Experience is a hot term among hotel marketing. Travelocity is taking the concept of selling an experience and applying it to how it operates its business. CEO Michelle Peluso notes that the focus has shifted to “making sure consumers realize the magic of travel.” The company no longer looks at travel as a mere commodity with a certain price tag.
One of the things Travelocity plans on focusing on is updating their customers of any issues that could affect their purchase decision, such as an inoperable pool at the property they booked. The online booking company also plans on improving the way they target consumers with special offers.
Peluso states, “It’s not about price. It’s about the experience. The reason consumers say price matters is that we don’t give them the opportunity to talk about the experience.”
Full article: Selling the Vacation Experience
If Travelocity can really create a unique experience and provide added value that differentiates itself from its competitors, it should do extremely well in the coming years. According to eMarketer, roughly 46% of travel sales will be booked online by 2010, second only to computer hardware/software in the B2C category. What will really determine the success is whether or not consumers see the added value and if Travelocity’s extra investment in marketing and human resources provides a ROI.
