Trivago facts for kids
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Formerly
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Travel B.V. |
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| Public subsidiary | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: TRVG |
| Industry | Travel, Hotel, Information technology, Marketing |
| Founded | January 2005 in Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Founders | Rolf Schrömgens Stephan Stubner Peter Vinnemeier Malte Siewert |
| Headquarters |
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Germany
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Areas served
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190 countries worldwide |
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Key people
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Johannes Thomas (CEO) Wolf Schmuhl (CFO) Jasmine Ezz (CMO) Andrej Lehnert (CPO) |
| Products | Metasearch for hotel prices |
| Revenue | Revenues for 2023 were €485.0 million |
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Number of employees
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651 (as of December 31, 2023) |
| Parent | Expedia Group (60% as of December 2023) |
| Subsidiaries | Base7booking Rheinfabrik TripHappy |
Trivago N.V. is a technology company from Germany. It helps people find and compare hotel prices online. Trivago's main product is a website and app that lists prices from many hotels and other booking sites. This makes it easier for travelers to find the best deals.
Contents
Trivago's Story
Trivago started in Düsseldorf, Germany, in January 2005. The founders saw a need for an easy way to search for hotels. They created Germany's first hotel search engine. The original founders were Rolf Schrömgens, Stephan Stubner, Peter Vinnemeier, and Malte Siewert. Stephan Stubner left early on, but the other three continued.
In its early days, Trivago received money from investors to help it grow. In 2007, they got more funding from a British company. By December 2010, Trivago sold a part of its company to a US investment fund.
A big change happened in December 2012. Expedia, a large American travel company, decided to buy a share in Trivago for $632 million. This deal was completed in 2013.
Trivago also bought other companies to improve its services. In December 2014, they acquired Rheinfabrik, a company that makes mobile apps. In March 2016, they bought a part of Base7booking, a company that helps hotels manage their bookings.
On December 16, 2016, Trivago became a public company. This means its shares could be bought and sold on the American NASDAQ stock exchange.
In November 2019, Rolf Schrömgens, one of the founders and the CEO, stepped down. Axel Hefer took over as the new CEO. Later, in 2023, Johannes Thomas became the CEO.
Like many travel companies, Trivago was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Their sales dropped a lot, and they had to reduce the number of employees.
How Trivago Works
Trivago's main office is in Düsseldorf, Germany. This is where all their international operations are managed. All of the company's employees work from this location.
Trivago's Business Model
Trivago makes money by being a hotel price comparison website. They use a system called "cost-per-click" (CPC). This means that when you click on a hotel offer on Trivago, the booking website or hotel that listed the price pays Trivago a small fee.
Hotels and booking platforms advertise their prices on Trivago. They pay for each time a user clicks on their listing. Trivago also offers tools for hotels to promote themselves on the site. Trivago says it is the world's largest online hotel search site. It compares prices from over 1 million hotels and more than 250 booking sites. Since Expedia Group owns most of Trivago, Trivago often helps direct users to Expedia's own booking sites.
Trivago's Tools and Features
Trivago offers several products and features to help travelers and hoteliers. These include:
- Trivago app
- Trivago Business Studio
- Trivago Business Studio Plus
- Rate Connect
Business Studio - For Hotels
Trivago Business Studio is a special platform for independent hotels. It helps them get more attention on Trivago's search results. Hotels can use free tools to analyze their performance and promote their rooms.
Rate Connect
Rate Connect is a tool within Business Studio. It helps independent hotels get direct bookings from their own websites. This means travelers can book directly with the hotel, without going through another online travel agency. This can help hotels save money on fees.
Trivago's Rankings
Trivago also creates different rankings and indexes based on hotel data.
Trivago Rating Index (tRI)
The tRI is a score that combines all ratings for destinations listed on Trivago. It ranks places from 0 to 100. The index looks at things like location, price, food, internet, rooms, and facilities. Trivago uses the tRI to create awards like the Top Hotel Awards and Best Value Destinations.
Trivago Hotel Price Index (tHPI)
The tHPI shows the average price for a hotel room in popular cities around the world. These prices are based on the cost of a standard double room. They are calculated from millions of price searches over the past month.
Trivago's Marketing
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Trivago uses online advertising, public relations, and TV commercials to promote itself.
The "Trivago Guy"
In 2012, Trivago aired its first TV ad in the U.S. The actor in the ad, Tim Williams, became known as the "Trivago guy." People on social media talked a lot about his unique look.
Rolling Stone magazine said Trivago wanted someone "real, approachable and genuine" for the ad. The Trivago guy became a surprising celebrity. Some people found his unbuttoned shirt and appearance a bit odd, while others found him appealing.
Trivago even held a contest asking people to give the Trivago guy a makeover. The character inspired funny videos and stories. Many people wondered why he didn't wear a belt in the ad. The actor later explained it was an accident because no belts fit his pants.
After the success of the U.S. Trivago guy, the company created similar characters for other countries. For example, French actor Mehdi Nebbou was the German Trivago guy for a while. Spanish actor Gonzalo Peña appeared in commercials for Latin America. In India, Abhinav Kumar became very popular for his role in Trivago ads.
The "Trivago Girl"
In the United Kingdom, Australian actress and musician Gabrielle Miller appears in Trivago's ads. In Japan, singer/songwriter Natalie Emmons is the face of Trivago's TV commercials. In Malaysia, actress Dahlia Shazwan has starred in their advertisements.
New Leadership at Trivago
In 2023, Trivago made some big changes to its leadership team. They brought in experienced people from the travel industry.
Rolf Schrömgens, one of Trivago's founders, returned to the company as an advisor. He also joined the supervisory board. Johannes Thomas became the new CEO and Managing Director, taking over from Axel Hefer. Jasmine Ezz rejoined as Chief Marketing Officer, and Andrej Lehnert became Chief Product Officer.
See also
In Spanish: Trivago para niños
- Webjet
