Expedia Group and IHG Hotels & Resorts Announce Distribution Agreement
Expedia Group announced it is now a preferred redistributor of IHG Hotels & Resorts properties’ wholesale rates through the company’s Optimized Distribution Preferred program.
Expedia Group’s Optimized Distribution program helps reduce costs, generate incremental revenue for hotels and provide accurate content and better rates to travelers by creating a primary gateway solution for the hotelier and its B2B demand partners.
IHG joins a growing list of hotel chains partnering with Expedia Group on the Optimized Distribution program. The company’s network expands the scope of the wholesale market, connecting hotels to B2B demand partners, including a range of third-party providers, tour operators and travel advisors.
IHG revealed its plans to leverage Expedia Group’s platform to consolidate its wholesale distribution.
“We’re here to build great products, and facilitate connections between travelers and our partners by using the power of our platform,” Expedia Group President Ariane Gorin said. “That is why we are so pleased to have IHG join the success of the Optimized Distribution program. We are looking forward to helping IHG leverage this solution to fuel their growth and power more travel.”
“We are thrilled to join Expedia Group’s Optimized Distribution Program,” IHG Chief Commercial Officer George Turner said. “This arrangement will enable us to more seamlessly manage our wholesale distribution by providing cost savings, better control over our channel mix and enhancements to our revenue management strategy, ultimately driving additional value for our owners and hotels.”
In a recent survey, the Expedia Group said that after two years of enduring a global pandemic, people are putting a higher value than ever on travel and personal time. The report suggests that travelers have started to adapt to the realities of COVID-19, ranking flexible travel at the top of their priorities and focusing intently on traveling responsibly, including taking steps such as tipping industry workers more and choosing less crowded destinations to limit the effects of over-tourism.