The top-ranked travel site: a lesson learned

If it's really complicated, you're likely looking at it the wrong way. In other words, I am a firm believer in simplicity. If you understand what people do or want to do, and really get it, the solution should be simple.

Along that line of thought, we first looked at rankings of various travel sites to see where people are going on-line. Very simply. Alexa provides rankings by country and by subject, making this an easy task (http://www.alexa.com/browse?&CategoryID=238). Not surprisingly, booking engines crowd the top 10. But here is the most interesting thing about the list: the top site is TripAdvisor (www.tripadvisor.com). TripAdvisor collects hotel reviews from its users and gives the information back to visitors looking to make more informed decisions about the hotels they will stay at. Because it is the top travel site on the web in terms of traffic, it is a good case to look at to get a better understanding of what people do, what they look for and what is good execution by a web 2.0 destination focused on travel. Here are some of my takes on why TripAdvisor is doing well:

Note: TripAdvisor has a lot more features than this, but arguably, their popularity has been built largely on hotel reviews and likely the leading reason why people visit them. We know they are building on top of this. It will be interesting to see where they go next.

1. People want to spend their money wisely. Travel spending is no exception. They feel that if they research a bit and do their homework, they increase their chance of not making a mistake.
2. While sites like Condé Nast Traveler (http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler) create world's-best lists, people also put a lot of importance on what other people like them have to say. This is because they look for value, and people who chose a hotel based on a set of expectations will be best able to relay whether these expectations were met compared to the price paid. If Condé Nast wants to do that, they have to ask people. TripAdvisor makes this direct.
3. There is a near real-time aspect to reviews on TripAdvisor. Things change over time for many reasons, and wear and tear of hotel properties are no different. The recency of reviews is a factor. The popularity of the site brings this additional benefit.
4. Where you sleep is deeply personal. Each night while you are away, you will need to sleep, wash up and leave your personal belongings there. People look for indications of cleanliness, service, safety and proximity to attractions. Making the wrong choice on a hotel can have a profound effect on your travel experience or at best, waste time and money to rectify. Because of this, the service that TripAdvisor provides resonates even more with visitors.
5. While there is quite a bit of advertising, it is not intrusive and does not not detract from being able to write or find reviews. The site is attractive and well-organized.

At ScotchHopper, we retain the following guidelines from our look at TripAdvisor:

• In web 2.0 or social networks, it's all about the community. Know the community you are trying to serve well and be focused and personal. Do not try to be all things to all people.
• Understand what is valuable to your community, what they think is really important in their travel plans. Then enable them to explore this and find what they need.
• People's opinions are a great way to assess value. be creative and make this as useful as possible.
• Do not let commercial interests get in the way of serving your community.

Next post: a pioneer in online travel communities