Trivago announced its second-quarter results Wednesday. After the earnings call, we interviewed CEO Johannes Thomas to learn about why it bought Holisto’s 100% stake for $32M.
Trivago’s AI filters and its latest ad campaign were also discussed. We asked if Trivago “turned the tide.” (The answer is: “The current tide is not going in the wrong direction.”)
Why is Holisto important? Price comparison sites such as Trivago, Kayak and Skyscanner, but also Google Hotels, have an Achilles Heel: travelers rarely book directly through their platforms.
Thomas told us during the interview that it acquired all of Holisto faster than anticipated because it handles Trivago Book & Go. Pilot program with partners in the second quarter of 2013 showed significant increases on the Trivago platform.
