Andrew Loewen and Randy Schartner, co-founders of Hotelsbycity.com and former executives at Priceline, have unveiled their latest venture: Plannin. This innovative global travel booking platform taps into the creator economy by empowering influencers to monetize their hotel recommendations and share travel-focused content.
As the creator economy flourishes, projected to generate $250 billion in revenue, Plannin aims to revolutionize travel booking by utilizing influencers as an alternative to traditional travel agents.
With Plannin, creators can share their latest travel experiences and hotel preferences with their audience, posting photos and insights from their trips. To earn income, they distribute affiliate links across social platforms, enabling followers to sign up on Plannin. Meanwhile, travelers gain access to a plethora of creator recommendations and can book hotels directly through the platform.
“One recommendation from the right person is worth more than 1,000 anonymous reviews. It’s about helping people experience travel through creators they trust,” explained Loewen, formerly the COO at Priceline Partner Network.
Notably, Plannin offers creators a 5% lifetime commission. This means that if a follower clicks on their link and continues to book through Plannin, the creator earns commission for as long as the account exists.
“We offer a lifetime commission model so creators can earn from their audience even if they don’t book that day. The reason we did that is because travel is not an impulse buy. Many of our bookings happen [15 to 60] days after the original account is created,” Loewen added.
By prioritizing creators, Plannin ensures a continuous flow of content and traffic to the platform. The company believes travelers will benefit from authentic recommendations from influencers they know and trust, who share similar interests and tastes.
While concerns may arise regarding influencers’ honesty due to financial incentives, Schartner remains confident. “You would assume that they would give an honest review because it’s to their audience. Most people wouldn’t lie or mislead on their personal socials because they have a deeper connection with their audience,” he noted.
Plannin has already onboarded over 600 influencers, with 5,000 posts and 1,500 recommendations on the platform. The company approves creators with more than 10,000 followers, while also considering micro-influencers specializing in travel content.
The platform boasts a search feature with over 2 million hotels worldwide and is partnered with Booking Holdings, which includes Priceline, Agoda, Booking.com, and OpenTable.
Plannin aspires to be a comprehensive booking platform, extending beyond hotels. This summer, it will enable creators to recommend restaurants, tours, attractions, and activities. The company will partner with GetYourGuide and OpenTable to facilitate restaurant table reservations and activity bookings.
Furthermore, Plannin will introduce “Trip Boards,” allowing creators to curate full itineraries with experiences, hotels, and restaurants from destinations in one place.
Though still in beta, an official launch of Plannin is imminent. The company secured $2.5 million in funding last year, led by Golden Ventures, N49P, and former Booking Holdings CEO Jeffery Boyd. Plannin aims to raise additional venture capital this summer.