Emails from TripAdvisor - Personal, Mobile, and Nude?

If you have ever researched travel online - I'm sure you've come across hotel reviews on TripAdvisor.  You may not know that they are owned by online travel giant (and my former employer) Expedia. Although Expedia recently released plans to spin off the Trip Advisor brand (read more about that here).

If you have actually signed up for TripAdvisor, then you've probably also received some of their emails...here are a few of my favorites:

One of the first emails I got from Trip Advisor was a "personal" message from Steve Kaufer - the founder of Trip Advisor. It's a great message - an invitation to review a hotel, restaurant, or attraction on the site.  Of course this builds content for their site, but it also develops the community. Putting Steve's face right on the email is an awesome idea too.  I heard Steve speak at the annual Expedia partner conference in 2009.  He's unique in the fact that he's the founder and CEO. He was clearly passionate about travel and tech and of all the Expedia business CEO's - he had a sense of ownership and connection to the business that came across clearly in his speech.

This email came to me after I searched a trip to Laguna Beach on the website. I used to live in Orange County, so I frequently check out trips back to the area.  This email advertises their mobile app and pulls in some browse data (location) from their website - which adds context to the message - I like context. 

As far as subject lines go, this one is a killer. I bet this email over-indexed greatly on open rates based on its subject line: "More nude beaches uncovered..." The email has an interesting stat about Europeans and their propensity to go 'au natural' while on holiday. 

Did you receive any of these emails? Thoughts?