TripAdvisor targets new hotels

TripAdvisor has launched a new initiative aimed at building the presence of new hotels on its site, hoping to leverage the rising trend of new hotels coming up in Asia.The initiative allows new hotels to build a presence in the region prior to opening by allowing hoteliers to add videos and pictures to a page which is paid for. This allows travelers to book prior to the hotel's launch."A new property takes a long time to gain momentum so this provides more visibility," Robin Ingles, SVP advertising sales of TripAdvisor said.According to Ingles(pictured), nearly 45% of new upcoming hotels will come from Asia.After the hotel has been operating for three months the promotional aspects of the page are removed and it becomes a regular page on the site. Currently, Pan Pacific Hotels Group is one of its first advertisers.To find out more, click here.In 2010, TripAdvisor partnered with Facebook for an app called "instant personalisation" where site users could receive views from their friends first when checking various commodities.TripAdvisor also launched the app "Cities I've Visited" which allow Facebook users to tag the various countries they have traveled to further connect with travellers. Ingles added that the app allowed TripAdvisor to create more "personal" relationships with users."Asia itself remains as a challenge as there is no "Asian market" because of the diversity," she stated adding that the region clearly remains an important one for TripAdvisor's global marketing strategy.The company's main advertisers come from various credit card and airline sectors and other essential travel related industries. Locally TripAdvisor works closely with big names such as Chan Brothers, Singapore Tourism board and Far East hospitality to name a few.