BETHESDA, Md. — Expedia Group and Marriott International have announcesd that as part of a new agreement signed in April 2019, Expedia Group will become the exclusive global optimized distributor of Marriott’s wholesale rates, availability and content to a network of global travel providers, effective October 15.
Through this agreement, Marriott will leverage Expedia Group’s technology and enterprise-level service to create a single gateway for the redistribution of Marriott’s wholesale inventory. The optimized distribution model, provided by Expedia Group’s B2B arm, Expedia Partner Solutions, is expected to simplify Marriott’s wholesale redistribution model, ensure accuracy of hotel information and eliminate inefficiencies.
Redistributors will no longer receive access to Marriott rates and inventory directly from Marriott but may contract with Expedia Partner Solutions to obtain access, provided such redistributors comply with Marriott’s distribution standards. Tour operators who access wholesale rates from Marriott directly continue to have this option, in addition to leveraging Expedia Partner Solutions as the optimized distributor for Marriott International wholesale rates.
“At Marriott, our highest priorities include enhancing service and transparency for consumers while driving profitability for owners and franchisees,” says Brian King, Global Officer of Digital, Distribution, Revenue Strategy & Global Sales, Marriott International. “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.”
