TravelClick Purchases Hospitality Video Solutions Provider TVtrip

With video proving to be an effective marketing tool in the travel industry these days, more and more hospitality and travel companies are making the medium more of a priority.

That includes TravelClick.

TravelClick, a global provider of innovative cloud-based revenue-generating solutions for the hospitality industry, announced on Tuesday that it acquired Paris’ TVtrip, a major provider of video creation and distribution services for hotels around the world.

Since 2007, hoteliers have been working with TVtrip to plan out promotional video, aided by the company’s team of more than 2,200 independent videographers. About 6,000 videos have been created in roughly 800 locations worldwide using TVtrip’s resources and expertise.

Now, TravelClick expands TVtrip’s reach, making its video solutions accessible to more than 38,000 hoteliers across the planet. It was a natural selection, given TravelClick’s corporate strategy to generate profitable revenues for hotels all over the world, said Jeff Stuek, senior vice president, corporate development, TravelClick.

“Showing videos through your website helps improve organic search placement (on the Internet) and, secondly, it’s been proven that when consumers experience video it leads to better conversion rates because they have a better sense and feel for the hotel and it’s a positive influence,” Stuek said.

TravelClick, like many other travel companies today, has recognized the importance of showcasing travel products and properties via video. It’s becoming a standard across the industry.

“We believe video is becoming more and more important in online distribution and hotel marketing,” Stuek said. “When you think about broadband, how it continues to improve globally (while) mobile usage explodes, the barriers to accessing videos are rapidly decreasing. We’re able to help hoteliers take advantage of this growing trend…I think there’s a great opportunity to bring this to the broader hospitality industry.”

Marc Pfohl is one of TVtrip’s three co-founders who will continue to work in leadership roles following the acquisition. Pfohl, who used to work at Expedia, said that TVtrip spawned from a couple of things: a major purchase from Google and a focus group he led.

"The market started talking about digital (in 2007) because at the time Google bought YouTube," Pfohl said. "And when I was doing focus groups asking travelers what they expected from a website, especially when booking accommodations…they were asking for much more personalized (options), more of what they can get from a hotel. So, on one side, video started to increase. On the other hand, travelers needed more information. So, we thought it would make sense. It was a crazy, everyday project at the time. It took a lot of people to do that."

Pfohl said he's seen a major increase in demand for video in the last three years, especially thanks to the increased use of mobile devices. The average time spent on a mobile device now is five hours per day, almost as much as time spent watching TV, Pfohl said. Video consumption on mobile devices doubled from 2013 to 2014.

But who shoots video for TVtrip?

Pfohl said that TVtrip tries to choose videographers who are no more than 100 km away from the spot they are shooting. This not only keeps costs down, but you can also see how it would add an element of authenticity. During the vetting process, TVtrip asks videographers very precise questions to determine if they can produce the quality that the company wants.

But it's about more than how skilled a videographer is with the camera. Pfohl said TVtrip also takes into account a videographer's personality. After all, hotel guests have to feel comfortable when the crew is filming at the property. This figures to be even more important now, considering TVtrip is connected to 38,000 hoteliers worldwide following TravelClick's acquisition of the company.

“TravelClick’s strategy has always been to offer best-in-class products to help our hotel clients achieve their operational and revenue growth objectives,” said Larry Kutscher, CEO of TravelClick, via a press release. “The acquisition of TVtrip provides us with a talented team with deep hospitality and media experience, a scalable platform that will enable us to produce and distribute video content that showcases the unique qualities of our clients’ properties, optimizes the content to improve the shopping experience and ultimately drives more bookings through their websites and other online channels.”

TravelClick, founded in 1999, serves hoteliers in more than 160 countries across the globe.

Follow @RyanRudnansky