eDreams Odigeo has widened its Prime subscription service to bring in accommodation.
The online travel company says 2.1 million accommodation options are now available as part of the program, which offers unlimited discounts and access to special deals.
Prime, which has grown to more than half a million members, according to eDreams, is available across eDreams and its sister sites Opodo and GoVoyages.
The company believes Prime, which launched in 2017, will appeal to domestic travelers who will be able to make standalone hotel bookings.
eDreams is also offering a six-month free trial of Prime while existing members can extend their subscription from 12 to 18 months free of charge.
Dana Dunne, CEO of eDreams Odigeo, says: “Prime is a revolutionary proposal, the very first travel-related subscription programme. It allows us to develop a deeper relationship with our customers and adding hotels and further flexibility to this offering will further strengthen our customer loyalty.”
Airlines, such as Volaris, have developed annual subscriptions and membership services and some see them as a great way to earn much needed ancillary revenue.
A study from revenue management specialist PROS revealed that the majority of travelers would be interested in an airline membership if it came with additional benefits while 67% said they’d consider buying an annual subscription for a flat fee for unlimited flights.
At the time of the study, Mike Slone, vice president and principal of travel retail, PROS, said consumers were ready for a different model and that subscriptions represented pre-paid ancillaries for airlines who also got consumer loyalty in the bargain.
Earlier this month, AirAsia unveiled an unlimited pass to help boost domestic tourism.
The pass was available to Malaysia-based members of the airlines BIG loyalty scheme to purchase from June 11 to 15, and allowed flights to 16 domestic destinations between June 22, 2020 and March 31, 2021.