Travelling is undoubtedly one of life's great pleasures, but it comes at a price, especially when it comes to hotel accommodation. 

The disparity in prices has an impact on the final bill, not to mention the quality of the service. How to make the best choice? 

Three people asked themselves this simple question a few years ago in Düsseldorf, Germany, and decided to create a start-up. It didn't take long for it to become a huge success. Here's how to explain the craze: you'll find out all about the Trivago online travel service. 

The idea that changed everything 

There are a number of different booking sites that can be used to rent the same hotel room, but not at the same price. How can you get the lowest price, without spending too much time on the Internet comparing offers for a given destination? 

Some questions can change the course of a life, and Malte Siewert, Peter Vinnemeier and Rolf Schrömgens won't deny it. 

After making this observation, these three friends decided to create a platform in 2005 that would rank bookings from the cheapest to the most expensive, with the aim of helping all travelers to make the right decision when booking a hotel room for their stay. 

Simply visit the platform, enter your destination and the dates of your stay. 

The site goes even further, allowing you to refine your search according to a given budget or the quality of the service you are looking for (number of stars awarded to establishments and facilities provided, etc.). 

Once they've found the offer that matches their expectations, customers simply click on it to be redirected to the corresponding travel agency. 

Each time a service provider is selected in this way, it remunerates Trivago through a cost-per-click (CPC). 

Trivago will soon be introducing a price index. Indeed, depending on certain situations (seasonality, inflationary period), average prices may increase. To find out if they're paying the right price, customers can consult this index, which lists average prices in 50 European cities, for a standard double room. 

Opening up new horizons (in every respect) for customers, web users, tourists and travelers has always been the spearhead of Trivago.

 The objective has clearly been achieved, as barely two years after its creation, the concept is soon spreading to the rest of Europe, having long since surpassed the borders of Germany.

The development and consecration of Trivago

France, but also Spain and the UK are places where Trivago will soon be exporting rapidly. As a future unicorn that doesn't know itself, Trivago wants to go international, and it's taking just two years to do so, winning over markets in Brazil, Mexico, Japan and China, as well as the United States. 

Because some establishment descriptions can be embellished by their owners, in order to attract customers, Trivago wants to do more than just offer the best price for a hotel. That's why it will soon be possible for Internet users to post feedback, both in writing and in photos. 

Other potential customers therefore have all the keys in hand to make the best choice, beyond the simple financial aspect. 

But Trivago is also a great way for establishments to increase their visibility worldwide. They can showcase their services and features directly on the site.

In 2008, Trivago launched an eye-catching TV advertising campaign that made a clear impression and inspired people to travel, because everything seemed so simple. 

In view of its success, the Expedia group - the world's largest travel agency - intends to buy Trivago and obtains a 60% stake, making this American giant the majority shareholder in 2013. 

In less than 10 years, the figures are impressive: 120 million users worldwide, spread across at least 200 countries and translated into some 30 languages. 

Trivago: Key information

Trivago was founded in 2005. Its success earned it the opportunity to be acquired by Expedia, which prides itself on being one of the world's largest travel agencies. 

Who could have predicted such success, and especially that Trivago would be so successful around the world that the start-up would create jobs? 

Today, more than 1,200 people work for the company, with headquarters still in Düsseldorf, a research center still in Germany, and offices opened in 2013 in Mallorca.  

While figures for 2022 are not available, sales for 2021 reflect the success of this start-up, which has become a unicorn in a very short space of time. 

It stood at over 361 million dollars, with an increase of over 45% on the previous year. This increase can be explained in particular by the episodes of confinement attributable to the Covid-19 health crisis, which prevented tourists from traveling during the year 2020. But this does not, of course, detract from the merits of this entity. 

After acquiring Trivago in 2013, it was Expedia who made the decision to take it public in 2016, with 26 million shares with a value of $11 apiece. 

In 2017, Trivago wanted to encourage exchanges between its employees, and asked for their opinion to choose the tool that would suit them best. The aim was obvious: to ensure that employees did not overlook the fact that they did not know about or were not interested in this IT tool. Dropbox was thus chosen. The company is always keen to be efficient, not only internally, but also with regard to web users, by offering solutions that always seem appropriate. 

The German unicorn also acquired Base7booking, which is used in over 40 countries, to help hoteliers generate bookings with their own websites and not just via the Trivago platform. 

Trivago's meteoric rise is due not only to its basic idea, which was excellent, but also to the quality of its thinking in helping Internet users and hoteliers alike. Each party has an interest in using Trivago, which is undoubtedly its strength. 

Opening up horizons, as we've seen, has always been Trivago's objective, and this is even reflected in the logo. 

Even though the name has changed over the years (three times to be exact), by modifying the font or removing the initial circle surrounding the first letter of the name, the colors have always been very bright, especially since 2007. This combination of colors symbolizes the cosmopolitan aspect of the world, adventure and travel. 

The logo is a contraction of the words "trip", "vacation" and "go". These words run like a litany, highlighting just how easy it can be, thanks to Trivago, to find the best price for a hotel to get your vacation off to a good start. 

A ring symbolizes both the start-up's meta-search engine and its circumnavigation of the globe...