Trivago has recently begun experimenting with a new user experience that attempts to meet travelers’ needs by utilizing lowest price callouts to better reflect consumer preferences.

What is this new user experience?

This new feature offers travelers room and booking options to meet their specific needs, but only at the lowest price. Options include free breakfast, room type, and more. The deals are based on the same thinking as Google’s Room Booking Module (RBM) and Trivago’s Top Deals section, but the experience is designed to display deals by lowest price instead of features or room photos.

The deals can be viewed from the “All deals for…” or “More deals from…” buttons shown below. When a user clicks here, they are taken to another display with callouts at the top and a list they can filter below.

This view gives travelers a wider range of options, including the new banner experience featured at the top and a full list of features available with each of the booking providers. Users can view even more features like balcony access, bed types, and free WiFi.

What deals are offered?

The deals offered to potential bookers can be broken down into three callout groups: room type, booking options, and lowest rate. Room type deals are usually classified as standard, double, or superior; these deals are often accompanied by booking options and room features in the display.

Booking options include free breakfast, free cancelation, pay at the hotel, and often, a combination of these offerings. The three to five deals that populate the callout banner are not necessarily the hotel offerings in top position.

What does this mean for metasearch advertisers?

This user experience has the potential to subtly change the dynamics of ad placement. While being in top position still ensures a rate will be shown first in the search pane, the lowest rate callout feature can siphon away clicks from top position metasearch ads. This will only affect travelers that are highly interested in the types of rooms and hotel offerings available.

It is important to note that a higher top position share seems to improve an advertiser’s chances of being displayed in these callout windows. Thus, it is important that advertisers pay close attention to their price parity on Trivago to maintain their position in the callout displays.

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