www.skyguide.net
What it's good for: Heads-up on frequent-flier promotions, airport and airline-route information, and other travel tips.
Don't waste your time if: You're clamoring for an online version of SkyGuide, the pocket guide in which American Express details all manner of information about 75,000 direct and connecting flights. "I love SkyGuide and have used it a ton," said one CEO. "But why doesn't American Express put this service online for a fee? The site only lets you sign up for a print subscription."
What our CEOs had to say: The site is useful, offering news and notes "written in a great quick, informative style," one CEO observed. Another particularly liked the tips on airport business services, saying it's a "great site to check out before your layover." But one dissenter said that "it's a site about nothing."
What you should know: Timely and dated information sometimes exist side by side. Last fall, for instance, the site highlighted an array of November frequent-flier promotions. Nearby was an August survey of business travelers.
www.trip.com
What it's good for: Alluring reading matter. Recent selections ranged from an advisory about the risks of "toting a small office" in a backpack, to a travelogue about Bulgaria. Besides including a good guide to flights, hotels, and rental cars, the site also offers a "Tools for Travel" section, including maps of airports and cities, a database of U.S. business addresses, and tables of travel deductions allowable on state tax returns.
Don't waste your time if: You expect to find something more enticing in the "marketplace" area than a handful of ads.
What our CEOs had to say: Much of what they found on Trip.com warmed their hearts. "I could envision using this site as a quick way to get the lay of the land," one said. "The presentation is very clear, ads don't interfere with the content, and the searchable database provides access to targeted information." Another CEO particularly liked the ease with which he could use the site to track an airplane's flight status.
What you should know: A lot of valuable news and information is buried in the "NewsStand" section.
The bottom line
No one site among the seven that we reviewed is likely to replace the ad hoc collection of travel-related bookmarks that many weary road warriors have already flagged. But our CEOs did pinpoint some Web pages that they considered nuggets of particular note. One was the "Tools of Travel," the practical-advice and quick-link section of Trip.com. The travel guides of Magellans.com and SkyGuide.net also drew our reviewers' applause, as did the laptop toter's bible provided by RoadNews.com.
Leslie Brokaw is a freelance writer and Web consultant living in Boston.
The savvy entrepreneur's guide to travel-aid sites
Comments
|
Would CEOs go back? |
What is the site good for? |
CEOs' quick take |
Recommended? |
| www.biztravel.com |
Mostly, no. |
Planning and booking a business trip. |
"Has potential" but "didn't really deliver on the promise of its name." |
No. |
| www.business-trip.com |
Maybe. |
Links to other travel sites. |
"A great index file of travel information," but "too busy." |
Generally, no. |
| www.magellans.com |
Maybe. |
Travel products and general overseas information. |
"Were I traveling overseas, I'd use it to get rudimentary information." |
Yes. |
| www.office.com/travel |
Split decision. |
Consolidated travel information, from weather to city guides. |
"Nice job collecting a few travel basics on one page." |
Yes. |
| www.roadnews.com |
Generally, no. |
Information about using laptops abroad. |
"Heavily geared to international travel." |
Generally, no. |
| www.skyguide.net |
Split decision. |
General business-traveler news and information. |
"Good airport and flight information, plus frequent-flier links." |
Yes. |
| www.trip.com |
Yes. |
A little bit of everything, including flight booking. |
"A very easy to use, clean-flowing site." |
Yes. |
Grades
|
Ease of use |
Variety |
Value |
Average grade |
| www.biztravel.com |
B- |
B+ |
B |
B |
| www.business-trip.com |
B |
C+ |
B- |
B- |
| www.magellans.com |
A- |
B |
B+ |
B+ |
| www.office.com/travel |
A+ |
B+ |
B+ |
A- |
| www.roadnews.com |
C |
B |
B |
B- |
| www.skyguide.net |
A |
B |
B |
B+ |
| www.trip.com |
A |
A- |
A+ |
A |
Our panelists
George A. Boitano, president and CEO, Security Integration Inc.
John H. Chuang, CEO, Aquent
John R. Coleman, CEO, VIA Inc.
Michael Dorf, chairman and CEO, KnitMedia Inc.
Karen Duke, cofounder, Victorian Fireplace Shop
Patricia Garey, president and CEO, eMedia Staffing
Marla Malcolm, CEO, Bluemercury Inc.
Richard A. Maradik, CEO, Smart DM Holdings Inc.
Please e-mail your comments to editors@inc.com.
