Hotel review site TVTrip.com will celebrate six months in operation by targeting the massive US market and upgrading its user interface.
The video-based portal, launched in May 2007 and run by four ex-Expedia executives from across Europe, will add to its 1,000 reviews of European hotels with properties in four key US cities including New York and Chicago.
The new video facility allows users to view footage as they browse different areas with information about individual hotels.
The quartet includes Marc Ruff, former-vice president of Expedia Europe and Anja Keckeisen, who ran Expedia in Germany.
Ruff said: “The site was developed for customers to use unbiased, transparent videos and help them search for their hotels. Each property can be viewed in approximately 1 minute, allowing a general view of the inside of the hotel, its surroundings and what the room categories are like.
“The new TVtrip Player has the unique ability to show the user everything they need without ever leaving the viewer. The video minimizes and continues to play, making it easy for customers to access the hotel’s description, see more videos, consult reviews or even check for rates.”
The new site was unveiled to delegates at the PhoCusWright conference in Orlando this week.