Tripadvisor結束"Tripadvisor Plus"飯店訂閱服務
Tripadvisor is closing hotel subscription service 'Tripadvisor Plus'

海擇短評 Haize Comment：

近期Tripadvisor(NASDAQ: TRIP)公告將關閉"Tripadvisor Plus"飯店訂閱服務，關閉的原因被認為跟Tripadvisor的控股公司Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings(擁有該公司的21%股權與57%投票權)正在考慮被收購有關，關閉訂閱服務是為了精簡事業、美化財務報表。而這個年費99美元的訂閱服務本身，則被稱為同時是“絕妙的戰略構想(brilliant strategic idea)”與“運營上的災難(operationally catastrophic)”，這個訂閱服務就真的那麼糟嗎？

從第三方機構披露的客戶體驗來看，確實是糟的。相關問題大體可分為幾類，首先是缺乏技術直連，在預訂流程上， 大部分庫存來自第三方分銷商，且每次的預訂都必須打電話二次確認，這導致成本昂貴且缺乏效率；其次，住宿的預訂也可能時有冗誤，導致用戶的預訂被錯誤取消；其三，金流的支付、退款也並不順暢，在另一個例子中，消費者在Plus上選擇房間類型進行預訂後，就會觸發交易，而交易可能被重複扣款。

其實，從第三方報告的文字敘述並無法判斷真正的問題，首先不知道Tripadvisor是否有地推與飯店直接簽立分銷合約，如果沒有，可以理解為什麼需要二次確認；然後，大致可以判斷的是，上述三類問題都顯示了Tripadvisor的技術系統需要大幅改進，如果對接的第三方分銷商同時也是Tripadvisor的競爭者，不無可能會有陰謀論的風險，這個時候就應該要考慮從訂單大的集團開始排定優先級做系統直連。訂閱制的價值本身無庸置疑，訂閱制服務已有很多旅遊企業甚至零售行業在做，航空公司、連鎖飯店和汽車租賃公司都已涉足該領域，消費者只需支付年費，就可以透過少數幾次預訂的折扣收回成本；甚至也有OTA把忠誠度積分加入了訂閱制服務的精神，比如可以用積分兌換餐飲、升等房型、延後退房。海擇資本認為，Tripadvisor推出訂閱制最大的問題，估計還是在地推與技術上沒有做到足夠的配套，或者說是，在成本與費用的投入沒有足夠的"覺悟"。

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Tripadvisor (NASDAQ: TRIP) announced the closure of its hotel subscription service, "Tripadvisor Plus." The decision is believed to be related to potential acquisition considerations by its controlling company, Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, which holds 21% equity and 57% voting rights in Tripadvisor. The closure aims to streamline operations and improve financial statements. The subscription service, costing $99 annually, has been described as both a "brilliant strategic idea" and "operationally catastrophic." Is the service really that bad?

From third-party disclosures on customer experiences, Tripadvisor Plus indeed had issues. Major problems include a lack of direct technological connections, with most inventory from third-party distributors requiring phone confirmation for each booking, leading to high costs and inefficiencies. Additionally, booking errors could result in accidental cancellations, and the payment and refund processes were problematic, with instances of transactions triggering duplicate charges after selecting room types on Plus.

From third-party reports, it's hard to pinpoint the real issues with Tripadvisor Plus. It's unclear if Tripadvisor directly contracts with hotels, which would explain the need for confirmation calls. These problems indicate that Tripadvisor's technology needs significant improvement. If third-party distributors, who are also competitors, are involved, this could lead to potential conflicts. Companies should prioritize direct connections with major groups. The value of a subscription model is clear, as many travel and retail industries, including airlines, hotel chains, and car rental companies, have adopted it. Customers can recoup their annual fee through just a few bookings, and some OTAs have incorporated loyalty points into their subscription models, offering perks like meal vouchers, room upgrades, and late checkouts. Haize Capital believes the main issue with Tripadvisor's subscription launch might be inadequate local marketing and technical support, or insufficient investment in cost and expenses. 

標籤 Label： TRIP  Subscription  Hotel  Tripadvisor Plus  OTA