This week’s Update features stories on Hopper and its latest fintech offering, Agoda’s new “eco” oriented discount program and Expedia Group’s Peter Kern’s summer travel plans (watch the video). Enjoy.
Leave Anytime: Hopper’s Latest Offering
(“Hopper Will Let Customers Pay a Fee to Leave the Hotel After Check-In for Any Reason,” June 7,2022 via Skift) (subscription may be required)
Don’t like your hotel or the room you received? No problem. Hopper has a solution. Hopper announced its latest fintech offering, which allows guests in exchange for a fee paid to Hopper at the time of booking, to leave their hotel at any time for any reason following check-in. Guests electing to leave their original hotel can then book an alternative hotel with Hopper covering the costs. Hopper estimates the price for this new option to average $30.00. Hopper claims that it will pay the fees and charges owed the guest’s original hotel, though one can foresee a future where Hopper becomes a formidable adversary disputing hotel charges on behalf of their allegedly disgruntled guests. With this latest announcement, Hopper also announced the expansion of several of its existing offerings, including the expansion of its cancel for any reason product into hotels and its price freeze product into rental cars.
Agoda’s Latest Sales Program – Eco Deals
(“Agoda Launches Eco Deals, Inks Pact With WWF Singapore,” June 8 via WIT)
Agoda announced a new program (Eco Deals) through which Agoda and its supplier partners in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore will jointly fund efforts to raise awareness of responsible tourism. Guests booking through the program will receive discounts between 5 percent and 15 percent. Agoda has launched a dedicated web landing page promoting the program and its participating properties, and properties will receive an Eco Deals badge on their property listing.
Other news:
Expedia CEO on Travel Outlook
June 8, 2022 via Bloomberg (subscription may be required)
Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern joins Emily Chang from the Bloomberg Technology Summit to discuss the macro environment's impact on travel, consumer behavior trends, and take a look at travel in the year ahead.
Travel Advertisers Ramp Up Spend as Demand Recovers
June 10, 2022 via Phocus Wire
As travel demand ramps back up, so, too, is advertising spend, with travel advertisers in the United States having invested nearly $623 million from January to April of this year.
