Articles tagged “WebBeds”

One exciting thing about the IPO, if it takes place, is that we'd inevitably gain a lot more transparency about the world's largest hotel wholesaler, Hotelbeds.

Hopper is under pressure to get profitable, and an IPO may be in its long-range plans. Blowback against some of its fintech products and issues with hotel chains, aren't helping.

Hopper is in a much deeper state of hurt than it is letting on. It has a trimmed down vision to focus on direct hotel relationships after two of the biggest online travel agencies in the world departed as partners.

Few believed Hopper's statement in July that losing the Expedia partnership would have no impact. Now we know that Hopper began working on hotel deals to make itself whole and expand.

With hotels seeing a big bounce in bookings, so too can they expect to see more so-called rogue rates creeping back. These are rates that they’ve not authorized, and are…

In an I-just-saw-an-elephant-fly moment, Marriott International will be directing businesses to Expedia Group to access certain Marriott wholesale rates. Bedbanks, tour operators, and smaller online travel agencies that play games with room rates are put on notice.

Webjet has really transformed its business over the past few years through a couple of sizable acquisitions. The Australian consumer market is proving pretty tough, so pursuing a strategy of global expansion in the wholesale arena makes sense.

Saudi Arabia is expanding its infrastructure to support 15 million Umrah visitors a year by 2020, and 30 million by 2030. WebBeds and Agoda are two major Asian players that are jostling for position in the promising niche.

Hotel chains and airlines have formed alliances, why not bedbanks? The first bedbank alliance by four Asian players may be the first of its kind, but what’s more important is whether it can work. After all, if it looks so logical and easy, why didn’t anyone do it sooner?

The acquisition of Destinations of the World seals WebBeds as the second largest B2B bedbank player, but incumbent Hotelbeds need not worry – for a very long time.