Orbitz, the online travel monolith, has debuted a new blog, which travel guru Chris Elliott has recently dubbed the “hottest new travel blog.” Though it is only a few weeks old, Elliott praises the blog, saying, “[H]ere’s what I like about the Orbitz Blog so far: it’s completely unpretentious, practical and … fun. Yes, fun. I think the blogosphere needs more of that and a lot less of the link-free navel-gazing that seems to be in vogue these days.”
So far, the blog’s topics have focused exclusively on domestic locales and skewed to a slightly older audience than most other travel blogs (e.g. “Fresh ideas in Vegas buffet dining,” “Vegas vacation: Bargain buffets“). It will be interesting to see whether online readers will embrace a travel blog that is so closely linked to a massive travel corporation like Orbitz.
But I predict that if the writing is interesting, entertaining, and appeals to a wide audience, readers will not be put off by the Orbitz logo in the corner of the screen. Only time will tell.