Gogobot

Gogobot, which later became Trip.com, was an online travel company that operated as a social trip planning and travel discovery platform. Founded in 2010 by Travis Katz and Ori Zaltzman, the company was established to address the founders' frustration with the impersonal and time-consuming nature of online travel planning. Katz, the former senior vice president for MySpace's international operations, and Zaltzman, a former lead architect at Yahoo!, combined their expertise in social media and search technology to create the platform. Their vision was to leverage a user's social network to provide trusted and relevant travel recommendations.

The company's core product was a travel-planning and local discovery service accessible via the web and mobile applications for iOS and Android. It allowed users to research and book hotels, restaurants, and activities across more than 60,000 destinations globally. A key feature was the use of artificial intelligence to deliver personalized suggestions based on a user's location, interests, and past behavior. The platform stood apart by enabling users to filter recommendations through 'Tribes', which categorized travelers by styles like 'Foodies', 'Family Travelers', or 'Budget' travelers, ensuring the advice came from like-minded individuals. Revenue was generated through partnerships with booking platforms like Expedia, Booking.com, and OpenTable, allowing users to book hotels and restaurants directly from the site.

Gogobot secured a total of $39.1 million in funding over three rounds from investors including Battery Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, and Vrbo. The company experienced significant growth, and by 2014, it was the fifth most visited travel-planning site in the United States. A significant milestone occurred in 2016 when the company acquired the Trip.com domain and rebranded itself under the new name. In 2017, the company was acquired by the Ctrip Group (now Trip.com Group) for an undisclosed amount. Following the acquisition, the platform's content and technology were integrated into Skyscanner, another Ctrip subsidiary, eventually forming the 'Explore' section of the Skyscanner application. Keywords: social travel planning, travel discovery platform, personalized travel recommendations, Gogobot, Travis Katz, Ori Zaltzman, Trip.com, Ctrip Group, Skyscanner, travel technology, hotel booking, restaurant discovery, activity booking, travel AI, venture capital, Battery Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, user-generated reviews, travel communities, mobile travel app, travel personalization, destination guides, trip itineraries