eBay is trying to push its platform as a significant player in the online travel space with a partnership to allow hotels to distribute rates and inventory directly.
The latest twist in the life of eBay's desire to use its prominent position in web commerce to better use in travel comes through a deal between its exclusive booking platform provider Cultuzz and RateTiger.
Cultuzz is currently the only platform (known as CultBay) globally that can allow direct hotel bookings on eBay, an arrangement which has been in place since 2002.
The addition of RateTiger into the mix gives hotels the ability to manage pricing and availability directly on the platform, in the same way a property would through other distribution channels such as the GDS and online travel agencies.
eBay currently has around 275 million users worldwide and is said to account for 14% of global ecommerce.
Hotel chains already using eBay - and presumably about to upgrade their involvement through the RateTiger deal - include Marriott, Renaissance, Hilton, Radisson Blu, Intercontinental and Choice Hotels International.
eBay will be featured as a new channel within the RateTiger system, with CEO Sascha Hausman claiming "the opportunities for the travel industry are immense".
Cultuzz CEO and founder, Dr Reinhard Vogel, says the eBay platform "offers hotels access to a unique customer base and enables hoteliers to steer guests towards low seasons and periods of low occupancy".