Lonely Planet’s Haystack: Hotel Booking Site Done Right

Lonely Planet just launched a new hotel booking website haystack.lonelyplanet.com

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I like it. Only select hotels. Concise, pithy, authoritative reviews from a brand you trust. Useful “Author’s Tips” relevant to the neighborhood. User reviews and ratings. Nice maps and Getting There directions. What a fantastic mix.

But why is this such a great combination?

There are only great hotels. At least that’s what Lonely Planet promises–they announce that they only put the hotels they think are great on the site.

The reviews are authoritative–it comes from a source I trust. I trust the LP brand and that they pick authors that tell-it-like-it-is. By frontinng their authors and their reviews, they are putting the LP brand reputation on the line when I book through their site. I trust that they are not going to damage their brand trying to sell a crappy room and make a $2 commission. So I am willing to put my trust behind what they reccommend.

They take user input in the form of reviews and ratings. User input is valuable. Authors are usally right–but not always. Also, things change and the last guy visitng the hotel can give valuable feedback on it’s current state.

My gut feeling is that if I book a hotel via this site, I won’t be disappointed. That’s the power of the LP brand.

That’s a powerful sales tool!

If I were a hotel booking website, i would want to be partnering with these guys. Leverage their brand and increase your sales.