Comments on: Guarantee fight — Orbitz to Travelocity: Where’s the competitive advantage?

By: From sass to match, Orbitz follows Travelocity on hotel-price guarantee | Tnooz

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:50:26 +0000

[...] heaped scorn on the Travelocity program when the Roaming Gnome crowd unveiled it in late October, but now Orbitz [...]

By: The Opera House, Sydney’s next billboard | Project:Wander

The Opera House, Sydney’s next billboard | Project:Wander — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:46:25 +0000

[...] online have a myriad of OTAs vying for their business. Just ask anyone who has been watching the battle between Travelocity and Orbitz heat up over the last few days, the fight for market supremacy is fierce! With all this focus on [...]

By: Dennis Schaal

Dennis Schaal — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:58:51 +0000

“the Travelocity program provides a consumer with a dramatically greater opportunity to find a lower rate.”.. strong words, Robert, but true.

And that’s a good point you made that the lower rate on another site doesn’t even have to be booked ….

I sense that Orbitz felt that weight of this punch regardless of its publicly expressed confidence in its own program.

By: Tweets that mention Guarantee fight -- Orbitz to Travelocity: Where's the competitive advantage? | Tnooz -- Topsy.com

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:03:27 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dennis Schaal, Dennis Schaal. Dennis Schaal said: Guarantee fight — Orbitz to Travelocity: Where’s the competitive advantage? (Tnooz) #hotels #OTAs http://ping.fm/COTVt [...]

By: RobertKCole

RobertKCole — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:24:06 +0000

We might as well start scoring these hotel pricing guarantee exchanges like a prize fight…

I’m giving this round (round three) to Travelocity.

While Orbitz’ automated self-auditing process provides a rebate without user interaction (itself, a very good and consumer-friendly service,) it requires another traveler to book a lower rate on Orbitz for the rebate to be triggered.

Travelocity on the other hand, enables the traveler to scan a much broader array of booking sources (virtually any non-opaque site on the Internet) for a lower price. More importantly, the rates does not need to be sold, just offered for sale. Considering that the time frame for a claim runs up to the day prior to arrival, the Travelocity program provides a consumer with a dramatically greater opportunity to find a lower rate.

Sorry Orbitz, this combination by Travelocity delivered a solid right to the torso, followed by an uppercut to the chin. This combination did not knock out Orbitz, but a standing eight-count was a wise decision – Orbitz is probably winded and a bit dizzy coming out of this round.

I’m eager to see how Orbitz (or any of the other combatants in this battle-royal) come out fighting for round 4.