Triphop, a social travel and rewards platform is announcing the launch of a new cryptocurrency travel program that incentivizes hotel guests to share their experiences on social media in return for exclusive benefits such as complimentary room upgrades, in-stay benefits, and Tripcoins.
Aiming to reduce the high commissions that hotels pay to online travel agencies (OTAs), Triphop encourages guests to book through their platform and promote hotel properties to their social media following; creating a win-win situation that drives direct traffic to hotels while rewarding guests with exclusive benefits and Tripcoins.
During the travel planning phase, most travelers conduct online searches to find the best accommodation for their particular trip. Travelers prefer OTA search experiences because of choice and comparison shopping but OTAs lack instant rewards and in-stay benefits such as room upgrades, food and beverage credits, and other perks.
Additionally, OTAs charge hotels high commissions and advertising fees which cut into the hotels’ profit without offering additional value. To help both hotels and guests, Triphop leverages the concept of influencer marketing to reward guests, and in turn, increase traffic to hotel websites.
The Triphop solution is two-fold. Rather than online travel agencies making a profit from both hotels and guests, Triphop is helping to reduce the high costs of travel intermediaries. Triphop will act as a marketing platform that measures and rewards the social media influence of hotel guests.
Guests will receive hotel benefits that reflect the level of their online activity; including ratings, posts, and engagements. The goal is to increase the online presence and the digital footprint of the hotels that operate on the Triphop platform. The second layer of this solution is to improve the overall in-stay experience of guests by providing perks and benefits that are personalized by the hotel.
“We noticed that there is a huge problem within the travel industry: hotels are losing profit to online booking platforms, and guests miss out on in-stay benefits when they book through OTAs. We also noticed the complexity and lack of value in the existing travel reward programs, so we decided to make it our mission to maximize value for both parties by aligning incentives for both Travelers and Hotels alike.”