As you can see from our stories below, it was a rather quiet week for online travel. Enjoy.
Want to Play a Game While You Book That Vacation Package?
(“OYO, Hopper bet on gamification to drive user retention,” March 7, 2022 via Phocus Wire)
Yes, another story about Hopper. Last week, Skift ran an interesting story on plans by both OYO and Hopper to incorporate games into their booking platforms. Both companies view games as a means to higher user retention and ultimately to achieving the much-desired super app status. According to Hopper, it is exploring both “game theory” (using rewards to drive desired outcomes) and actual games that entertain users and drive repeat visits (and ultimately, bookings). The Chinese e-commerce site, Pinduoduo, is one example that Hopper identifies where game theory and actual games have led to significant numbers of repeat users. Rather than investing in paid search marketing (like the majority of Hopper’s major booking platform competitors), Hopper is exploring using its marketing resources to reward frequent users with discounts and other financial rewards.
Hotelbeds Gets Creative in the Face of Competition
(“Hotelbeds expands partnership with RateTiger as the company launches new pricing model,” March 4, 2022 via Hospitality Net - Latest Industry News)
As Expedia’s wholesale platform expands (albeit, slowly) and Booking Holdings prepares for the launch of its competing wholesale platform via Priceline, Hotelbeds is apparently turning to creative options to remain relevant and competitive. Last week, Hotelbeds announced, in collaboration with connectivity solution/channel manager, Rate Tiger, a new occupancy-based pricing model that Hotelbeds claims will provide suppliers greater pricing control and ultimately, visibility. Little detail was provided about the model in the announcement.
