Trivago buys US start-up
Trivago has acquired US start-up TripHappy, a platform which uses artificial intelligence to highlight neighbourhood information during the hotel search process.
The acquisition will result in two of TripHappy’s founding team members, Calvin Hawkes and Carl Grafmuller, joining Trivago’s hotel search team.
TripHappy was founded in 2015 by the pair, along with Ben Granas.
It provides recommendations based on personal preference by analysing location data on more than 25,000 neighbourhoods across 10,000 cities to help travellers identify the best neighbourhood to stay in.
As a result of it joining Trivago, all existing user data will be deleted by May 30, which includes all user trips, profiles, and reviews.
It apologised to users for the inconvenience.
The acquisition comes after Trivago bought another artificial intelligence start-up, tripl, last September and partnered with Silicon Valley incubator Plug and Play last month.
"We are always looking for innovative ways to solve the hotel search problem, making it easier for travellers to find their ideal accommodation," said Elie Matta, head of corporate development at Trivago.
"The TripHappy team’s long-term vision aligns with our own, and we believe the team’s approach to product innovation will be a great fit."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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