Tripadvisor chief Stephen Kaufer sees no threat from direct hotel booking

Online travel agent Tripadvisor's chief executive Stephen Kaufer sees no real threat to the business from individual hotel chains' efforts take take direct bookings from customers.

Tripadvisor this year began rolling out its US instant booking system to the rest of the world in a move that cut first-quarter revenues by 3 per cent to $352 million (€309m).

Large hotel chains have introduced discounts to draw customers directly to their own booking websites, cutting out the need for agents such as Tripadvisor and rival Expedia.

Speaking in Dublin on Thursday, Mr Kaufer indicated that his company saw no threat from the move.

Leisure

“Leisure travellers want to start with the website that has all the properties in the cities that they are visiting,” he said.

The company’s instant booking system allows travellers to book accommodation with a single click. Tripadvisor launched the system initially in the US in 2014.

More recently, it has turned its focus to offering customers the chance to book tickets for attractions and activities in the places to which they are travelling.

Mr Kaufer told the Phocuswright travel technology conference in Dublin’s National Convention Centre that up to now, this market had proved difficult to crack for online travel agents.