TripAdvisor Launches Special Offers Filter

When booking a hotel, customers seek confidence that they are making the best purchasing decision. Whether that is booking the lowest price or taking advantage of a promotion, on-site messaging that helps a buyer feel confident can help increase conversion rate. TripAdvisor has new functionality live to promote Special Offers that has the potential to increase customer confidence and lead to more bookings. Special Offers is now available as a filter option on the left-hand navigation and also has a more prominent placement with a callout on the hotel card. When a user hovers over the “Special offer” text, they can view that hotel’s specific offer. Clicking on the offer will direct the user to the advertiser’s website to complete the booking. There are a variety of features and promotions that advertisers can feature as Special Offers with TripAdvisor. Some examples include:

• Earning points toward a loyalty program
• Room upgrades
• Meal credits or complimentary breakfast
• Free WiFi or parking

We expect this increase in visibility of the Special Offers placement to have a positive impact on bookings for advertisers that participate in TripAdvisor’s Business Advantage program. For anyone running Special Offers, some of best practices include:

• Always display an offer when possible! Special Offers will make your hotel stand out in the search results.
• Be clear and concise. Make it easy for the user to understand the offer.
• Make your offer easy to redeem. Additional, confusing steps in the booking process can lead to lower conversion or offer redemption.
• Use offers to bring in your target customer. Different amenities and deals can appeal to different customers. For example, families are more likely to value free breakfast deals.

We’re always tracking updates to the major metasearch sites like TripAdvisor. Subscribe to the Koddi blog to stay on top of publisher changes and their impact in the metasearch space.