Travelzoo Restaurant Offers Inspire First-Time Visits; 81 Percent Plan to Return at Full Price

NEW YORK, June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Travelzoo Inc. (NASDAQ: TZOO), a global Internet media company, revealed today that its subscribers are using Travelzoo to discover restaurants, both at home and while on vacation, and are later returning as full-price guests, according to an independent survey.  Of those diners who purchased a restaurant offer on Travelzoo in the past 12 months, 24 percent have already returned for a full-price experience; a further 57 percent plan to return to the restaurant in the future.  In addition, 61 percent of Travelzoo subscribers share their positive experiences with friends and family.

Travelzoo dining offers inspire subscribers to make their first visit to a restaurant.  Of those who took up a Travelzoo offer, 56 percent went to a restaurant featured on Travelzoo that they would not have otherwise visited. Forty-eight percent recommended restaurants to their friends or family after trying it out with a Travelzoo offer.

In addition to a high percentage returning at full price, 59 percent of Travelzoo diners spend at least 30 percent more than the face value of the offer while dining.  Twenty-five percent of Travelzoo diners say they are using Travelzoo to discover restaurants while on vacation.

"Travelzoo has become a force in high-quality dining. Since 2011 we have inspired our subscribers to book more than 2 million tables," said Mike Stitt, vice president and general manager of Travelzoo Local. "Our focus on featuring only high-quality restaurants that offer our subscribers exceptional experiences has been a win-win-win for our brand, our subscribers and those restaurants that we recommend.  We now have 26 million subscribers using Travelzoo to discover restaurants they might have never found on their own."

The survey results confirmed Travelzoo restaurant customers are mature and affluent, with 80 percent falling between the ages of 35 to 64, and half having individual annual incomes of $100,000 or more.  Two out of three customers are female, with 71 percent considering themselves 'foodies.' Seventy-eight percent live with another adult, and 80 percent have no children living at home, providing more freedom to dine out and greater flexibility to take advantage of dining opportunities. Fifty-seven percent of Travelzoo restaurant customers have dinner at a restaurant between three and seven times per week.

Qualitative feedback from Travelzoo's restaurant partners confirms the quantitative insights from the independent survey:

Chef and owner, Kerry Simon, Simon Restaurant at the Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas: 

"For us, Travelzoo is one of the most effective ways to get visitors to Las Vegas into the restaurant that are definite foodies.  I am so impressed with how this works to fill our restaurant almost immediately with a quality clientele that appreciate what we do and spend more.  And, because it enables us to reach a national audience of travelers, it is always great exposure for our brand.  We have worked with Travelzoo over ten times and this is now part of our ongoing marketing plan."  

Marc Glosserman, Founder & CEO, Hill Country Hospitality, Washington, D.C.:  

"We have found that partnering with Travelzoo has not only provided a nice jolt to our business in the periods that we run promotions, but that Travelzoo guests are genuinely seeking a quality dining experience -- and it certainly doesn't hurt that they typically spend more in the restaurant than the value of the voucher they are redeeming."

Bart Retolatto, Executive Chef, La Bottega, New York: 

"Travelzoo guests are high-quality, sophisticated diners who have taken great interest in the food and proactively interact with the chef.  They tend to be 'foodies' and we appreciate that many were true locals from our Chelsea neighborhood."

2013 Travelzoo Dining Survey methodology: 

The survey was conducted in April 2013 by ORC International, a leading global market research firm.  ORC International surveyed Travelzoo's U.S. subscribers and conducted the survey among a sample of 833 respondents that had purchased a restaurant voucher in the past 12 months.

About Travelzoo

Travelzoo Inc. is a global Internet media company.  With more than 26 million subscribers in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific and 25 offices worldwide, Travelzoo® publishes deals from more than 2,000 travel and entertainment companies.  Travelzoo's deal experts review offers to find the best deals and confirm their true value.  In Asia Pacific, Travelzoo is independently owned and operated by Travelzoo (Asia) Ltd. and Travelzoo Japan K.K. under a license agreement with Travelzoo Inc. 

Certain statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934.  These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, expectations, prospects and intentions, markets in which we participate and other statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts.  When used in this press release, the words "expect", "predict", "project", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "seek" and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements.  Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including changes in our plans, objectives, expectations, prospects and intentions and other factors discussed in our filings with the SEC.  We cannot guarantee any future levels of activity, performance or achievements.  Travelzoo undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.  Travelzoo and Top 20 are registered trademarks of Travelzoo.  All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Media Contact:
Mindy Joyce
Sugarfly Marketing
+1 (646) 259-1546
[email protected] 

SOURCE Travelzoo