The Travel Channel has formed a partnership with travel search company SideStep as part of an overall redesign of its flagship website TravelChannel.com.

Published: 04 Apr 2007

The Travel Channel has formed a partnership with travel search company SideStep as part of an overall redesign of its flagship website TravelChannel.com.

The revamped website, which features a new design, navigation and search-optimised pages, is a content-rich site that allows visitors to get information on specific travel destinations, watch travel-related video and research and book their trips, in addition to learning more about their favourite Travel Channel shows.

Visitors to the redesigned TravelChannel.com can research and book air, hotel and car rentals by leveraging the site’s new "Book It!” functionality powered by SideStep.

“The launch of the new TravelChannel.com marks the evolution of our site, expanding beyond a simple fan site for our viewers, to become a comprehensive travel resource that leverages our broad range of assets in travel-related content,” said Pat Younge, President and General Manager, Discovery Travel Media, adding that by partnering with companies like SideStep, the company is ensuring the online destination is rich in both content and functionality.”

Rob Solomon, President and CEO, SideStep, Inc. said, “Visitors to TravelChannel.com can now translate their curiosity about travel into reality by researching and booking their trips without ever having to leave the Travel Channel site.”

The new TravelChannel.com also features:

• Video hub - visitors can easily access the Travel Channel’s rich library of travel videos, including web-only content from Travel Channel television shows, video blogs from on-air talent and exclusive Travel Channel information about popular destinations. In addition, the site’s new in-page video player allows users to access video content without having to leave the page.

• Multimedia destination guides – more than 90 in-depth guides for the most popular vacation destinations.

• Improved internal site search – through a partnership with SLI Systems, users have access to a more robust search function for TravelChannel.com pages that allows them to filter their results by videos,
images, Discovery store products and TV listings.

• Share Hub – this new section aggregates User Generated Content from the site, including user-submitted video, destination reviews and active message boards, in one easy to access location.

• Travel ideas – provides a range of guides covering the most popular travel topics, including cruises, honeymoons, luxury travel, family travel, adventure travel and more.

• News and weather – In partnership with Weather Underground, this new section allows users to see weather conditions across the world, and includes a travel news feed.