If the so-called "super-apps" are going to offer as much travel-related content to their users as they can, then sourcing product will be high on the list of priorities.
That's the thinking at Chinese e-commerce giant Meituan, which this week has signed its first deal with an overseas hotel distributor.
SiteMinder will be used by Meituan to add 35,000 properties to its growing portfolio of hotels, in a bid to widen the options available for the platform's huge user base.
The Beijing-based service claims to have some 410 million users buying goods and services, including travel-related products, giving it an estimated market value of some $52 billion.
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It is not the first time that SiteMinder has landed a debut B2B distribution deal with a new entrant into the marketplace.
In February 2018 the Australia-based company was selected by Airbnb as its first distribution partner as it widened its business to officially include hotels for the first time.
Earlier this year, Meituan claimed an industry record with two million room nights booked in a single day via the platform.
This has since been surpassed four months later with a claim of 2.8 million.
James Bishop, senior director of global demand partnerships at SiteMinder, says: "This partnership represents a great opportunity for hotels globally to further broaden both their distribution options and feeder markets via SiteMinder’s platform and, in particular, further benefit from the ever-growing outbound Chinese travel market."