SideStep
Encyclopedia
Description
SideStep is a metasearch engineMetasearch engine
A metasearch engine is a search tool that sends user requests to several other search engines and/or databases and aggregates the results into a single list or displays them according to their source. Metasearch engines enable users to enter search criteria once and access several search engines...
for travel: it searches and consolidates results from more than 200 travel websites. The site searches more than 150,000 hotels and 600 airlines in the United States and worldwide. After acquiring TravelPost
TravelPost
- History :TravelPost was founded in February 2004 by Sam Shank, a graduate of the Kellogg School of Management.It was initially launched as a travel blogging site, where users could register and set up their own blog area, which acted as an online travel journal where people could write about...
, SideStep started offering 300,000+ user-generated reviews and also has editorial travel guides through its partnership with Frommer’s and other content providers. In late 2007, SideStep was acquired by rival Kayak.
History
SideStep was founded in 2000, with the launch of their downloadable application (the SideStep toolbar) and launched its website in the beginning of 2005. Investors included Trident Capital, NVP and others.In 2006, SideStep acquired TravelPost
TravelPost
- History :TravelPost was founded in February 2004 by Sam Shank, a graduate of the Kellogg School of Management.It was initially launched as a travel blogging site, where users could register and set up their own blog area, which acted as an online travel journal where people could write about...
, a hotel review and user-generated content
User-generated content
User generated content covers a range of media content available in a range of modern communications technologies. It entered mainstream usage during 2005 having arisen in web publishing and new media content production circles...
website. In December 2007, SideStep was sold to Kayak.com
Kayak.com
KAYAK is a technology company providing online travel tools through its global family of websites and mobile applications. Started by cofounders of Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity, KAYAK allows users to compare information from hundreds of other travel websites in one display when booking travel...
for about $180m.
Business model
SideStep makes money through advertising and referral fees. However, advertising does not bias the ranking of results in their metasearch engine—and the prices are the same as the ones found by directly searching their partner websites.Product lines
- Travel metasearch: SideStep’s metasearch engine finds real-time price and availability information on airfare, hotels, car rental, vacations, cruises and activities.
- Travel guides: Editorially-written travel guides from multiple sources include travel information and research, ranging from trip planning, hotels, restaurants, shopping, etcEt ceteraEt cetera is a Latin expression that means "and other things", or "and so forth". It is taken directly from the Latin expression which literally means "and the rest " and is a loan-translation of the Greek "καὶ τὰ ἕτερα"...
.
- Travel deals: Travel deals and promotions aggregated from a variety of online sources.
- Toolbar: The original SideStep product, the toolbar can be installed on Internet Explorer 5+ browsers and lets the user do travel metasearch and compare prices alongside searches on other Web sites without having to visit SideStep.com.
External links
- SideStep, USA/English site.
- SideStep UK, UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
& Ireland site - TravelPost, TravelPost