MARRIOTT International has announced a groundbreaking distribution agreement with Expedia Group, which will become the “exclusive global optimised distributor of Marriott’s wholesale rates, availability and content”. The new model will see the hospitality giant revamp how it deals with wholesalers such as Hotel Beds and Webjet offshoot WebBeds, who effective from 15 October will access Marriott inventory via Expedia Partner Solutions.
Marriott said the new agreement would “eliminate the complexity and inefficiency of today’s wholesale redistribution model for Marriott hotels,” while also providing a consistent and reliable shopping experience for travellers, ensuring accurate display of hotel descriptions, room rates and fees.
“The wholesale distribution landscape today is fragmented and complex; hotels need to navigate an intricate web of third-party redistributors and technology standards,” Marriott noted, with the new solution seeing Expedia provide uniform technology for all Marriott properties worldwide. Redistributors will no longer receive access to Marriott rates and inventory directly from Marriott, but will instead contract with Expedia Partner Solutions, which will ensure these third parties comply with Marriott’s distribution standards. The change at this stage is only for bed banks, with tour operators continuing to be able to access wholesale rates directly from Marriott. However tour operators will also be able to access pricing through Expedia if they desire.
“At Marriott, our highest priorities include enhancing service and transparency for consumers while driving profitability for owners and franchisees,” according to Marriott International Global Officer of Digital Distribution, Brian King. “With this truly innovative solution from Expedia Group, we can increase our reach to leisure travel providers while solving distribution challenges and improving profitability for our hotels around the world,” he said.
