Expedia's Hotel Boss on Becoming a Global Platform
Skift Take
We still think there's a pretty good chance that we'll see Expedia-branded hotels in the near future if not sooner.
When Skift asked Cyril Ranque, president of Expedia Lodging Partner Services, how likely it would be for an online travel agency like Expedia to launch its own hotel brand or soft brand in the near future, Ranque said, "Honestly, you can never say never."
His comment reflects the ever-changing dynamics between hotel brands, hotel owners, and the online travel agencies — a complex relationship that continues to evolve in the wake of the direct booking wars, and the emergence of new distribution disruptors such as Google, Airbnb, and Amazon.
We spoke with Ranque about these changes at the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in early June, and what follows are excerpts of our conversation with him.
The Possibility of an Expedia Hotels Brand
While Ranque doesn't necessarily see Expedia launching its own hotel brands or soft brands anytime soon, he said the company does want to be viewed as a partner to hotels.
Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom Is Speaking at Skift Global Forum. Register Now
"I would look at it a bit differently," Ranque said. "I would say, we are listening to our hotel partners and hotel owners, we have great relationship with independents, midsize, large size chains, and hotel owners, and we're listening to everyone in the industry, again, with a goal to solve their problems and make them more effective.
"So, we're building a series of tools and capabilities on the back of the Expedia platform that we're making available to our hotel partners and our hotel owners to be more effective, again, on the Expedia marketplace and outside."
Raque noted the development of the VIP Plus tool, for example, that gives hotel partners increased exposure on the Expedia marketplace with "some badging and branding," along with tools that help hotels be better with marketing, distribution, operations, and media solutions.
"Now if you put all this together and you say, 'This looks a lot like a soft brand' ... I'd say that's your call," Ranque said. "We're doing
