TripAdvisor in line to reach 200m reviews

"It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I am just as excited about what our future holds," said Stephen Kaufer, president and chief executive officer.

The 15-year-old travel site now spans more than 45 countries and welcomed more than 2.5 billion visitors last year, while reviews and opinions reached 150 million and are expected to hit 200 million this year.

TripAdvisor has evolved from being a site for hotel reviews to becoming a destination site, where tourists can go to research and book nearly every aspect of a trip, he said.

TripAdvisor site recently acquired some restaurant and attraction reservation sites, including LaFourchette and Viator, to broaden the booking options for consumers.

Over the years, TripAdvisor has elevated businesses that offer exceptional service and are highly regarded in reviews by their guests.

With more than 315 million monthly visitors, the site serves as a marketing tool for many properties, especially smaller and independent establishments with little or no marketing budget.

Over the years, the company has launched a dedicated TripAdvisor for Business division and several innovative features to support the industry.

These include tools such as a management centre, offering free resources and content to help hospitality businesses engage with the community and respond to traveller reviews, and Review Express, an automated platform for hoteliers to encourage their guests to share candid feedback on TripAdvisor.

In 2013, TripAdvisor rolled out its hotel-price-comparison search and became the first to match real-time pricing and availability with more than 100 million reviews and opinions of TripAdvisor travellers.

Consumers can check hundreds of websites to find the best hotel prices and click through to the booking partners’ sites to complete the transaction.

Last year, TripAdvisor launched an instant booking platform that allows users not only to compare prices, but also to make reservations through the company’s hotel and online travel-agency partners without leaving the site.

Instant booking is now available to US travellers, with a gradual roll-out in the works to global markets.

TripAdvisor says its first review was of Captain’s House Inn in Chatham, Massachusetts, which earned a rating of four bubbles. Since then, traveller reviews and opinions have accelerated wildly around the world, up 2,000 per cent in the last 10 years, and up 60 per cent since last year.

"In its continued effort to help travellers have a perfect trip, in recent years TripAdvisor has evolved its mission to allow users to easily compare prices, find great deals and book not only hotels, but also restaurants and attractions," Kaufer said.