Expedia CEO Says TripAdvisor's Booking Deal With Priceline Group Is Exclusive
Skift Take
TripAdvisor wanted to keep the details secret. But the price for finally getting the Priceline Group/Booking.com into TripAdvisor Instant Booking was playing the online travel agency exclusivity card. Expedia is shut out for now and can join later. Will Book on Google play a similar game?
Expedia Inc. is shut out of TripAdvisor Instant Booking because TripAdvisor's landmark agreement with the Priceline Group is an exclusive one regarding online travel agencies, Skift has learned.
In an interview with Skift today at the Phocuswright Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Expedia Inc. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the branding that partners get as part of the booking flow in TripAdvisor Instant Booking "is more partner-friendly [than when it was when introduced] and we will look at the channel when it becomes available to us. At this point there is an exclusivity period for Booking.com from what we understand."
"And we will look at it just as we look at any other channel for how many new customers is it going to get us, how much is it going to cost us and what’s our ability to retain those new customers and to become loyal customers for our brands," Khosrowshahi said.
The fact that Expedia has been shut out -- at least temporarily -- from TripAdvisor Instant Booking is i
