Starwood Hotels and Resorts has made its global portfolio accessible on the Trip Advisor booking platform.
Travellers will now be able to book a room at Starwood properties through Trip Advisor Instant Booking - A move which could be seen by buyers as another step to encourage direct booking.
The feature enables consumers to book hotels on the site without having to navigate to third-party hotel and online travel agency sites.
With Trip Advisor Instant Booking, users click on a ‘book now’ button to reserve a room. Travellers are reminded throughout the booking process that their reservation is powered by Starwood and are provided links and phone numbers to contact the hotel’s customer service associates directly.
Starwood said the partnership will enable it to market and merchandise its ‘lifestyle’ brands to a “unique customer base”.
“We are excited about an enhanced relationship with Trip Advisor as it allows us to deepen our touch-points with Trip Advisor’s global community of travellers while maintaining a consistent connection with guests before, during, and after their stay at a Starwood hotel,” said Julie Atkinson, senior VP of global digital for Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
“We appreciate the work Trip Advisor has done to expand upon the existing distribution models and the partnership will provide a clear benefit to our global hotel portfolio,” she added.
In November, Marriott announced it was acquiring Starwood in a $12.2 billion deal, creating the world’s largest hotel company.
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