Latest HA D&T Perspective
Tripadvisor joins OTAs
With its latest redesign, Tripadvisor has relaunched itself as a hotel price comparison search engine.
The site has now integrated reviews and pricing in the same window, eradicating pop-ups and bringing Tripadvisor closer than ever to being a traditional online travel agent.
Accor joins Expedia ETP programme
Expedia announced that it has signed a long-term global agreement with Accor, which will see the operator join its Expedia Traveler Preference Programme.
The move gives increased credibility to the ETP programme, despite the fact that the new payment options potentially increasing hotels’ costs.
Hipclub gets funding to expand
Hipclub, a Russia-based private sales club website, announced that it had raised USD7m in its latest round of funding.
The investment will see the brand expand in Russia and nearby Russian-speaking countries, as the private sales model expands to developing regions.
Hyatt, MGM get loyal together
Hyatt Hotels Corporation and MGM Resorts International are to combine their loyalty programmes.
The deal will, Hyatt said, add value to its loyalty programme and raises the question of what smaller operators can do to make their programmes attractive to consumers.
eDreams rapped over transparency
Easyjet has reported eDreams to the Office of Fair Trading, the Civil Aviation Authority and Which?, claiming the OTA group was advertising misleading prices.
The company claims that the prices advertised on eDreams do not include service fees and payment fees for debit and credit cards, making prices on Easyjet.com look relatively uncompetitive.
