Hyatt Hotels said it has agreed in principle on terms with Expedia Inc. that will keep the chain’s properties listed on Expedia sites.
Hyatt had threatened to pull out of Expedia when their previous agreement expired at the end of July over a commission dispute.
Mark Hoplamazian, chief executive officer of Hyatt, said talks with the online giant had been “very productive” and he expected no disruption in Hyatt’s distribution on Expedia platforms.
The Expedia sites include Expedia.com, Orbitz, Hotels.com, Hotwire and Travelocity.
Hyatt also recently signed a new agreement with Booking.com that will “increase efficiency and flexibility while driving demand,” Hoplamazian said.
He stressed, however, that Hyatt’s distribution channel strategy continues to focus on direct bookings:
“We recently extended My Hyatt Rate, our member discount, to new markets, optimized the hyatt.com booking path, and added new features to the World of Hyatt mobile app. At the same time, we recognize the value OTAs play in keeping Hyatt top of mind for guests who might not be frequent travelers or who otherwise have a reason to book through OTA sites.”
During Hyatt’s second-quarter earnings call, Hoplamazian also disclosed that Hyatt has made a strategic minority investment in Oasis Collections, a curated marketplace that “blends the value and authenticity of private homes with the service, quality control and amenities that are not typically found in online home rental offerings.”
Last year, AccorHotels took a 30% stake in Oasis, but it has since withdrawn from the company and is consolidating its other vacation rental businesses under the onefinestay brand.
Hoplamazian said Hyatt believes Oasis' approach to the home rental category “has the potential to serve new-stay occasions for our customers and to add meaningfully to Hyatt’s growth over time.”