Recent studies have shown that the research phase of the seven-step online travel process is becoming frustrating for consumers. Many travelers search a large number of sites or spend extended periods of time seeking information regarding airlines, hotels, car rentals, attractions and destinations that are best suited to their interests and needs. Google, with its massive search traffic and extensive advertising platform is well suited to help the travel industry improve travel research. In addition to many innovative tools that are currently offered, Google could help travel marketers by embracing travel industry standards and working to create persona-based traveler profiles that will better align the products of travel suppliers with customer needs.
How Google Can Help Facilitate Travel Inspiration
Google, through its embracing the Open Source development community provides a wide variety of tools to developers, if creatively employed, can produce applications that help inspire travel. The Google Code site that supports developers offers numerous technologies that can help online travel sites create more compelling content to support eComerce for airlines, hotels, car rental, attractions and destinations. Google Wave provides a powerful platform for traditional travel agents to engage and collaborate with clients that will enhance their ability to inspire travel.
How Google Can Help Revolutionize Online Travel
A perfect storm of a lack of online travel innovation, traveler frustration, and an economic downturn that limits investment for potential new entrants provides Google with an opportunity to dramatically democratize online travel. With a large number of tools that already help facilitate online travel search, and social media, Google can further simplify access to better organized information to help a broader range of travel suppliers, destinations and sellers increase commerce and competition.
Why Google Will Radically Democratize Online Travel
The online travel industry may be well positioned for a radical step forward and Google may be the organization that can make it happen. A recent Forrester Research report has indicated that travelers are highly frustrated with the online travel experience. Online travel companies have been criticized for an apparent lack of organic innovation. Travel aligns nicely with Google’s mobile strategies and appears to be a perfect fit with the Google corporate philosophy.
Online Travel Companies in Hotel Tax Squeeze Play
Online travel agencies such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and Priceline are being subjected to lawsuits from a large number of cities claiming that they are underpaying the hotel room tax on stand-alone hotel bookings. A $184 million consumer class action lawsuit was recently filed in Washington State against Expedia that now opens a new front for these online travel agents to defend.
Online Travel Companies and Travel Technology Innovation
Online travel companies Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and Priceline have grown substantially through acquisition of small entrepreneurial organizations that have created innovative online travel technologies. Critics say that the online travel industry reached a functionality plateau and the online travel companies have difficulty with organic innovation. The root cause may be due to the trade-offs involved when managing for quarterly profits and investing in R&D for longer term success.
