Expedia Group and Marriott International have signed a new agreement stipulating that Expedia Group will become the exclusive global optimised distributor of Marriott’s wholesale rates, availability and content to a network of global travel providers, from October 15, 2019.
With the launch of the optimised distributor model, Marriott is introducing changes to how it approaches the redistribution of the company’s wholesale rates and availability among third-party travel providers.
Through this agreement signed in April 2019, Marriott will tap Expedia Group’s technology and services to create a single gateway for the redistribution of Marriott’s wholesale inventory. The optimised distribution model, provided by Expedia Group’s B2B arm, Expedia Partner Solutions, will eliminate the complexity and inefficiency of today’s wholesale redistribution model for Marriott hotels, said the OTA in a statement.
This single gateway solution will also provide a consistent and reliable shopping experience for travellers, ensuring accurate display of hotel descriptions, room rates and fees through known and trusted third party travel providers, the company added.
Today’s wholesale distribution landscape is fragmented and complex, requiring hotels to navigate an intricate web of third-party redistributors and technology standards, said Expedia Group. It claims that this new solution unlocks Expedia Group’s technology through one point of access and uniform technology for all Marriott hotels worldwide, which will enable Marriott to more efficiently manage its wholesale redistribution.
Under this joint partnership, redistributors will no longer receive access to Marriott rates and inventory directly from Marriott but may contract with Expedia Partner Solutions to obtain access, provided such redistributors comply with Marriott’s distribution standards.
Tour operators who access wholesale rates from Marriott directly continue to have this option, in addition to leveraging Expedia Partner Solutions as the optimised distributor for Marriott International wholesale rates. For Marriott hotels, the new optimised distribution model will reduce the cost, complexity and consumer issues associated with the current redistribution marketplace, said Expedia Group.
Brian King, global officer of digital, distribution, revenue strategy & global sales, Marriott International, said that by tapping on Expedia Group’s technology, the hotel “can increase our reach to leisure travel providers while solving distribution challenges and improving profitability for our hotels around the world”.
