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HomeRegional NewsAfricaAs hotels seek to fill empty rooms, travelers can trade up with new Expedia.com offering
Unpublished rate hotel inventory available

As hotels seek to fill empty rooms, travelers can trade up with new Expedia.com offering

Expedia.com announced that it is offering "Unpublished Rates" for hotel reservations. These rates are up to 50% off of the lowest prices typically available online. At launch, Expedia customers will have access to more than 25,000 hotels worldwide – one of the biggest selections of this type of inventory. Consumers who have long used Expedia to get the best rates on retail hotels can now book Unpublished Rate hotels and "trade up" to a higher star property and pay well below the retail rate. At the same time, participating hotels can now capture customers who might not have otherwise booked their property.

Unpublished Rates on Expedia.com offer superb value to customers and hoteliers alike. Travelers who have flexibility in their hotel accommodations now have access to hotel rooms at deeply discounted prices, without the hassle of bidding, or the fear that they may have paid too much. And in many cases, travelers are using these discounts to upgrade the star rating of the hotel they select. To take advantage of these deals, travelers just book the discounted rate up front and then learn the hotel name after they have booked the room. This represents a win for hoteliers as well. In the first half of 2010, on average, nearly half the hotel rooms on any given night were vacant, according to Smith Travel Research. Not only can they fill up rooms that would have otherwise gone unsold, but they can also effectively manage their revenue.

This new offering is the result of collaboration between two Expedia, Inc. brands. Expedia’s Unpublished Rate inventory will be sourced from Hotwire, which will also manage the display, pricing and back-end booking with the hotel. Expedia customers can sort Unpublished Rate hotels by travel dates, star rating and location.

"Rather than pocket the savings on similar properties, we’re seeing our Unpublished Rate customers trade up instead," said Tim MacDonald, senior vice president and general manager, Expedia.com. "They’re booking at the same prices they normally would, but are ‘jumping’ as much as two star ratings without paying a penny more. Meanwhile, participating hotels, in addition to filling unsold rooms, are also getting a chance to win over a customer they might not have otherwise received."

"Hotwire has been building up its industry-leading unpublished rate offering for more than 10 years now," said Clem Bason, president of The Hotwire Group. "We’re incredibly excited to bring these deals to the nearly two million customers who shop on Expedia.com each day, many of whom may not have considered booking a hotel this way."

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Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.

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