Many do not remember that expedia.com was the first big travel website. While being first does not always guarantee longevity, those behind the curtain at Expedia have continually forged forward, remaining the leader in the online travel industry. Expedia has stayed ahead of the curve in Internet trends as they have changed over the last 10 years, with constant updates and competitive innovations. One of those most recent innovations is “Trend Tracker,” which suggests a list of destinations, then shows you the best time of year to go by showing the history of airfare prices, hotel rates, and weather trends.
The welcome page there is a bit crowded with options however. And this seems to be common with most travel sites, but there is a mountain of very specific and very important information crammed onto one page. The website features a robust service offering of: flight, hotel, car, cruise, activity, flight+hotel, flight+car, flight+hotel+car, and/or hotel+car. There is a small highlighted deal that is a large call to action button, promising huge savings on one of their specific service offerings. Lastly, of note, is a box titled: Today’s Top Deals that include six focused deals as well as last minute, book early and save, and hot deals.
Hear is a list of Pro’s and Con’s for Expedia.com:
Pro’s:
- low price guarantee
- trend tracker
- low booking fees
- trifecta: flight, car, hotel
- plan my trip booking options
Con’s:
- poor customer support
- reservation system trustworthiness
- integration with Facebook, Twitter, social graph
- click-heavy
- refund difficulty
Overall, the oldest travel site on the block has aged well. The pro’s far out-shine the con’s, and the ease of booking helps even the least tech savvy users. The usability of the website is a bit click-heavy, however the terms are simple enough that navigation is doable. Knowing what I was looking for, it was easy to book a flight, hotel and car in about 18 minutes. There was nearly an infinite number of travel possibilities and of course, the low price guarantee. As the oldest, and one of the largest one-stop-shopping websites for trip related expenses, Expedia sits atop its class still – until the next great player comes along.