Homeaway (Expedia))
What are competitors saying about TRIP in their transcripts?
Consider strength of UGC communities
- Yelp (restaurants); Trip (travel); Zocdoc (doctors); Amazon (items)
Key metrics to analyze
- Supply side: number of hotels, number of vacation rentals, number of restaurants, number of activities
- Engagement indicators: number of reviews, candid traveler photos, places to stay, contributions per minute
What are the dynamics of hotel usage vs. alternative accomodations (Airbnb)
- Easy booking with no human intermediaries
What is sustainability and dynamics associated with Priceline and Expedia partnerships?
What is TripAdvisor’s core demographic? (this relates to the potential success of their TV campaign)
What are risks associated with CPC based advertising?
How have online travel companies fared during economic downturns or after terrorist attacks?
What has Stephen Kaufer said about his vision for the business?