German online travel comparison site Trivago has acquired Hamburg-based tripl, which has developed an artificial intelligence-driven algorithm that offers customers personalised travel recommendations based on their social media data. Tripl is a Berlin-based startup founded in 2014 by two former Google employees and the University of Hamburg. The tripl purchase followed a hike in ad spend across Germany and France. However, the company's "tube takeover" campaign on the London Underground has backfired somewhat. Commuters have said being constantly confronted by an advertisement featuring the same person made them feel as if someone was "stalking" them.
German online travel comparison site Trivago has acquired Hamburg-based tripl, which has developed an artificial intelligence-driven algorithm that offers customers personalised travel recommendations based on their social media data. The move is in response to the slowly declining share of the online hotel booking market in Europe and Asia, now at 70%, as people increasingly book directly with hotels. The tripl purchase followed a hike in ad spend across Germany and France. However, the company's "tube takeover" campaign on the London Underground has backfired somewhat. Commuters have said being constantly confronted by an advertisement featuring the same person made them feel as if someone was "stalking" them.