1) Kayak’s new “Weekend Feature” –
We actually think this is really a clever new idea to display the upcoming weekend trips. In one quick snapshot at the upper left corner – you can already see the cheapest weekends to go to.... say... Vegas and learn about statistics in a realtime environment (Hint: Backup bets are at true odds!). And seriously - anything that gets you to Vegas easier is a great addition.
2) FareCast predicting Hotels –
Farecast now has a “Hotel Rate Key” that lets you know if your hotel rate is a deal or not a deal. We think a natural extension of “past information informing the present”. The only problem MIGHT be that we think special rates are becoming more common on the hotel’s website rather than common public rates. Starwood and Hyatt seem prime examples. However, nice addition non-the-less.
3) SideStep’s “FareTracker”
SideStep launched “FareTracker”, which monitors price changes on fares on particular routes and offers fare alerts as well as some historical prices. However, the alert is not for a specific flight – but rather for the route. Oh Yeah – the alert isn’t for a particular day – it’s +/- 7 days. Oops, one other thing – how generic is the name "FareTracker"? Come ON !! Some marketing creativity would be nice - we're not asking for a lot here.
4) FMV’s Applause-Meter
OK – we feel left out so we need a gadget too – and we’re launching our own Applause-Meter™. We haven’t really worked out the scale – but we know that the Rating for "FareTracker": “Polite Golf Clap.”
Functionality?? Ehh. This is nice and all – but this is going up against the new guy Yapta – which pegs EXACTLY what you’ve said is interesting to you. Faretracker seems to take the opposite approach and kinda, sorta gives you information that MIGHT be useful.
Lots of innovation are coming out of these brands - more to come...
No comments:
Post a Comment