While we will never know for sure what the real targets and objectives for the site are, we can make some simple observations based on what we know and how the site impacts on us: Pre-launch comments from Microsoft Exec’s defining Bing Travel’s goal as “helping people make smarter, more informed decisions regarding travel” (quoted by Web In Travel) were a positive start. They seem to indicate MS have finally realized the true value in using the web to reduce the risk inherent in selecting where to go, where to stay and what to do when traveling. And by building a tool around this concept, they seem headed in the right direction.
Bing Travel uses the tools of web 2.0 in some smart, user friendly ways too: The mouse over effects on the search results page are a great example of this (noted by Dennis Schaalin in this blog entry that also discusses the apparent strategy behind Bing Travel). MS also seem to have a handle on usability this time.
MS PR made much of the integration of the once venerable Farecast web site and its ability to
predict the prices of airfares based on historical info. Integration of functionality like this will help to reinforce the brand message, at least if you’re coming to the site from anywhere inside continental USA and Canada where Farecast pricing predictions and those pretty graphs may be relevant to you... But PhoCusWright make a good point when they say that "strategic differentiator cannot be a function”. MS has made a start and are headed in the right direction but will need to deliver a whole lot more on promise if they are to succeed with Bing Travel. So I guess we will have to wait a while before we know if Google's ambush launch of “Wave” the morning of Bing’s launch is an omen or just the first shot fired in the next battleground online.
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