trivago
trivago (NASDAQ: TRVG) is a hotel metasearch platform comparing prices across 100+ booking sites for 7+ million hotels in 190+ countries. The Düsseldorf-based, Expedia Group majority-owned company operates a standardized CPA marketplace serving 50+ million monthly users and 140+ advertiser partners.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersDüsseldorf, Germany
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What trivago does
trivago N.V. (NASDAQ: TRVG) is a publicly listed hotel metasearch platform headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, founded in 2005 and majority-owned by Expedia Group. The company aggregates and compares hotel prices from 100+ booking sites across 7+ million accommodations in 190+ countries, serving 50+ million monthly users through 53 localized websites in 30+ languages, native iOS/Android apps, and a HUAWEI partnership. Following a near-death experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new executive team — led by CEO Johannes Thomas (a trivago intern since 2011), CPO Andrej Lehnert, and CMO Jasmine Ezz — took over in mid-2023 and repositioned the company around brand marketing, AI-driven product development, and on-platform booking. As of FY2025 reporting, trivago had ~600+ employees from 75+ nationalities.
The core product is trivago Hotel Search, rebuilt on a new desktop architecture called Nova Vista, onto which multiple AI-driven modules are layered: Smart AI Search (LLM-powered free-text search built on Google Cloud Vertex AI Search, first-of-its-kind in travel), AI Highlights, AI Review Summaries, AI Smart Filters, and AI Top 10 Badges by Theme. The on-platform booking funnel trivago Book & Go, powered by the white-label booking engine Holisto (acquired fully in August 2025 for $32M after a $10M 30% stake in July 2024), enables direct booking completion and supports cryptocurrency payments via a Travala integration across 2.2+ million hotels. The B2B platform trivago Business Studio offers Direct Connect and Rate Connect tools for hotel chains and independent hoteliers, and the company publishes a Digital Services Act transparency report as an EU-gatekeeper-scope intermediary with 11.67 million average monthly active EU users.
trivago's revenue model is a two-sided transaction-based marketplace. The company moved to a standardized CPA (cost-per-acquisition) model with a minimum 10% commission per completed booking across all markets and removed CPC (cost-per-click) as a pricing option on September 1, 2025. The B2B side serves 140+ CPA partners comprising OTAs, hotel chains, and independent hoteliers, with revenue diversification visible in the rise of "all others" advertisers to 35% of Referral Revenue (from 20% in Q1 2023) and logged-in members contributing 30% of Referral Revenue. FY2025 revenue reached €549 million (+19% YoY), with Q4 2025 revenue of €120 million (+27% YoY) and Q1 2026 revenue of €142.9 million (+15% YoY), the fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. The company ended FY2025 with €130.9 million in cash and zero long-term debt, and announced a €20 million share buyback program in May 2026 alongside a raised 2026 Adjusted EBITDA guidance of approximately €25 million.
trivago firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- trivago
- Legal name
- trivago N.V.
- Website
- https://company.trivago.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- trivago (NASDAQ: TRVG) is a hotel metasearch platform comparing prices across 100+ booking sites for 7+ million hotels in 190+ countries. The Düsseldorf-based, Expedia Group majority-owned company operates a standardized CPA marketplace serving 50+ million monthly users and 140+ advertiser partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
trivago industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hotel Metasearch
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (561510)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hotels & Lodging Metasearch (THALAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Metasearch & Fare/Rate Comparison Engines (THAKAAAD)
Keywords
Where trivago is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Düsseldorf
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
trivago business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Referral Revenue — CPA: Primary revenue stream. Transaction-based marketplace model where trivago charges advertisers (OTAs, hotel chains, independent hoteliers) a standardized minimum commission of 10% per completed booking. Replaced CPC as the default pricing model; CPC was removed from the offering on September 1, 2025.
- Referral Revenue — CPC (legacy/hybrid): Cost-per-click advertising model. Largely phased out — CPC removed as a pricing option on September 1, 2025. Some hybrid arrangements (mix of CPA and CPC) remain.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) — standard model |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | CPC (Cost Per Click) — removed |
| Hybrid | Pay-as-you-go | Hybrid (CPA + CPC mix) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
trivago product offering
Product offeringCore offering
trivago runs a global hotel metasearch platform that aggregates rates, availability, and reviews from over 7 million hotels in 190+ countries and compares offers from hundreds of booking sites and OTAs in a single search. It earns revenue by referring engaged travelers to hotels and OTAs via CPA-based referrals (standard 10% commission) and legacy CPC advertising, and increasingly offers AI-driven comparison features such as Smart AI Search and AI Review Summaries.
Product overview
trivago operates a unified hotel metasearch platform anchored by trivago Hotel Search and complemented by trivago Mobile Apps (iOS/Android), a B2B hotelier platform called trivago Business Studio (which includes the Direct Connect and Rate Connect tools), and an editorial sub-brand called trivago Magazine. The architecture is a platform-plus-modules model: the core search product is built on a new desktop architecture called Nova Vista, onto which AI-driven modules are layered — including Smart AI Search, AI Highlights, AI Review Summaries, AI Smart Filters, AI Top 10 Badges by Theme, and Property Details Pages. The on-platform booking funnel trivago Book & Go, powered by the acquired Holisto white-label booking engine, enables direct booking completion and supports cryptocurrency payments via Travala across 2.2 million hotels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- trivago Business Studio: Self-service marketing platform for independent hoteliers and partners to manage their listings and advertising on trivago (studio.trivago.com).
- trivago Magazine
Products and services
- trivago Hotel Metasearch Platform
- trivago Mobile Apps
- trivago Business Studio
- Direct Connect
- Rate Connect
Quantifiable outcome
- 58% conversion rate increase since Q1 2023
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use trivago
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
trivago technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability12 records
Feature11 records
trivago partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Google CloudflagshipStrategic AI collaboration. trivago is working with Google Cloud on AI-powered search experiences, including integration with Vertex AI Search and joint AI Search initiatives.
- Holistocoretrivago acquired 100% of Holisto, deepening its hotel metasearch and advertising technology capabilities.
- Jürgen KloppflagshipGlobal brand ambassador. Klopp features prominently in trivago brand campaigns produced with Project MJK and SPORTFIVE.
- SPORTFIVEcoreSports marketing agency partnership supporting trivago's sports sponsorship and brand ambassador work (e.g., Jürgen Klopp).
- Project MJKcoreCreative/production collaboration on the Jürgen Klopp brand ambassador campaign.
- Expedia GroupflagshipParent company relationship. Expedia Group is a major shareholder and strategic parent of trivago N.V.
- HUAWEIcoreStrategic partnership, with trivago's app pre-installed or featured on HUAWEI devices in selected markets.
Scale indicators23 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
trivago competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tripadvisor: Travel metasearch and review platform with a hotel comparison and booking offering. Competes with trivago on hotel discovery, AI-driven review summaries, and click-out referrals to OTAs.
- Kayak: Hotel and travel metasearch engine owned by Booking Holdings. Closest direct functional peer to trivago, comparing prices across OTAs and supplier sites, with a similar performance-marketing-driven model.
- Booking.com: Largest OTA globally and a direct supplier of hotel inventory that also advertises on trivago's CPA marketplace. Most direct competitor on the supply side and a key demand source, making it trivago's most strategically important peer.
Emerging players
- Airbnb: Alternative accommodation marketplace with growing hotel supply. Increasingly a competitor in the broader accommodation search and booking space where trivago competes for traveler attention and ad spend.
- Skyscanner: Trip.com Group-owned metasearch engine focused on flights but expanding into hotels. Comparable as a travel metasearch marketplace using similar CPA/CPC monetization mechanics.
Broad incumbents
- Hotels.com: Another Expedia Group-owned hotel booking brand that participates in trivago's marketplace. Direct overlap in hotel search and booking, competing for both demand and supply relationships.
- Expedia: Sibling brand under Expedia Group, trivago's parent, and a competing booking site. Overlaps with trivago on hotel metasearch and booking, but operates at much larger scale across flights, packages, and loyalty.
- Google Hotels: Google's own hotel metasearch and booking module surfaced directly in search results. The single most important structural competitor, given trivago's dependence on Google search traffic and the subject of trivago's antitrust damages claim.
Regional players
- Agoda: Booking Holdings-owned OTA with strong APAC hotel inventory. Comparable as both a competing booking site and a supply partner to trivago, especially in Asian markets where trivago is less dominant.
- Trip.com Group: Major Asia-based OTA and travel metasearch player (including Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, Qunar). Comparable in metasearch/OTA model, primarily competing in Asia but with growing global reach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
trivago social profiles
Digital presencetrivago compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
trivago financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
trivago leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
trivago subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
trivago funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
trivago M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A6 records
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about trivago
What does trivago do?
trivago runs a global hotel metasearch platform that aggregates rates, availability, and reviews from over 7 million hotels in 190+ countries and compares offers from hundreds of booking sites and OTAs in a single search. It earns revenue by referring engaged travelers to hotels and OTAs via CPA-based referrals (standard 10% commission) and legacy CPC advertising, and increasingly offers AI-driven comparison features such as Smart AI Search and AI Review Summaries.
Is trivago a public or private company?
trivago is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was trivago founded?
trivago was founded in 2005. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is trivago based?
trivago is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does trivago make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Referral Revenue — CPA is the primary driver. The others are referral Revenue — CPC (legacy/hybrid).
Who are trivago's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tripadvisor, Kayak and Booking.com. Emerging players are Airbnb and Skyscanner. Broad incumbents are Hotels.com, Expedia and Google Hotels. Regional players are Agoda and Trip.com Group.
Does trivago have an API?
Yes. trivago offers partner-facing APIs primarily for receiving real-time hotel rates and inventory from booking sites and connectivity providers. The trivago booking sites contact form explicitly asks prospective partners 'Do you have an API which can send us real-time rates?' indicating API availability for B2B connectivity partners and hoteliers. Direct Connect and Rate Connect tools enable hotel chains and independent hotels to publish rates via integration.
What industry is trivago in?
trivago's product category is Hotel Metasearch. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALAEAC, Hotels & Lodging Metasearch, with a secondary code of THAKAAAD, Metasearch & Fare/Rate Comparison Engines. Its NAICS code is 561510.