CASE STUDY TRIVAGO: AN AGGREGATOR WEBSITE About Trivago Trivago is basically a hotel search platform whose main focus is to reshape the way travellers search for and compare hotels online. During this process, Trivago enables hotel advertisers to expand their business by giving them access to a large consumer base that visits its platform via the website or the app. Trivago was conceptualised and started by three university friends in the year 2005 in the city of D sseldorf, Germany. Similar to the majority of start-ups, the initial foundation of the business was started in a basement. Trivago Revenue Streams Trivago has mainly two streams of revenue: revenue generated from listings: basically, revenues that it generates from the fees paid to it by hotel booking sites for displaying their services and rooms listed on its platform. This is 59% of the total revenue and is generated by a cost-per-click model, i.e. when a user clicks on a hotel link in the platform, Trivago gets paid in return. revenue generated from services: revenue that Trivago generates from fees that it gets paid by hotel brands for basically managing their visibility as well as the presence on Trivago s platform. Adapted from: https://businessfuels.in/ trivago-success-story/ Trivago versus booking sites Trivago is a metasearch engine that compares accommodation prices and offers provided by many different booking sites globally, including online travel agencies (OTAs), accommodation chains and independent hotels. This means that while users decide on Trivago which hotel best suits their needs, the booking process itself is completed through the booking sites, which are linked to Trivago s website. A booking site, or Online Travel Agency (OTA), on the other hand, is a web-based marketplace that allows consumers to research and book travel products and services, including hotels, flights, cars, cruises, activities and more, directly with travel suppliers. How Trivago determines its guest ratings Trivago scans many available guest reviews and rating sources across the web on a daily basis. The reviews and ratings are aggregated and converted with the Trivago Rating Index® that ranges from 0 to 10 (10 is the highest possible rating). Adapted from: https://support.trivago.com/hc/en-us/ sections/360000014707-How-trivago-Works 6 Answer the questions extensively. 1. What is Trivago? 2. What are its two main sources of revenue? 3. How is Trivago different from a booking site? 4. How does Trivago determine its guest ratings? LINKING COMPUTERS 255