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In the global market in which some businesses operate, the uses of a website can open doors for increased profitability. When an organization operates through use of a website, consumers can access information provided by the organization at anytime. The hours of operation, unlike brick and mortar businesses increase to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With the numerous websites and businesses on the internet to choose from the marketing strategies must take on a look and feel that can draw customers with navigational tools that make the shopping experience one of superiority. This paper will describe how the “look and feel” of three travel websites and how they differ from one another as well as evaluate the ease of navigation for each website.

Expedia, Inc.

According to Expedia, Inc. Company Profile (2007), “Expedia, Inc. is the world’s leading online travel service and the eighth largest travel agency in the U.S.” (p.1). Expedia has won awards for its technology in expert searching and pricing capabilities and offers its customers the ability to build custom vacation packages, while enjoying the savings that Expedia bestows onto its customers. Through a venue of options Expedia.com presents an array of navigational tools, presented in an attractive format that allows the participant to explore destinations domestically as well as internationally.

Expedia’s webpage effectively displays information by use of headers. The layout uses a variance of color to highlight topics. For example, when the customer has an interest in a romantic getaway, then exploring by interest would be an option and a lighter shade of blue is used to highlight the subject. Darker shades of blue provide the backdrop to picturesque scenes, which seem to draw the customer in. The customer merely points and clicks the icon and several tantalizing images offering romantic cruises, hotels and activities appear in seconds.

Expedia tries to deliver a service that makes customers want to come back again and again. The look and feel of the website is friendly enough for even the novice computer user to navigate and get results. Task bars, pictures and bulleted information create a visual medium and aid in the customer’s ability to get results in a limited amount of time.

TravelocityTravelocity is a web based travel agency with more than 40 million registered customers. Travelocity offers travel deals with “airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, cruise lines, ground transportation, and popular destination attractions such as theme parks, ski resorts, and theatres” (Travelocity, 2007, p. 1). The web site also provides customers the option to purchase weekend getaways and last minute travel arrangements. This organization is based out of Texas, and has web sites in seven different languages. Travelocity has been known internationally for their customer support and universal leadership in online travel.

When entering the website of Travelocity customers are greeted with images of hotel rooms, mountain views, and city imagery. The website provides large blocks of color and a serene, peaceful palette, creating a comforting and relaxing atmosphere for customers to book vacation packages. The website also boasts of faster download times, less disorder and more colors. The home page of the web site was created with more personal information that is designed to give the customer the power and the tools necessary to have complete control over his or her travel experiences.

Each page of the website offers drop down menus that ensure the customer is just a click away from what he or she is looking for. When navigating the website, customers are able to click on links depending upon topic. The home page offers last minute getaway ideas, vacation deals, and cruise deals for those travelers that are looking to purchase last minute packages. The site also gives the customer the chance to enter destination options and departure dates into a search box and will give the customer options of flight plans with various airline carriers as well as the price for hotel and airline combination packages.

According to Harper (2006), when creating a web site an organization wants the customers to “associate positive emotions and vibes with the web site which will result in sales and referrals from friends and colleagues” (p. 1). Travelocity has just done that in order to ensure that the company can remain competitive and keep customers coming back for more.

Oribtz.comOrbitz.com is a leading on line Travel Company offering consumers and business travelers one stop shopping for airfares, hotels, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages, and more. Orbitz.com, a brand of Travelport, Inc., was “created to address consumers’ need for an unbiased, comprehensive display of fares and rates in a single location” (Orbitz, 2001). Orbitz also offers consumers a seasoned team of experts who monitor nation wide travel conditions around the clock and sends alerts to the consumer’s choice of devices about travel conditions. These services and more are offered on an easy to navigate web site.

The orbitz.com web site has been designed to accommodate a range of consumers, those with little or no knowledge of a computer, to the well-experienced computer user. Consumers who know what they are looking for are able to type in the travel dates, mark what services they are looking for and click the search button to get availability and prices. Consumers can choose quick search options, vacation packages, flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, or activities from the large tabs at the top of the page. Each page is designed to show consumers the promotions offered, or if the consumer knows what he or she wants, then he or she can simply book their reservations.

When an organization needs to make business reservations, orbitz.com offers corporate travel solutions. For businesses, Orbitz offers high-tech tools to help drive down costs and high-touch services to boost productivity and traveler satisfaction. Orbitz knows that one size does not fill all so businesses are able to “choose the right solution based on the unique travel needs of your company – from small businesses with growing travel needs to larger companies with complex travel requirements” (Orbitz, 2001).

Compare and ContrastOrbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia are all web based travel agencies that offer consumers better rates for hotels, ground transportation, flights, vacation packages, cruises, and much more. These sites offer the same type of service and are all easy to navigate with the differences being in the look and layout of the site. According to Wertime e-business is “not really about technology or the latest Internet business models – it’s about great marketing ideas brought to life in a compelling and engaging form that’s useful to people” (Wertime, 2003, p. 1). Choosing which site is better able to meet consumer’s needs would be very difficult as they are all very similar and would therefore, be a choice of consumer preference.

ConclusionAll three websites are unique in their own way, but still all successful. Expedia emphasizes the use of colors to bring a friendly and inviting “look and feel” to bring the customer back to their website. Travelocity has emphasized the importance of fast downloading and drop down menus on each page to encourage ease of navigation around the website. This will help in creating a positive experience with the customer to ensure a good reputation with the public. Orbitz has focused on meeting the needs of corporate America in their travel expenditures as well as the individual traveler. Adjusting their look and feel to meet businesses and individuals Orbitz has a made a successful website. These three sites have their own sense of how they want the “look and feel” of their website to come across. Yet all three organizations have the same goal of bringing new customers and return customers to their websites continually.