Gregg Brockway, co-founder of Hotwire, has a way with words, or at least the sounds of words. For example, try on "TripIt," his latest foray into online travel services. Now try "Itinerator."
Maybe Brockway has had help creating market-conscious monikers for his ventures, including TripIt.com, where he is CEO. But whether or not the name sticks in online travel shoppers' heads, his hope is that the concept of layering travel intelligence into itineraries will make an impression on travel agents.
"Some travel agents still handle itinerary information with manila folders," said Brockway. "It seemed like there ought to be a better way to manage information. We are an itinerary management service, part travel organizer and part social network."
As travelers have migrated online to get help in planning their travel, they've lost the sense of personal assistance that comes with travel agents, said Brockway.
He isn't trying to replace travel agents but provide intelligence from automated destination-related data -- from weather updates, maps and trip options to advertising -- that also opens an avenue for agents to help organize, customize and offer added services on their clients' travels.
Brockway said TripIt developed technology to search the Web for information that adds new layers of intelligence to traditional itineraries. Membership is not required. The services are launched when travelers forward to TripIt.com their initial reservation confirmation number.
TripIt.com organizes the traveler's various segments into a single Web document detailing air, rail, hotel, bus, car and other providers' services, then also aggregates information from the traveler's destination or route.
It links travelers to event or tour ticketing and to other options they might want on their stay, and users can choose to have automatic updates sent to a mobile device's calendar.
"That has been the technology challenge we've been focusing on primarily of late," Brockway said.
A chief attraction for users, Brockway said, has been the social networking component, which enables participants to keep track of each other's travels.
Business travelers comprise about 80% of TripIt's users, Brockway said.
TripIt's revenue comes from advertising sold to travel suppliers and others who use the travel intelligence gathered from trip plans to focus their marketing outreach to travelers.
The Itinerator is Brockway's term for the technology that powers the collection of itinerary information, which has attracted the attention of Sabre. Sabre has agreed to partner with TripIt, providing a link to the itinerary service for travel agents who use Sabre's Virtually There itinerary platform. The partnership was announced last month.
TripIt.com remains in beta testing, though it is fully accessible to users.
Brockway said he has waited on a formal launch to encourage feedback from users.