Expedia Group's Advertising Solutions Boost Hotel and Airline Visibility and Revenue During Biggest Global Cultural Moments

Rhea-AI Summary

Expedia Group's advertising tools, TravelAds and Flight Sponsored Listings, have significantly boosted travel partners' visibility and revenue during major cultural events in 2023. Hotels and airlines using these tools saw substantial increases in bookings and revenue, with examples including a 30% revenue boost for Wimbledon hotels, a 5% boost for Nashville hotels during a Taylor Swift concert, and a 30% revenue increase for a U.S. regional airline during Formula 1 in Las Vegas.

Market Research Analyst

The data presented by Expedia Group indicates a tangible correlation between the use of sponsored listings tools, such as TravelAds and Flight Sponsored Listings and an increase in revenue and bookings for travel partners during major cultural events. This suggests that strategic advertising during high-demand periods can effectively capture consumer attention and drive sales. From a market research perspective, these findings underscore the importance of targeted marketing campaigns that leverage real-time travel intent and demand data to maximize return on investment.

Furthermore, the shift towards 'Tour Tourism' and the increase in travel for events like concerts and sports suggests a growing niche market. Businesses can capitalize on this trend by aligning marketing efforts with event schedules and using data-driven insights to target specific traveler groups. This strategy can lead to a competitive edge in the market, as businesses that effectively harness these opportunities can outperform those that do not engage in such targeted advertising.

Financial Analyst

Investors interested in the travel and hospitality sector should note the positive financial implications of using advertising tools like those offered by Expedia Group. The reported increases in revenue and bookings during specific events could lead to higher profit margins for hotels and airlines that effectively use these tools. The ability to boost visibility and capture market share during peak times can be a significant driver of quarterly financial performance for these companies.

It is also noteworthy that Expedia Group's advertising tools are adapting to a cookieless future, relying on first-party data to target potential customers. This forward-thinking approach is likely to be more resilient to changes in data privacy regulations and could provide a more sustainable advertising model for travel partners. As privacy concerns continue to shape online advertising, Expedia's positioning could offer a competitive advantage and potential for market share growth.

Digital Marketing Expert

The introduction of automated bidding and actionable data-backed insights for TravelAds represents a significant advancement in digital marketing within the travel industry. By removing the guesswork from campaign setup and dynamically adjusting bids, travel partners can maintain competitiveness without constant manual intervention. This automation can lead to more efficient ad spend and potentially higher conversion rates.

Additionally, the ability to stand out in a crowded market through Flight Sponsored Listings is important for airlines, especially with the high volume of monthly searches on Expedia Group sites. The use of custom copy in these listings allows airlines to differentiate their offerings and tap into the emotive aspects of travel planning, which can be a powerful driver of consumer behavior. The emphasis on strategic route promotion aligns with the broader trend of personalization in digital marketing, where understanding and catering to the specific needs of travelers can lead to increased customer loyalty and revenue.

• Hotel revenue and bookings increased during Taylor Swift's hometown Nashville concert
• Hotels in Super Bowl host cities see revenue boost both last year and this year

SEATTLE, April 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Expedia Group has revealed new data highlighting the impact of its advertising tools in boosting travel partners' visibility on Expedia Group brands and increasing partner revenue during popular cultural events.

TravelAds and Flight Sponsored Listings are Expedia Group's sponsored listings tools, allowing lodging and airline partners to appear in a premium placement in search results on Expedia Group brands. Overall, globally, properties running a TravelAds campaign see 90% more visibility and 120% more bookings versus non-enrolled properties.¹ Company data shows hotels and airlines saw significant boosts in bookings and revenue during major events last year when enlisting the help of these tools.  

Looking specifically at major cultural events in 2023:

• The ball is in your court: Hotels using TravelAds in the surrounding area of Wimbledon, London, saw an average boost in revenue of almost 30% last summer,² an event that draws thousands of spectators each year. Imperial London Hotels used TravelAds to drive demand, resulting in almost 30% of their total Expedia-booked room nights during the tournament coming from the sponsored listing tool.³
• Capturing Tay Tay hysteria: Taylor Swift mania has swept the globe, with local markets seeing a significant boost in their economies from her "Eras" Tour, including her homecoming stop in Nashville in May 2023. To capture travelers' attention during this highly competitive moment, Nashville hotels that ran TravelAds campaigns for stays during her Nashville concert saw an average boost of 5% in both revenue and bookings⁴
• Racing to glory: When fans of Formula 1 traveled to Las Vegas, a U.S.-based regional airline saw an opportunity to promote its Dallas to Las Vegas route via Flight Sponsored Listings to help harness Texan demand. The advertising tool drove almost a 30% increase in revenue⁵ and contributed to just over 20% of bookings for flights between November 15-19, 2023.
• Helping hotel partners score a touchdown: During the 2023 Super Bowl, hotels using TravelAds in Phoenix saw an average boost in revenue of just over 15% over the weekend.⁶ This year, hotels in Las Vegas saw an average 5% boost in revenue during Super Bowl 2024 when enrolled in TravelAds over that weekend.

The tools can also be leveraged seasonally to boost airline partners' visibility and to capture important seasonal moments. Etihad Airways helped American tourists expand their horizons outside of their typical winter escapes to locations farther from home in both Abu Dhabi and the Maldives. Using Flight Sponsored Listings, Etihad saw bookings from the U.S. to both destination airports increase by almost 5%, totaling just over a 30% boost in gross bookings.⁷

"We've been offering our hotel partners the ability to boost their visibility on our sites for over 15 years with our industry-leading TravelAds tool and are now offering our airline partners the same with Flight Sponsored Listings. There is no doubt this latest data confirms the effectiveness of these advertising tools in helping our partners shine in the most competitive of moments throughout the year," said Jennifer Andre, VP of Business Development at Expedia Group Media Solutions. "We're excited to continue working with our partners during 2024's biggest cultural moments — from the Paris Olympics to major world music tours — to offer them our full suite of advertising options and to elevate their listing when they need it the most."

'Tour Tourism' is set to continue into 2024. According to a recent Expedia survey, over 40% said they'd travel for a concert as an excuse to visit a new place.⁷ When Taylor Swift's 2024 Eras Tour schedule was announced for Asia and Australia, travel searches increased by over 250% year-over-year for the corresponding tour cities.⁸ Similarly, when the 2024 European tour dates were announced, travel searches for May to August 2024 increased by nearly 65% for cities with corresponding tour stops.⁹ 

Advertising partners can maximize their use of these tools to ensure they're capturing demand when it makes the most sense for their business:

• Target specific groups to reach specific goals: TravelAds targeting is based on real-time travel intent and demand data, helping partners identify the most valuable travelers for their hotel. Whether it's targeting remote workers for longer stays or last-minute bookers, Expedia Group works with partners to understand their unique needs. What's more, with the shift to a cookieless world, Expedia Group's first-party data means partners can continue to put their message to the right audience at the right point in a traveler's journey without the need to revamp ad campaigns or marketing strategies.
• Take advantage of new features on TravelAds: TravelAds' newly launched automated bidding removes the guesswork from campaign setup and keeps partners competitive by dynamically adjusting their bids based on their market goal preference and budget. Through the opportunities feature, partners can access personalized and actionable data-backed opportunities and insights to help refine their advertising strategy and drive incremental room nights and revenue.
• Leverage Flight Sponsored Listings: Airlines can drive ticket sales and promote strategic routes using Expedia Group's cost-per-click advertising tool. With over 300 million average monthly searches for flights on Expedia Group sites,¹¹ airlines need to stand out among the competition if they want to increase brand awareness and overall revenue. With Flight Sponsored Listings, airlines secure a premium position in search results and use custom copy to encourage travelers to book.

Find out more about Expedia Group's full portfolio of advertising solutions for hotels, airlines, destination marketing organizations, car rentals, cruise and more here.  

About Expedia Group   
Expedia Group, Inc. brands power travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers. Our organization is made up of three pillars: Expedia Brands, housing all our consumer brands; Expedia Product & Technology, focused on the group's product and technical strategy and offerings; and Expedia for Business, consisting of business-to-business solutions and relationships throughout the travel ecosystem.  

Expedia Group's three flagship consumer brands includes: Expedia^®, Hotels.com^®, and Vrbo^®. One Key™ is our comprehensive loyalty program that unifies Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo into one simple, flexible travel rewards experience. To enroll in One Key, download Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo mobile apps for free on iOS and Android devices. One Key is currently available in the U.S. and will become available globally soon.

For more information, visit www.expediagroup.com. Follow us on Twitter @expediagroup and check out our LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/expedia. 

© 2024 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. CST: 2029030-50

¹ 1st Party Expedia Group Booking Data. POS Brand: Expedia Group Global. Dates: July 2021 – July 2022
² Compared to hotels in the same market not using TravelAds
³ Stays at Imperial Hotels, London UK, between July 3-16, 2023.
⁴ Compared to year over year, May 5-7, 2023
⁵ Compared to non-FSL tickets sold
⁶ Compared to hotels in the same market not using TravelAds
⁷ Flights booked from Oct 1, 2023 – Feb 23, 2024 compared to Oct 1, 2022 – Feb 23, 2023
⁸ Expedia Unpack '24 trends report. Research conducted on behalf of Expedia Brands (Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo & Wotif) by strategic research firm OnePoll. September 12–October 5, 2023, 20,000 respondents across 14 countries
⁹ For February to March 2024
¹⁰ Expedia Group, Traveler Insights Q4 2023
¹¹ According to Expedia Group data

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SOURCE Expedia Group

FAQ

How did hotels in Wimbledon benefit from using TravelAds?

Hotels in Wimbledon saw an average boost in revenue of almost 30% last summer by using TravelAds.

What was the revenue boost for Nashville hotels during Taylor Swift's concert?

Nashville hotels running TravelAds campaigns saw an average boost of 5% in both revenue and bookings.

How much revenue increase did a U.S. regional airline see during Formula 1 in Las Vegas?

A U.S. regional airline experienced a 30% increase in revenue during Formula 1 in Las Vegas using Flight Sponsored Listings.

What was the revenue boost for hotels in Phoenix during the 2023 Super Bowl?

Hotels in Phoenix saw an average boost in revenue of just over 15% during the 2023 Super Bowl weekend.

How much revenue increase did hotels in Las Vegas see during Super Bowl 2024?

Hotels in Las Vegas observed a 5% boost in revenue during Super Bowl 2024 weekend when enrolled in TravelAds.

How much did bookings from the U.S. to Abu Dhabi and the Maldives increase for Etihad Airways?

Bookings from the U.S. to Abu Dhabi and the Maldives increased by almost 5% for Etihad Airways, totaling just over a 30% boost in gross bookings.

What did the recent Expedia survey reveal about travel for concerts?

Over 40% of respondents in a recent Expedia survey stated they would travel for a concert as an excuse to visit a new place.

How much did travel searches increase for Taylor Swift's 2024 Eras Tour cities?

Travel searches increased by over 250% year-over-year for the corresponding tour cities in Asia and Australia.

What new feature does TravelAds offer to partners?

TravelAds' newly launched automated bidding removes the guesswork from campaign setup and dynamically adjusts bids based on market goals and budget.

How can airlines benefit from using Flight Sponsored Listings?

Airlines can drive ticket sales, promote strategic routes, and secure a premium position in search results using Flight Sponsored Listings.