WTF - Wotif.com Holdings

[mcgrath111]

Agreed greater competition, will really show whether wotif can compete or not and will seperate the boys from men.

 

[So_Cynical]

I travel a fair bit, for business and leisure and I have to say I have never, ever used WTF to make a booking

Its funny how personal experience comes into things, i have booked all my flights (maybe 12? lost count) via WTF since 2006 except for the 4 Jetstar/Qantas flights, have always found WTF (travel.com.au) to be the cheapest online option and have been super impressed at the functionality of their site and the simplicity and value of the whole process.

I think its only a matter of time before the online travel industry gets into some serious consolidation...growth by acquisition will be the way forward, the industry while operating with thin margins is rock solid and not about to be replaced by anything else.

 

[matty77]

I always used WTF for business travel bookings for Australia trvel, I just found it the easiest website to use, and their prices were always pretty spot on most of the time. Plus I never had an issue with any bookings, I was on average traveling about 25 times per year interstate for the last 4 years so used them quiet often.

Traveling overseas I also used them as well for holidays (used a travel agent for business overseas!), they don't quiet have the same variety that some other sites have so I also use Expedia. WTF are also a little more pricey then other websites I find for overseas hotels, you pay an extra $10-$20 / night. However I am happy to pay the extra knowing my booking is my booking and its not going to "disappear" like some bookings do on other websites.

I've never booked a flight through them, being gold on Virgin I just fly with them and its a piece of piss travel wise!

I looked at them awhile ago and decided not to buy, I just think its too easy now to start some website and just copy what they are doing and the market for "hotel" websites seems to be lots around at the moment. The more their are the more each suffers as they share the sales, and it also pushes margins down.

Another factor is how WTF is perceived overseas, I know in NZ its used a fair bit but not sure about other places, I find it hard to see it as a proper international service provider for some reason even though it is.

 

[So_Cynical]

I just think its too easy now to start some website and just copy what they are doing and the market for "hotel" websites seems to be lots around at the moment.

Agree that any idiot with a couple of 100K can launch a web site to do anything, however WTF and the others have an online presence, repeat business and substantial cash flows...The established players are in a position to simply buy anyone else that comes along and gains market share.

And that's why i think they are a good bet, any new players are just after a quick online buck and a buy out is a great way to get that buck...3 or 4 big players will emerge, just a matter of picking the right stock.

 

[So_Cynical]

(24th-January-2014) Agree that any idiot with a couple of 100K can launch a web site to do anything, however WTF and the others have an online presence, repeat business and substantial cash flows...The established players are in a position to simply buy anyone else that comes along and gains market share.

And that's why i think they are a good bet, any new players are just after a quick online buck and a buy out is a great way to get that buck...3 or 4 big players will emerge, just a matter of picking the right stock.

I have hitched my wagon to WTF, in with the superfund at $2.39 thinking the break below $2.40 and the double bottom is a good enough reason to move today..positioning myself for the consolidations to come.
~

 

[pinkboy]

I have hitched my wagon to WTF, in with the superfund at $2.39 thinking the break below $2.40 and the double bottom is a good enough reason to move today..positioning myself for the consolidations to come.
~

Looks like a good payoff for you today, up 15%+ in the first 2hrs! How long until ASX put the brakes on?

I was in @ $2.62 a couple weeks ago, only to see it fall, but today it has bounced nicely

pinkboy

 

[skc]

Not sure WTF is going on here. The only thing I've read is that there was a large (3.5% stake) buy order this morning crossed at $2.40. And it had kept running since then, probably helped by short covering.

It's right on resistance now @ ~$2.80.

There's a short trade to be taken now, but I am too concerned that it will go into a halt the moment I trade it...

 

[VSntchr]

Not sure WTF is going on here. The only thing I've read is that there was a large (3.5% stake) buy order this morning crossed at $2.40. And it had kept running since then, probably helped by short covering.

It's right on resistance now @ ~$2.80.

There's a short trade to be taken now, but I am too concerned that it will go into a halt the moment I trade it...

The risk of a halt coming is pretty low now that they have replied to the extremely speedy speeding ticket - lol.

Looks like the excuse is investor presentations going on this week...wonder what they've been telling these super special investors that the market doesn't know?

 

[skc]

The risk of a halt coming is pretty low now that they have replied to the extremely speedy speeding ticket - lol.

Looks like the excuse is investor presentations going on this week...wonder what they've been telling these super special investors that the market doesn't know?

The speeding ticket brought out the standard response. But the share price hasn't fallen at all. This could be another LEI story... It has every opportunity and reason to fall back down but it didn't. So I'd assume it has some reason to be going up.

Anyway... I lost 2 ticks trying to short it so I am just going to standaside and watch it unfold.

 

[skyQuake]

Big block trade went through @ 2.40

Might be the end of the line so that's why it rallied?

 

[skc]

Big block trade went through @ 2.40

Might be the end of the line so that's why it rallied?

Don't know. The market so often throws up this type of mini mysteries. I'd love to know the reasons behind them.

 

[pinkboy]

Looks like the brakes have failed and its speeding off into the sunset!

20%+ gain today!

pinkboy

 

[VSntchr]

Good move on taking the small loss SKC. Well worth it to take 2 ticks for what would now be 15+.

I thought this business would struggle a few years ago, and if you completely excluded a take-over event I'd be happy to take on a short now...just not sure how likely a t/o really is.

 

[skc]

Good move on taking the small loss SKC. Well worth it to take 2 ticks for what would now be 15+.

Actually it's a bad move. I should have gone long. I read the flow but didn't act... just more bad trading on my part.

 

[notting]

I suspect shorters will come back in very aggressively as soon as this little squeeze plays out.:homer:

 

[So_Cynical]

(11th-March-2014) I have hitched my wagon to WTF, in with the superfund at $2.39 thinking the break below $2.40 and the double bottom is a good enough reason to move today..positioning myself for the consolidations to come.
~

8 Days in and im out, sold a bit more than half my shares at $2.87 (18.73% profit) lucky to because when i first checked the market was temped to jump out at $2.60/70 this morning then took a deep breath and figured that with the volume some serious buying was going on with sellers just being taken out, then the buying seemed to stall and i thought WTF.

Ended up placing a sell order at $2.87 not really thinking it would get hit and it got smashed...anyway double bottom indicator FTW...keen to buy in again at around the $2.39 mark.

 

[ROE]

Damn thought it never happen, I always book via WTF but I just did a holiday booking via
booking.com came out $45 cheaper and no booking fees.

I always hate the booking fee

I think WTF day is numbered with the current model, this is one customer that never use their service again

 

[So_Cynical]

I think WTF day is numbered with the current model

I think ALL the local web travel/hotel company's days are numbered, because eventually the big internationals will buy them out/take them over.

 

[ROE]

I think ALL the local web travel/hotel company's days are numbered, because eventually the big internationals will buy them out/take them over.

Why would they buy them out for a premium while they can slowly over time erode their customers based with superior offering?

you can see with Aldi and Coles as soon as their offering is cheaper, customers move to their store...

with online business there is no decent good will.....with physical store you may buy for superior location and demographic that goes with the location etc...

 

[McLovin]

Why would they buy them out for a premium while they can slowly over time erode their customers based with superior offering?

Exactly. All these guys are plugged into the exact same inventory databases. The way I see it panning out is that the big boys Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline etc will end up dominating the industry and the only other competitors will be small niche websites like Tablet who differentiate their product by only listing hotels that they have rated and reviewed.

Internet listing services all run off share of mind. In the old days with classified advertising people bought the paper because they got the news and suited their political outlook etc and that created an attachment with the paper. On the internet, there's nothing that keeps the punter coming back except for knowing they will get a good price. Sites like Trivago that can instantly search multiple websites make it even harder to get an edge.