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Review: TVtrip.com Video Hotel Search Site

by Mary Jo Manzanares on May 3rd, 2008

I first heard about TVtrip.com when they launched last summer.  The concept is to provide a hotel search engine that uses unbiased videos filmed by TVtrip.  You check out the video, decide if you like the hotel, and then book.  All for the TVtrip website.

Although the concept was interesting, there just weren’t enough hotels for me to decide just how reliable the site was going to be.  As we approach the one year mark, I took a look back to see how they’ve evolved.

For starters, there are a lot more properties available.  Still, while they claim to have over 1,000 hotels, many of those do not have videos.  In Seattle, 10 hotels were listed, only one had video.

I checked out some hotel samples for Seattle (where I live), as well as several cities where I’ve booked hotels lately.  I wanted places that I was familiar enough with that I could judge how fairly the videos represented the properties. 

The first thing I discovered is that the videos are fairly amateurish, sort of like something that I could video myself (making note to self there).  There’s nothing wrong with amateur video, however the site touts that “all our videos have been shot by TVtrip professionals.”  I expected a little better quality.

The video shows the exterior of the hotel, a bit of the neighborhood, and then moves inside for some common areas - front desk, lobby area, etc.  After that we get a sample of the room, shown from different angles in an attempt to showcase the various features of the room.

So what did I think?

From those hotels that I viewed (10), I believe the videos to be fair and accurate representations of the properties they were showing.  Here’s a big A+ for honesty.

Along with the video, each hotel listing has other information organized by tabs, much like you will find at other hotel search sites.  You’ll find additional photos, room information, reviews, and ratings from guest.  I didn’t notice anything outstanding in the area - all very basic stuff, and many listings without any additional information other than price and booking details.

I was disappointed. 

The site was heavy with booking and price information and light in details and video.  After a year, I expected more.  More video, more hotels, more independent information, and more details. 

Although they’ve won a bunch of web awards (and congratulations for that), I don’t think they yet deliver the information that travelers need.  We need real meat, not popular Web 2.0 features.

It’s not that TVtrip is bad, so much as it just fails to deliver enough for me to make it a regular stop for travel research.  I’ll have to check back again, if they’re around in another year.

Image credit:  TVtrip

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