NEEDHAM, Mass., July 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Tripadvisor®, the world's largest travel
guidance platform*, announced today that three hotel groups, with a
combined portfolio of close to 500 properties, are among the first
hotel chains to connect directly to Tripadvisor Plus, a new annual
subscription that offers members endless travel savings, perks and
VIP services. Tripadvisor Plus members will get access to special
room rates and guest perks, such as welcome gifts, dining and spa
credits and late check-out, when booking at selected Barceló,
Millennium Hotels and Pestana Hotels worldwide. For the
participating hotels, Tripadvisor Plus provides access to new,
high-value customers they can remarket to directly, at zero
commission.
Today's announcement represents a major milestone in the
evolution of Tripadvisor Plus, which launched to travelers in the
U.S. on 16 June. Barceló Hotel Group (BHG), Millennium Hotels and
Resorts (MHR) and Pestana Hotel Group are the first hotel chains to
directly connect to Tripadvisor Plus at the corporate group level,
meaning accommodations within their portfolios will be
automatically enrolled into the program, offering special rates and
perks to Tripadvisor Plus members.
"Tripadvisor Plus is so attractive not just for the savings it
offers savvy travelers, but also for the VIP perks that can help
elevate their travel experience. That is exactly what these three
partners will deliver, and we're excited about the wide range of
accommodations that will be available to our members," said
Kanika Soni, chief commercial
officer, Tripadvisor. "Our partners clearly see the potential of
Tripadvisor Plus to help reduce the burden of high online
distribution costs. And with travel rebounding in the U.S., today's
news shows the momentum we are building with the program."
A Better Distribution Model for Accommodation
Providers
For the three hotel groups, Tripadvisor Plus offers an
innovative new model of room distribution. Unlike traditional
online travel agents, Tripadvisor does not charge participating
hotels any commission fee per booking (instead drawing revenue from
travelers via annual membership fees). Participating hotels are
able to reinvest this third party cost saving into an enhanced
guest experience via members-only room rates and exclusive guest
perks, attracting a highly valuable customer segment of
ready-to-book Tripadvisor Plus members.
Participating properties also receive enhanced visibility and
special badging on Tripadvisor to attract Tripadvisor Plus members,
and get full access to all of the customer information from each
Tripadvisor Plus reservation allowing hotels to build relationships
with those guests after their stay.
More than 60 Travelers' Choice award-winning properties are
among the hotels that will be available to book on Tripadvisor Plus
as a result of these new partnerships. Properties joining
Tripadvisor Plus include:
- Barcelo Maya Riviera, a new 5
star resort located in the Riviera Maya along the Yucatán coastline
in Mexico
- The McCormick Scottsdale, a lakeside resort set in 480 acres of
pristine Arizona golf course
- Pestana CR7 Funchal, a hotel on the island of Madeira that
boasts contemporary design born from a unique collaboration with
global soccer superstar Cristiano
Ronaldo
- Occidental Caribe, a
family-friendly all-inclusive resort in the popular Caribbean destination of Punta Cana
- Grand Millennium Business Bay, a new luxury destination hotel
along the Dubai Canal waterfront
- Pestana Palace Lisboa, a restored 19th century palace offering
5 star accommodation in the heart of Lisbon
About the Partners
Barceló Hotel Group is among the top thirty largest hotel chains
in the world, with more than 250 urban and holiday hotels, and more
than 55,000 rooms, distributed in 22 countries and marketed under
four different brands: Barcelo, Royal Hideaway, Occidental and
Allegro hotels.
"Our long-standing collaboration with Tripadvisor means that we
are always ready to take advantage of all the new distribution
opportunities that it offers us, being able to reduce our direct
distribution costs and increase the visibility of our direct
channels. I believe that Tripadvisor Plus is a product that
perfectly complements our strategy and on which we have high
expectations," said Lluís Massanet, global digital business deputy
director, Barceló Hotel Group.
Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) operates over 145 hotels
across some 80 locations. It has several distinct hotel brands,
including Grand Millennium, Millennium, M Social, Copthorne and
Kingsgate, throughout Asia,
Europe, the Middle East, New
Zealand and the United States.
"We are delighted to partner with Tripadvisor to provide
Millennium curated value-add experiences to the Tripadvisor Plus
members globally across Millennium Hotels and Resorts. We look
forward to welcoming Tripadvisor Plus members to our unique
portfolio of hotels placed in the best locations around the world,"
said Saurabh Prakash, group vice
president of digital marketing, revenue management, loyalty &
distribution, Millennium Hotels and Resorts.
Pestana Hotel Group is the largest international tourism and
leisure group of Portuguese origin, and owns and manages 100
properties, across three continents. The Pestana Hotel Group
comprises four hotel brands: Pestana Hotels and Resorts, Pestana
Pousadas de Portugal, Pestana CR7
Lifestyle Hotels and Pestana Collection Hotels.
For more information on how hotels can join Tripadvisor Plus,
please visit: https://www.tripadvisor.com/business/plus.
Notes to editor
*Source: SimilarWeb, unique users de-duplicated monthly,
March 2021
About Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor, the world's largest
travel guidance platform*, helps hundreds of millions of people
each month** become better travelers, from planning to booking to
taking a trip. Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site
and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat
based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more
than 887 million reviews and opinions of nearly 8 million
businesses, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on
accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious
restaurants and discover great places nearby. As a travel guidance
company available in 43 markets and 22 languages, Tripadvisor makes
planning easy no matter the trip type. The subsidiaries of
Tripadvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP), own and operate a portfolio of
online travel brands and businesses, operating under various
websites and apps, including the following websites:
www.bokun.io, www.cruisecritic.com, www.flipkey.com,
www.thefork.com, www.helloreco.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk,
www.housetrip.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com,
www.seatguru.com, www.singleplatform.com,
www.vacationhomerentals.com, and www.viator.com.
* Source: SimilarWeb, unique users de-duplicated monthly,
March 2021
** Source: Tripadvisor internal log files
TRIP-G
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SOURCE Tripadvisor