Nation's Largest Independent Hotel Company to Benefit from Exposure to 30
Million Expedia and Hotels.com Visitors Each Month
BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Expedia, Inc. and Hotels.com(TM)
today announced a renewed agreement with Interstate Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:
IHR) to extend the reach of Interstate-managed properties via Expedia.com(R)
and Hotels.com. This agreement with the nation's largest independent hotel
management company continues to emphasize the added value Expedia(R) and
Hotels.com bring to suppliers by showcasing their properties to 30 million
unique travel shoppers each month.
Expedia and Hotels.com have already established direct connectivity with
the reservations systems of about 100 Interstate properties. As part of this
agreement, the parties will continue to direct connect to additional
properties over the coming months. Direct connectivity makes it easier and
more cost-effective for hotels to manage the inventory and rates on the two
Web sites, while customers benefit from real-time information on room
availability.
"Expedia and Hotels.com offer the broadest reach of any third party online
Web site, and our portfolio of hotels will immediately benefit from exposure
to an expanded base of customers that would be otherwise difficult to reach,"
said Pam Streeter, vice president of electronic distribution and marketing for
Interstate Hotels & Resorts. "Leveraging this important relationship will
help to boost occupancy rates during periods of both low and high demand.
This is a testament to the valuable partnership that working with Expedia and
Hotels.com brings us."
As part of the agreement, the hundreds of hotels operated by Interstate
will be able to efficiently market to the 30 million active travel shoppers
that visit Expedia and Hotels.com each month.
"We value each and every one of our supplier relationships and being able
to offer Interstate's inventory to our customers underscores our continued
focus on providing one of the broadest selections of hotels available on the
Internet," said Edward Muncey, vice president of sales at Expedia and
Hotels.com. "We're pleased that Interstate Hotels & Resorts, which represent
tens of thousands of rooms in North America and overseas, will also benefit by
using Expedia and Hotels.com to expand their marketing reach."
About Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Interstate Hotels & Resorts operates approximately 270 hospitality
properties with more than 60,000 rooms in 40 states, the District of Columbia,
Canada, Russia, and Portugal. BridgeStreet Corporate Housing Worldwide, an
Interstate Hotels & Resorts' subsidiary, is one of the world's largest
corporate housing providers. BridgeStreet and its network of Global Partners
offer more than 8,500 corporate apartments located in 84 MSAs throughout the
United States and internationally. For more information about Interstate
Hotels & Resorts, visit the company's Web site: http://www.ihrco.com.
About Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. is the world's leading online travel service and the fourth
largest travel agency in the U.S. Expedia's award-winning Expert Searching and
Pricing (ESP) technology delivers the most comprehensive flight options
available online. ESP also allows customers to dynamically build complete
trips that combine flights, Expedia(R) Special Rate hotels and other lodging,
ground transportation, and destination services and activities. Expedia's
quality and leadership have been recognized in awards such as PC Magazine's
"Editors' Choice" and Forbes' "Favorite General Travel Site." Expedia is an
operating company of IAC/InterActiveCorp (Nasdaq: IACI).
About Hotels.com
Hotels.com is a leading provider of lodging worldwide, offering
reservation services through its own websites (including http://www.hotels.com and
others), its interactive affiliate network (http://www.IAN.com), and its toll-free
call centers (1-800-2-HOTELS). Hotels.com gives travelers the widest selection
of lodging accommodations from traditional hotels to vacation rentals at over
12,000 properties in more than 400 cities in North America, Europe, the
Caribbean and Asia. The company is a one-stop shopping source for hotel
pricing, amenities and availability, and also specializes in providing
travelers with accommodations during sold-out periods. Hotels.com is an
operating business of IAC/InterActiveCorp.
NOTE: Expedia, Expedia.com, and the airplane logo are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the United States, Canada and/or
other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be
trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Expedia, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.Expedia.com
CONTACT:
Kim Coutts or Al de Leon of
Fleishman-Hillard, +1-415-318-4004, or expediapr@fleishman.com,
for Expedia and Hotels.com
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