Stayz.com.au has finalised the first phase of its partnership with TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website. With this 15,000 Stayz holiday rental listings are now available on TripAdvisor, with more set to follow in the coming months.
This is the first major international distribution partnership for Stayz and is significant for Stayz holiday rental property owners who will gain visibility with TripAdvisor’s 50 million plus unique monthly visitors.
For travellers around the world, the partnership means they can complete a comprehensive search across inventory from multiple websites in a single display on TripAdvisor, when they are planning their holidays. It also opens local Australian properties up to a new global travelling community, increasing the profile of Australian holiday rentals on a world scale.
Meanwhile, in a new case study, HeBS has reviewed the results for a selection of clients that have participated in the TripAdvisor CPC “Show Prices” program. Year-to-date in 2012, participating hotels generated an average return on ad spend of 1131%. HeBS analysis shows that revenues generated and ROAS from the TripAdvisor CPC Program are directly correlated to the property’s TripAdvisor rank and percentile rank in the respective destination, as well as level of brand recognition.
TripAdvisor’s “Show Prices” CPC program is a major distribution channel that provides high return on ad spend for hotels big and small, branded or independent. Used as a tool to lessen dependency on OTAs, this program can boost direct bookings, thereby increasing overall revenues and strengthening brand identity.
In another development, a partnership between TripAdvisor and online accommodation booking site, Quickbeds.com, is set to create a platform for travellers to make better decisions on where to stay based on guest reviews.
Under the agreement, Quickbeds has implemented TripAdvisor’s review collection platform to encourage traveller reviews and opinions. Customers of Quickbeds will be sent an email after their stay, directing them to a survey powered by TripAdvisor, with the results to be posted on both websites, subject to TripAdvisor’s submission policies.
Christine Petersen, president of TripAdvisor for business, also took time to clear up what she said are some “misconceptions” the public has about the review site, including: “You can’t trust the reviews”. Ms Petersen said TripAdvisor has had 60 million unique visitors to the site year to date in 2012 and there are more than 75 million reviews on the site. The truth, she said, is bound to shine through when considering that kind of volume. “More reviews, more accurate,” she said.
“The only people who post are people who want to complain.” The average score of a hotel on TripAdvisor is 4.01 out of 5, Petersen said. “People are happy,” she said. “People around the world are eager to share positive experiences.”
Ms Petersen offered some words of wisdom when it comes to the negative hotel reviews that are on the site. She said a hotel’s management would be wise to respond to such a review. “Management responses are the last word,” she said. “A carefully written management (response) is the end of the story.”
