Attention Engineers: Meet the Travel Company That’s Shaking Up the Vacation-Planning Process

TripAdvisor isn’t your parents’ vacation-planning guide. At least not anymore. This Boston-based company is on a mission to make planning travel as easy and option-filled as possible, and they’ve rolled out some pretty smart innovations to get there. When it comes to technology and travel, here are four things TripAdvisor engineers know to be true.

1. Crowdsourcing is the New… Well… Everything

What information would you trust more to help you plan a vacation? Fancy photos and descriptions on a hotel or tour company’s website, or honest reviews and advice from travelers who’ve been there? The TripAdvisor platform is powered by community crowdsourcing—hundreds of millions of unique site visitors per month if you’re counting. And those reviews cover things like activities and restaurants, not just hotels. Plus, their approach to separating genuine reviews from sneaky hotel staff members posing as happy guests is only getting better.

2. The Fewer Steps to Booking a Dream Vacation, the Better

We don’t know about you, but by the time we’re nearly done planning a vacation, some major decision fatigue has set in. TripAdvisor’s engineering team is working to make the hotel booking part of travel decisions a little easier with their TripConnect instant booking tool. When the company’s hotel partners add the tool to their TripAdvisor page, users can do their research, make a decision and finalize plans all in one place. No stress needed.

3. Big Hotel Chains Aren’t Always the Best Option

Shhh. Don’t tell the chain hotels, but sometimes independent hotels and bed and breakfasts are a better way to go, and they deserve a fighting chance at our attention. To make sure the little guys don’t always get buried under the hotel heavy-hitters, TripAdvisor’s engineering team built a way for all hotels to compete for a top spot in the site’s “explore similar hotels” feature. Now, hotels can bid for their time in the spotlight and a chance to steal a guest’s attention away from their original hotel choice. Game on. Very clever, TripAdvisor.

4. The Boston Tech Scene is Highly Underrated

Move over, Silicon Valley. Companies like TripAdvisor are helping Boston grow its reputation as a top tech hub, and points 1–3 only scratch the surface of what they’re creating.

Ready to “book” an interview with TripAdvisor? They’re hiring for positions like Desktop Support Technician Intern, Recruiting Coordinator and participants for their MBA product management rotation program.