評論
打印
Travel websites
旅行網站
David vs two Goliaths
大衛對陣兩大巨人
TripAdvisor could challenge the big two providers of online travel services
旅行顧問可能挑戰兩大在線旅游服務的提供商
Service poor, view disappointing
服務差，看起來讓人失望
“BREAKFAST is nasty, the rooms are nasty.” So complained a reviewer of anOregonguesthouse earlier this year. There is nothing unusual in that: all hotels must deal with the odd disgruntled guest. This critique, though, appeared on TripAdvisor, a travel-review website. When the correspondent went on to document drunken housekeepers and licentious receptionists, the owners sued him. It was more than a point of pride. What customers say on TripAdvisor can make or break hotels. Around 260m people visit the site each month to read some of the 125m reviews.
“早餐很糟糕，房間很差勁。”今年早些時候，一個評論者如此評論俄勒岡州賓館。這很正常的：所有的酒店都必須應對那些對酒店有所不滿的客人。不過，這條評論出現在一家旅行評論網站——旅行顧問（TripAdvisor）上。當記者繼續報道了醉酒的酒店管家以及囂張的接待員后，酒店所有者起訴了他。這不僅是出于對酒店的自尊。顧客在旅行顧問網站上的言論可能成就一家酒店，也可能毀滅它。每月約2.6億人登陸該網站在1.25億評論中查看自己想要的信息。
The firm makes money by displaying prices from online travel-agents (OTAs) alongside its reviews, and then charging those agents each time a customer clicks through. It is such a good example of a network effect that it is the subject of a Harvard Business School (HBS) case study. The more users post reviews, the more useful the site is to those about to book a holiday. This makes it more important to hotels and travel agents, who offer better deals. This results in more traffic—and more reviews—closing the virtuous circle. Last year TripAdvisor reported revenue of $944.7m. Because users post reviews free of charge, in 2012, Jeffrey Bussgang, an HBS lecturer, calculated that its gross margin was an astounding 98%.
該公司通過顯示網上旅游社的報價以及顧客的相關評論來盈利。每個用戶每次點擊進入該網站，它都會向相關旅行社收取費用。對于哈佛商學院一個以網絡效應為主題的案例研究來說，這是一個很好的例子。對于那些正打算預訂假期的人，越多的用戶發布評論，就越有幫助。對于酒店和旅行社，這也使得“哪家更劃算？”的問題更加重要。這會導致更多的瀏覽量—更多的評論—逐漸打破良性循環。旅行顧問網站去年營收9.447億美元。由于用戶發布評論是免費的，據哈佛商學院的講師Jeffrey Bussgang 計算，該公司2012年毛利率驚人的高達98%。
For these reasons, some think TripAdvisor may be able to take on the “big two” OTAs, Expedia and Priceline, which on August 6th bought up to 10% of Ctrip, a large travel website in China. These firms sell flights and hotel rooms directly, rather than pass booking requests on to others, as TripAdvisor does. But, says Blake Harper of Wunderlich Securities, a stockbroker, the two ways of doing business are converging. Sites owned by the big two, such as Hotels.com and Booking.com, now encourage user reviews. At the same time, TripAdvisor has launched Instant Booking, which lets smartphone users complete their bookings without leaving the TripAdvisor site.
出于這些原因，有些人認為旅行顧問公司也許能夠取代兩大網上旅行社：Expedia以及Priceline，其在8月6日買進了中國大型旅行網站—攜程10%的股票。和旅行顧問公司一樣，這些公司直接提供機票和酒店房間預訂，而不是將預訂請求轉給他人。但是，美國德奇證券的一個股票經紀人Blake Harper表示，這兩種商業模式正在融合。如今，這兩大網站的諸多子網站如Hotels.com 和 Booking.com正鼓勵用戶添加評論。同時，旅行顧問網站發布了即時預訂功能，即智能手機用戶可直接在旅行顧問網站上完成他們的預訂。
Instant Booking serves another purpose. Half of TripAdvisor's traffic comes through mobile devices. Being able to book in a single place will make its app slicker. Moreover, smartphones are creating firms which cater to travellers when they arrive at their destination—and TripAdvisor is getting into that business. In May it paid a reported $140m for La Fourchette, an online restaurant-booking service. On 24th July it said it was paying $200m for Viator, a firm that sells guided tours and other touristy activities.
即時預訂功能也有另一個用途。旅行顧問網站一半的瀏覽量來自移動設備。能夠僅在一個網站上完成預訂將使其應用軟件更進一步。此外，智能手機正促使一些公司成立，以為到達旅行目的地后的旅行者提供服務。且旅行顧問公司正逐步開展這一業務。據報道，5月它花費1.4億美元收購了一家在線餐廳預訂服務商La Fourchette。6月24日，它花費2億美元收購一家提供導游以及其他觀光服務的公司Viator。
TripAdvisor's boss, Stephen Kaufer, denies he wants to take on the big two. “We are a media site,” he says. “I want Expedia and Priceline to thrive because they are my clients.” But soon, holidaymakers will be able to book their entire trips without leaving the TripAdvisor app. Rivals beware.
旅行顧問公司的老板Stephen Kaufer否認其想要取代這兩大網上旅行社。他說：“我們是一家媒體網站。我希望Expedia和Priceline能夠繁榮發展，因為它們是我的客戶。”但是很快，假期預訂者將能夠在旅行顧問應用軟件上預訂他們的整個旅程。競爭對手要小心了。
