Andrew Loewen and Randy Schartner, co-founders of Hotelsbycity.com and former Priceline executives, have just announced their latest project: I planneda global travel booking platform that enables creators to monetize hotel recommendations and share travel content.
As the creator economy continues to grow in value, it is estimated to generate $250 billion in revenuePlannin wants to change the way people book travel by using influencers as an alternative to travel agencies.
Thanks to Plannin, creators can tell their viewers about their last trip, the hotels they liked, and post photos from their trip. To make money, they share their affiliate link on social media platforms so that their followers can join for Plannin. Meanwhile, travelers have access to 1000’s of creator recommendations and can book hotels directly through the platform.
“One suggestion from the right person is price greater than 1,000 anonymous reviews. It’s about enabling people to travel through creators they trust,” Loewen told TechCrunch. Previously, he was the director of operations at Priceline Partner Network.
What’s most notable about the platform is that it gives creators a 5% lifetime commission, which suggests that if a follower clicks on the link and continues to book through Plannin, the creator will receive a commission for that account for so long as the account exists.
“We offer a lifetime commission model, so creators can earn from their audience even if they don’t book that day. We did this because travel is not an impulse purchase. … Many of our reservations are taking place [15 to 60] days after the original account was created,” Loewen said.
Putting creators at the forefront is a strategic move for Plannin, ensuring a regular flow of content and traffic to the platform. The company also believes that travelers will profit from authentic recommendations from known and trusted influencers who share the same interests and tastes.
However, some may query whether honest recommendations can come from influential people whose goal is financial gain. However, Schartner, who was previously president of Priceline Partner Network, does not think this shall be a problem. “You can assume they would give an honest review because it is aimed at their audience. … “Most people wouldn’t lie or mislead on their personal social media because they have a deeper connection with their audience,” he said.
Plannin has already acquired over 600 influencers and has roughly 5,000 posts and 1,500 recommendations on the platform. The company approves creators with greater than 10,000 followers, but may include micro-influencers who specialize in travel-related content.
Plannin also has a search function with over 2 million hotels worldwide. The platform cooperates with Booking Holdings, the owner of Priceline, Agoda, Booking.com and OpenTable.
Plannin hopes to grow to be a one-stop booking platform for the entire journey. For example, this summer, creators will give you the option to recommend restaurants, tours, attractions, and more. The company will soon partner with GetYourGuide and OpenTable to help travelers book restaurant tables and activities in one place.
Additionally, the platform will launch “Tip Boards” later this month. Creators will give you the option to create a complete itinerary with all the attractions, hotels and restaurants of a given destination in one place. For example, an influencer could create a travel board based on their recent trip to Italy, showing dozens of places from their favorite cities.
Plannin is still in beta, but an official launch is in the works.
The company secured $2.5 million in financing last yr, led by Golden Ventures, N49P and former Booking Holdings CEO Jeffery Boyd. The company plans to raise more enterprise capital in the summer.