Expedia recognises top partners in the Caribbean

Expedia, Inc, the largest online travel company in the world, recognised its top-producing hotel partners in the Caribbean at its annual Partner Appreciation event, which took place during the Caribbean Hotel Tourism Association's annual Marketplace event at Paradise Island, The Bahamas, on the Saturday, January 21.

The company has reason to celebrate due to a year of virtuous results for the Caribbean region, which reflects the value for hotels of partnering with Expedia in order to gain exposure and access to a global audience of travellers, and a range of marketing and distribution opportunities that drive profitability.

Expedia's Partner Appreciation event was held at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort. There were 21 winners in 12 categories.

intensified efforts

Expedia's commitment to the Caribbean hotel industry is also reflected in the participation of the executive team at the Caribbean Marketplace, the most important industry event organised by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA).

Expedia has also intensified its efforts in growing demand for the Caribbean among travellers outside the United States, resulting in notable room night growth on Expedia, Inc sites in 2011 from countries such as Brazil, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada.

"Expedia offers hotels in the Caribbean access to a multibrand, multichannel, multiplatform global travel marketplace, in which they can market their property to an unmatched global audience of travelers in order to reach their commercial goals," said Marco Tagliatti, vice-president of lodging supply for Latin America & Caribbean.

"Today's winners are a good example of the results achieved when implementing Expedia's packaging strategies. We see a greater opportunity for hotels in the Caribbean to join Expedia in offering dynamic packages through our channel, as they protect the properties' rates while promoting longer average stays and booking windows."