Lonely Planet Haystack Becomes Lonely Planet Hotels (& Hostels)

[Hostels]

Has anyone noticed that Lonely Planet's Haystack now does a redirect from http://haystack.lonelyplanet.com/ to http://hotels.lonelyplanet.com/ ?

The main header on the page says "Search & Book Hotels" (not hostels).

Here is a screenshot showing how their links all point to hotel listings (not hostels):



Here is the text from their featured hotels -- doesn't seem to be focused on hostels:



What do you think?

[subaculture]

It makes some sense. Only 2/3% of their sales comes from their Shoestring (budget guides) this days, with more and more emphasis on middle end to Spurge hotels within their guides. They also introduced their 'encounter' series of books for short trips...still, I always felt that their online demographic was different from their book readership and still drew a lot of budget backpackers (to its thorntree forums)? Given its a tough market (hostelworld etc).... maybe they are trying a different tack?

[Hostels]

I wonder if the new direction had to do with the sale of LP to BBC. ThornTree also changed a lot recently...

[Hostels]

A continuation of this trend from today's news:

Excerpt:

OAKLAND, Calif. - Lonely Planet has long been synonymous with adventurous, no-frills young travelers, but the guidebook company's City Guides are growing up.

The revised series of books about places like San Francisco, Vancouver and Chicago is geared to Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers ages 30-60 who are interested in longer stays in cities, "affordable luxury" and cultural immersion, according to Lonely Planet spokesman Frank Ruiz. The guidebooks also offer more emphasis on shopping, entertainment and moderate to high-end restaurants and hotels than previous editions, with fewer listings for college hangouts, hostels and taco joints.

[Hostels]

Lonely Planet just released a press release about a partnership with Hostelworld and Expedia.

I'm not sure exactly what they've changed. It's no longer a bed allocation through Haystack, but a Hostelworld affiliate program?

LonelyPlanet.com is still promoting hotels over hostels. (If you are coming to this page from the hostel news article, please scroll up for earlier messages on the topic.)

[travelfish]

My understanding was that Haystack was buried a little while back.

This newly announced deal with HostelWorld and Expedia strikes me as what they should have done in the first place, instead of wasting millions trying to re-invent the wheel with Haystack.

[aboriginalhostel]

Originally Posted by Hostels

Lonely Planet just released a press release about a partnership with Hostelworld and Expedia.

I'm not sure exactly what they've changed. It's no longer a bed allocation through Haystack, but a Hostelworld affiliate program?

The only problem with being an affiliate, is it makes even more long term revenue for HW than the affiliate... If you look into your HW inbox, the affiliates don't even make as many bookings in a year what HW generates in the worst month in your hostel, even if there is over 5000 affiliated sites... the benefits still go to HW.

IMHO, the reason should be found in relevancy and branding. I mean, when almost all affiliate sites are pointing to HW, costumers will use HW directly after a while, giving extra traffic to HW!

[marcovdk]

Yes aboriginalhostel affiliates are the best marketeers for HW.

HW is doing an excellent job on the web. They try not to keep all the data for themselfs. They give away their booking engine to the world. It is something I learned in the past year. Your own website is not the key, it is where people can see, read and do things with what you have to offer.

Hostelbookers and Hostelsclub are trying the same tactics, other sites like hostelmania and Gomio should do the same, otherwise I think they have not a long weblive ahead.

[Hostels]

I think GOMIO just started an affiliate program. I'm not sure what Hostelmania is up to.

[marcovdk]

Gomio has an affiliate programm, but not the availability off web services, so that the affiliate can present the data the way that the website owner want it. Or in my case for adding the propertys to the search engine I need a web service integration.
http://www.gomio.com/HostelServices/...tegration.aspx


Hostelmania just got a big money injection from investors, and on this moment they are working on a web service integration and other affiliate options.