17 June 2008

Marriot and Expedia big winners in online travel study

Keynote unveiled the results of three studies of online travel sites: airline, lodging and rental cars.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœThere was no single leader that spanned the different travel markets this year,Ã¢â¬~ said Keynote Competitive Research. Results:

Ãƒ~¼ In the Airline Travel study, among the 11 online travel and airline Web sites examined, Expedia ranked Number 1 in customer experience followed by Southwest Airlines and Travelocity.

Ãƒ~¼ In the Online Lodging study, Marriott ranked Number 1 followed by Expedia and Hotels.com.

Ãƒ~¼ In past studies, Marriott has been the highest ranked site operated by a lodging supplier. However the latest study marks the first time a direct supplier has out-performed any travel service aggregator.

Ãƒ~¼ Travelocity took the Number 1 ranking in the Rental Car Reservation study, with Budget following close behind as the highest ranked direct rental car supplier.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœKeynote continues to see travel service aggregators compete with price & selection against suppliers who have increasingly effective customer support and booking features,Ã¢â¬~ said Stephen Foster, director, competitive research at Keynote.

by David Wilkening