Marriott International has moved to consolidate its global wholesale inventory through a single tech platform, signing Expedia Group as its sole optimised distribution partner for all wholesale rates, it was announced overnight.
The wholesale distribution agreement comes as part of an agreement between the two parties earlier this year. Optimised distribution for Marriott’s 7,000-plus hotel inventory across 30 brands and in 132 countries will be provided by Expedia Group’s B2B division – Expedia Partner Solutions in a move designed to simplify and improve the efficiency of Marriott International’s global distribution deals among third-party resellers.
Under the agreement, all third party resellers and room wholesalers will contract Marriott product through Expedia, utilising the company’s technology and service models. The agreement will also see one database of hotel information maintained to ensure hotel descriptions, room rates and fees are carefully managed to ensure all information is drawn from one singular resource.
One exception has been made to the rule, with tour operators drawing on rates for package preparation able to continue to contract rates directly from Marriott International but will also have the option of seeking rates from Expedia.
Marriott International Global Officer of Digital, Distribution, Revenue Strategy and Global Sales, Brian King, said the impetus behind the alignment of its wholesale inventory was to reduce the cost, complexity and consumer issues associated with the current redistribution marketplace, while enhancing service and transparency.
“With this truly innovative solution from Expedia Group, we can increase our reach to leisure travel providers while solving distribution challenges and improving profitability for our hotels around the world.
“We believe in unlocking the power of the Expedia Group platform for our partners so that they can benefit from our significant investments in technology, support services and industry expertise. This agreement with Marriott International is a great example of putting this ethos into practice,” added Expedia Group Senior Vice President. Enterprise Solutions, Expedia Partner Solutions, Christian Gerron.