Expedia Wants You to Book a Trip Inspired by Influencers

When planning a trip, many people start by quickly searching online and on social media for the best restaurants and other must-see activities. Expedia wants you to skip that search and go straight to its mobile app.

Today, Expedia is launching a feature in its iOS app called Travel Shops. Travel Shops is a place where creators can share and save their travel recommendations. The goal is to simplify the process of booking trips with recommendations from trusted influencers like Brett Conti, Oneika Raymond, and actor Jaime Camil. Influencers earn a commission from people who book from their recommended hotels, restaurants, and activities. Expedia declined to share how much commission creators receive from the affiliate program.

From looking to booking

Expedia Group CMO Jochen Koedijk said that the new feature is based on the impact that social media has when people plan for trips.

“What we’ve also seen is native content and authentic content work the best in social,” Koedijk said.

When it comes to travel content, people want to see destinations and excursions from trusted people like the creators and influencers they follow, compared to advertisements from travel publications and other traditional marketing, said travel creator Oneika Raymond, who is participating in the program.

“As somebody who has an audience online, people are always asking me, ‘Where are you staying?’ ‘What you’re doing?’ And I think up till now, the limitation with social media has always been that,” she said.

On social media, Raymond shares hotel recommendations in Instagram Stories, but those disappear in 24 hours. Expedia’s Travel Shops can host all of her recommendations for her current and future audience.

“We extend the shelf life of these recommendations that we’re making,” she said.

People can also filter Travel Shops for budgets and types of trips. A business traveler might be booking a quick trip to Tokyo while a family is planning a vacation to Montana, for example. In a statement, actor Jamie Camil said he created his Travel Shop to account for these different types of travelers.

Koedijk said Expedia will measure the success of Travel Shops by analyzing the feature’s traffic to other features of the app. “It’s connected to our mission, which is powering global travel for everyone, everywhere,” said Koedijk.

Travel Shop is in beta within the US, Canada, and UK. Expedia users can find the section under the “Discovery” tab of Expedia’s app. The creator program is currently invite-only, Expedia said.

“It’s connected to our mission, which is powering global travel for everyone, everywhere,” said Koedijk.