Plan. Talk Amongst Yourselves. Share. Book on Orbitz (July 10, 2007)
TripHub Launches Shared Trip Maps to Help Get Everyone to the Right Place at the Right Time (March 26, 2007)
TripHub Delivers New Ways to Share and Promote Trips (October 24, 2006)
TripHub Announces New Collaboration Tools to Help Social Networks Easily Plan Travel Together (August 8, 2006)
New online service at Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air Web sites makes group travel planning easier (March 1, 2006)
Partnership with TripHub Integrates Group Travel Planning Service on Orbitz.com
PR Newswire (July 10, 2007)
Chicago, IL, and Seattle, WA, - Orbitz, with its heritage of keeping customers "A Step Ahead," and TripHub, a leader in online group travel planning and collaboration, today announced a strategic partnership.
Making it easier for customers to plan group trips and events
Released today, TripHub's service on Orbitz (http://orbitz.triphub.com) helps groups more easily plan, coordinate, and share trips such as bachelor parties, spa vacations, reunions, weddings, trips with clubs and teams or any event that involves coordinated travel.
According to a recent Forrester Research report, 46% of online U.S. leisure travelers took at least one “group” trip in the past 12 months.*
"Whether its a buddy trip to Las Vegas or a family reunion in Orlando, Orbitz now will help groups communicate and coordinate what can be complex travel plans," said Steve Barnhart, CEO and president of Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. "Our partnership with TripHub brings together best-in-class planning and community technology, with Orbitz' premier booking capabilities and inventory."
Orbitz is the only major online travel agency to exclusively feature and promote TripHub's planning and community tools. The service will also be featured on various Orbitz microsites, including its family travel, unmanaged business travel, and auto racing sites.
Features of the new service include:
"Orbitz is keeping our customers a step ahead by integrating the tools and service that people need when planning group travel," said Randy Wagner, Chief Marketing Officer, Orbitz Worldwide, "Many customers want the same control they have now in booking two to four person trips in setting up larger travel events, where communicating and sharing with friends, colleagues or family is key - and now Orbitz is the only major online travel agency to provide that combined functionality."
"We’re excited to partner with Orbitz Worldwide to improve the way millions of groups plan travel online," said Josh Herst, founder and CEO of TripHub Inc. "Together Orbitz and TripHub deliver an end-to-end planning and purchasing solution that makes it easier and more fun to plan group trips and events from point of inspiration through post-travel memory sharing."
Setting up a trip or event is easy:
1. Create a personalized trip page for your wedding, buddy trips or family reunion by clicking the "Get started" button on http://orbitz.triphub.com.
2. Send invitations using the e-mail based invitation and RSVP feature.
3. Create recommended flight and accommodation itineraries to share with other travelers.
4. Share and discuss trip ideas with your group through the private or public blog features.
* Source: Forrester Research Inc.’s North American Consumer technology Adoption 2007 Online Travel Study.
About Orbitz:
Orbitz is a leading online travel company that enables travelers to search for and purchase a broad array of travel products, including airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages. Since launching its website www.orbitz.com to the general public in June 2001, Orbitz has become one of the largest online travel sites in the world based on gross travel bookings. On Orbitz, consumers can search more than 80,000 suppliers worldwide including airlines, hotels and car rental companies. Orbitz is a Travelport brand. Travelport is one of the largest and most geographically diverse travel companies, dedicated to creating the exceptional travel experiences the world demands.
About TripHub
TripHub Inc. provides online services to help groups plan, organize and share any gathering that involves travel. TripHub’s service, available at www.triphub.com and now through Orbitz.com, originally launched in 2006 and has been used by thousands of customers to plan gatherings and events such as family vacations, birthday celebrations, bachelor parties, spa vacations, reunions, weddings and trips with clubs and teams. TripHub’s communication and collaboration services eliminate many of the headaches associated with group coordination and decision making and bring more fun and excitement into the travel planning process. TripHub was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
PR Newswire (March 26, 2007)
SEATTLE – TripHub Inc. (www.triphub.com), a leader in online group travel planning, today announced the availability of dynamic, integrated Trip Maps that show members of a group where their events, activities, and accommodations are relative to each other and relative to other local activities and landmarks.
TripHub’s innovative trip planning “mash-up” was built with the Microsoft Virtual Earth platform. The new Trip Map feature seamlessly integrates local search to aid in the discovery of nearby services and attractions like restaurants, museums, theme parks, night clubs, and other points of interest. And integrated driving directions provide step by step instructions between any two locations.
“Interactive maps are both fun and extremely useful. By dynamically integrating where people are staying and events they have scheduled, and by making it easy to add new items to the trip based on a local search, we’ve added more ways for groups to view and share information and make smarter planning decisions,” said Josh Herst, TripHub Founder and CEO.
"TripHub's Trip Map mash-up is a very useful and innovative example of how the integrated platform of mapping and search services in Virtual Earth can enable consumers to easily discover, share, and visualize location data and locally relevant information,” said Erik Jogensen, General Manager of Live Search at Microsoft Corp. “I love what TripHub has done, and I can’t wait to use Trip Maps for planning my own group trips.”
Meeting the Needs of the Growing Leisure Group Market
Since launching in 2006, TripHub has been used by thousands of groups to plan and coordinate family vacations, birthday celebrations, bachelor parties, spa vacations, reunions, weddings and trips with clubs and teams. The addition of expanded mapping functionality strengthens TripHub’s position as the best place to plan, coordinate and share any gathering that involves travel.
According to a recent group travel study by PhoCusWright, maps and directions are the most desired planning capabilities in group travel planning sites. Nearly 80% of those surveyed said they’d like to see this feature in the sites they use. This same study forecasts $90 billion in leisure group travel spending in the U.S. in 2008.
“Seeing where hotels are located in relationship to scheduled events and activities is a unique and compelling addition to our trip planning and shopping experience”, said Herst. “And by leveraging local search to help groups find nearby points of interest and dining options, we’re making it easier for groups to build and share rich travel itineraries.”
TripHub reports that the majority of their group trips include three or more scheduled events or activities. The Trip Maps provide a complimentary view to TripHub’s shared event schedules and offers high resolution satellite imagery that provides topographical views and area detail. Both the maps and the step by step driving directions can be printed for convenient reference while on the trip.
The addition of driving directions further expands TripHub’s market appeal. Road trips, including travel to nearby beaches, National Parks and other attractions, represent a significant percent of leisure group trips and TripHub has noticed a growing number of trips being planned that use automobiles as their primary mode of transportation.
About TripHub
TripHub.com, the best place to plan, organize and share any gathering that involves travel, launched in 2006 and has been used by thousands of customers to plan gatherings and events such as family vacations, birthday celebrations, bachelor parties, spa vacations, reunions, weddings and trips with clubs and teams. TripHub’s free service eliminates many of the headaches associated with group communication and decision making and brings the fun and excitement of travel into the planning process. TripHub believes that planning and sharing life experiences with friends, family, and others who share similar passions and interests should be easy and fun. TripHub was founded in 2005 by Expedia and Microsoft veterans and is headquartered in Seattle. The company is funded by Madrona Venture Group and private investors. Visit www.triphub.com.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
PR Newswire (October 24, 2006)
SEATTLE – TripHub, www.triphub.com, the best place to plan, organize and share any gathering that involves travel, introduced today new ways to share and promote trips. TripHub’s advanced settings enable trip organizers to easily control access to their trips, and to promote their trips on and offline. These enhancements are particularly relevant for clubs, teams, religious organizations, college students, and other groups where some level of membership or affinity exists.
“Fall is when we travel to away football games, join fellow parents at our children’s tournaments, and start planning holiday, ski, and spring break trips with friends,” said Josh Herst, founder and CEO of TripHub. “TripHub’s new tools further empower groups to quickly organize an event or trip, control who can view the details, and to promote the trip anywhere from their MySpace to print newsletters.”
A URL for Every Trip
TripHub, which has been used by thousands of customers to plan trips with friends and family, developed these new services to eliminate two major challenges in planning group travel – sharing trip details and keeping everyone informed. Organizers and trip members can now share their trip via a simple, unique URL. The trip URL can be sent in an email, posted on a Web site, or published in a flyer or formal invitation. Advanced settings allow organizers to control who has access to the trip details and who is invited to participate. In addition, email notifications keep people informed of changes throughout the planning process.
Supporting Clubs, Teams, Religious Groups and Spring Breakers
Sports clubs and fans, parents who join their children at away games, college spring breakers, and other groups where the common bond is some form of membership or affiliation will benefit from these new features. ”Trip organizers do not always know the email addresses for every guest, or even who may want to participate. In these situations, it makes sense to enable broad promotion of trip details both on and offline,” said Herst. “Ultimately, the trip organizer can control who joins the trip on a case by case basis.”
Some of the planning scenarios supported by TripHub’s latest innovations include:
About TripHub
TripHub.com, the best place to plan, organize and share any gathering that involves travel, has been used by thousands of customers to plan gatherings and events such as family vacations, birthday celebrations, bachelor parties, spa vacations, reunions, weddings and cruises. TripHub is re-defining group travel to include any trip outside a nuclear family – if it involves more than one credit card, it’s a group. TripHub believes that planning and sharing life experiences with friends, family, and others who share similar passions and interests should be easy and fun. TripHub was founded in 2005 by Expedia and Microsoft veterans and is headquartered in Seattle. The company is funded by Madrona Venture Group and private investors. Visit www.triphub.com.
PR Newswire (August 8, 2006)
SEATTLE – TripHub, founded by former Expedia and Microsoft veterans, today announced the availability of its trip planning service, www.triphub.com, which offers the best place to plan, organize and share any gathering that involves travel. TripHub eliminates the headaches associated with organizing family reunions, vacations, getaways, bachelor(ette) parties, weddings, retreats, school trips, and more.
“Customers have told us that planning trips with extended family and groups of friends can be as pleasant as a mouthful of thumbtacks,” said Josh Herst, CEO and founder of TripHub. “TripHub’s free service eliminates the pain of group communications and decision-making and brings the fun and excitement of getting together with family and friends into the planning process.”
Re-Defining Group Travel – The Next Online Travel Frontier
Historically, the travel industry has defined “groups” as 10 or more people traveling on the same itinerary. TripHub extends this definition to include any trip outside a nuclear family – if it involves more than one credit card, it’s a group. This broader market definition encompasses both smaller groups of family and friends and larger groups traveling on disparate itineraries; representing tens of millions of trips every year.
According to a Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell poll, almost 80% of active leisure travelers took at least one vacation with extended family or friends in the past five years, and this trend, known as “togethering,” is growing.
TripHub, available since March 2006, has already been used by thousands of customers to plan gatherings and events such as family vacations, birthday celebrations, bachelor parties, reunions, weddings, and cruises. These groups range in size from a handful of travelers, to groups of more than 50 and represent significant economic events, spending thousands of dollars per trip. Group planning cycles of up to 12 months create numerous opportunities for TripHub to deliver valuable and highly targeted promotions and offers to customers.
"Online travel agencies and meta-search sites have optimized the process of shopping for and buying plane tickets, hotels, and more recently vacation packages. Addressing the complex coordination requirements of group travel is the next frontier in online travel," said Josh Herst. "We have spoken with hundreds of customers and, based on their input and feedback, we have created a unique and innovative service to meet their needs and address the growing togethering market."
First Integrated Service to Centralize and Simplify Trip Planning
TripHub makes it easy for people to connect, communicate, inspire each other, and build excitement throughout the planning process.
Using www.triphub.com, consumers can easily:
TripHub’s blog (http://advisor.triphub.com) is devoted to group travel trends, tips, and resources and provides lively commentary on topics such as road-tripping, skiing, destination weddings, family reunions, spa travel, and more.
New Community Features: Trip Blogs and Event Schedules
TripHub’s newest features, Trip Blogs and Event Schedules, available today, further expand TripHub’s lead in online group travel planning.
Trip Blogs enable discussions, announcements, lists, idea sharing, and decision-making within the context of a private trip. TripHub customers can discuss dining options, proposed activities, ground transportation, etc. This centralized history of discussions simplifies the exchange and recall of information and helps streamline decision-making. Trip Blogs also provide a fun and easy way to share trip memories post-travel.
Event Schedules provide a consolidated, shared view of all trip-related activities such as dining plans, entertainment, events, and tours. Event Schedules allow for easy communication of important dates, times and locations and can be printed so everybody has a portable agenda of what is happening, when and where.
TripHub Group Planning Tools Also Available at alaskaair.com
TripHub's services are also available through Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air at www.alaskaair.com/groups. "Groups of all sizes often face challenges in coordinating air travel plans and itineraries," said Steve Jarvis, Alaska Airlines' Vice President of Sales and Customer Experience. "Working with TripHub has produced valuable insight, particularly into smaller group dynamics, and has allowed Alaska Airlines to improve its service to customers traveling in groups."
To learn more about TripHub’s group collaboration and communication platform, visit http://about.triphub.com.
About TripHub
TripHub.com is the best place to plan, organize and share any gathering that involves travel. TripHub believes that planning and sharing life experiences with friends, family, and others who share similar passions and interests should be easy and fun. TripHub was founded in 2005 by Expedia and Microsoft veterans and is headquartered in Seattle. The company is funded by Madrona Venture Group and private investors. Visit www.triphub.com.
PR Newswire (March 23, 2006)
SEATTLE – Have you recently traveled with friends or family? Perhaps you were part of a "Girls Spa Getaway" or a weekend of golf with the guys. Were you part of a "destination wedding" where you traveled for the festivities?
If so, you are part of a growing travel trend where groups of friends and/or extended family take a trip together.
Enter TripHub, which was established by ecommerce and software experts with more than 30 years experience at companies such as Expedia and Microsoft.
TripHub's free online service makes it easy to invite guests, track who's coming, research and discuss hotel options, and share itineraries from any source or supplier. You can even track who owes money.
These services are not provided by popular sites like Travelocity and Orbitz which focus on individuals and generally do not meet the needs of people traveling in groups.
More of Us Taking Trips with Friends and Family
According to a Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell poll, almost 80% of active leisure travelers took at least one vacation with extended family or friends in the past five years, and the trend is growing.
A great example of group travel is family reunions. According to the Travel Industry Association, 34% of U.S. adults traveled to a family reunion in the past three years. This translates into nearly 72 million U.S. adults.
Making Group Travel Easy and Fun
Becoming the trip organizer can feel like "drawing the short straw." Deciding where and when to go, then agreeing where to stay can be tricky. Plus, collecting money from everyone can be awkward.
"Our goal is to make group planning as fun as the trip itself," says Josh Herst, CEO and founder of TripHub. "After all, travel is about deepening relationships and enriching lives -- not simply about buying hotel rooms and airline tickets," Herst adds.
"We're on the verge of a revolution in group travel," says Jeff Gayduk, Publisher of Leisure Group Travel. "TripHub recognizes the changing dynamics of group travel and is helping lead the industry by providing services that meet the unique needs of families and friends who travel together," says Gayduk.
PR Newswire (March 16, 2006)
SEATTLE – It's estimated that 40 percent of wedding guests fly in for the ceremony. But even if guests are close by, the bride's phone rings off the hook with questions about everyone's travel plans.
Now, there are online tools to keep track of your guests' travel plans. TripHub specializes in making the organization of group travel and events easy and fun.
This free online service lets you invite guests, track who is coming, research and recommend hotel options, and otherwise eliminate many challenges of coordinating plans.
"Our focus is making planning, purchasing and coordinating group travel a breeze," says Josh Herst, CEO and founder of TripHub. "We reduce some of the stress for brides and grooms and give them time to treasure this special experience."
People traveling to the event can purchase airfare and accommodations from TripHub or any other source or supplier and share their travel plans in a single location for everyone to see.
The need for such a service has become more pronounced as more couples plan destination weddings in places like the Caribbean, Las Vegas, or Hawaii. A recent study by The Conde Nast Bridal Group, found about 16 percent of couples have a destination wedding -- a four-fold increase in the last decade.
TripHub has created several helpful tools that couples can use to:
"People getting married often face challenges of coordinating the travel plans of their guests," says Jacky Ross Grotle, Senior Planner of Seattle- based Event Success. "TripHub's unique approach is tailored to the needs of people traveling to a common destination."
PR Newswire (March 1, 2006)
SEATTLE – Planning group air travel for family reunions, weddings, vacations and other events is now easier thanks to a new interactive group travel service introduced on the Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air Web sites.
The airlines recently became the first in the industry to provide a group travel service on their sites where customers can set up a group trip, invite guests, track who is coming, share itineraries and request discounted group airfare.
The service can be used to plan travel for groups of any size. Discounted group rates may be available for groups with 10 or more passengers.
According to Steve Jarvis, Alaska’s vice president of sales and customer experience, group travel represents about 12 percent of Alaska’s annual passenger traffic.
"Customers planning travel for groups have often faced challenges coordinating the details of so many different itineraries at once," said Jarvis. "Alaska and Horizon are pleased to offer passengers this new interactive tool that not only makes group travel planning easier, but also makes it fun and interactive."
In the past, customers coordinating group travel could make group reservation requests through the airlines' Web sites or toll free reservations line. However, collecting individual traveler's information, and communicating itineraries was a time consuming process. The new system allows group organizers to collect individual passenger details in one convenient place before communicating the group's reservation request to the airlines.
Alaska and Horizon partnered with Seattle-based TripHub Inc., which developed the software, to launch the service.
"We are excited to launch this innovative and useful service with Alaska and Horizon. The TripHub service on Alaska and Horizon’s Web sites makes it easy for groups to get organized, discuss and select their travel options, and securely share itineraries with other participants," said Josh Herst, CEO and founder of TripHub. "We’re committed to making planning group travel-related events easier and more fun."
Alaska and Horizon have made a number of technology innovations in the airline industry. In 1995, they were the first domestic carriers to sell airline tickets over the Internet. During recent years, the airlines were the first to allow customers to check in for flights over the Internet and allow customers to use instant messaging to request assistance.
Alaska Airlines and sister carrier, Horizon Air, together serve 88 cities through an expansive network throughout Alaska, the Lower 48, Canada and Mexico. For reservations visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air newsroom.
TripHub believes that planning and sharing life experiences with friends and family, and others who share similar passions and interests should be easy and fun. The company’s free online service enables people to easily coordinate, purchase and share any trip or event that involves people going to a destination. TripHub was founded in 2005 by Expedia and Microsoft veterans and is headquartered in Seattle. The company is funded by Madrona Venture Group and private investors. Visit www.triphub.com.
Puget Sound Business Journal (August 12, 2005)
The partners at The Madrona Venture Group have always considered themselves to be on the front lines of new Internet technologies.
After all, this is the venture capital firm that made early bets on Internet pioneers such as Amazon.com, Classmates.com, VacationSpot.com and ShareBuilder Inc.
Now, the Seattle venture firm is backing two second-generation startups in the fast-growing online services market employing the same strategy used in the late 1990s -- invest early and don't be afraid to get dirty.
The two new startups -- group travel site TripHub Inc. and Farecast Inc., whose technology helps predict airline ticket prices -- are both products of Madrona's entrepreneur-in-residence, or EIR, program.
About TripHub:
History: TripHub was founded in 2005 by former Expedia and Microsoft veterans. TripHub is funded by Madrona Venture Group and private investors and operates www.TripHub.com and co-branded sites in partnership with Orbitz and Alaska Airlines. TripHub is the best way to plan, coordinate and share any gathering that involves travel.
Making Coordination Easy and Fun: TripHub’s free service makes it easy to:
Re-defining Group Travel: Historically the travel industry has defined “groups” as 10 or more people traveling on the same itinerary. TripHub extends this definition to include any trip outside a nuclear family – if it involves more than one credit card, it’s a group. This broader market encompasses both smaller groups of family and friends as well as larger groups traveling on disparate itineraries. The US Leisure groups market is forecast to grow to $90BN by 2008 (Source: PhoCusWright, Groups & Meetings: Market Opportunity Redefined, January, 2007).
Company Snapshot: Download TripHub_Snapshot_March_2007.pdf
Press Releases:
Plan. Talk Amongst Yourselves. Share. Book on Orbitz (July 10, 2007)
TripHub Launches Shared Trip Maps to Help Get Everyone to the Right Place at the Right Time (March 26, 2007)
TripHub Delivers New Ways to Share and Promote Trips (October 24, 2006)
TripHub Announces New Collaboration Tools to Help Social Networks Easily Plan Travel Together (August 8, 2006)
New online service at Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air Web sites makes group travel planning easier (March 1, 2006)
TripHub Logo:
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