Friday, October 17, 2008

Expedia Inks Asia-Pacific Partnerships

Bellevue-based Expedia said this week that it has linked into a number of partners in the Asia-Pacific region, including deals with a number of hotel chains, as the company expands in the area. The services and properties of will now be available on all Expedia- and hotels.com-branded sites. Expedia said the aggregate impact of the new partnerships has added more than 1,000 listings to its marketplace, including hotels located in China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Expedia also reported that it will provide global distribution and private-label services for Chinese air carrier Hainan Airlines, which will allow travelers to book Expedia hotels and packages from Hainan's Web site. Expedia said the deals were with Mirvac Hotels and Resorts, in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific; Rydges Hotels and Resorts, in Australia, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom; Toga Hospitality, with operations in Australia, New Zealand and Europe; Stamford Hotels and Resorts, also in Australia and New Zealand; China-based GreenTree Inn Hotel Group and Home Inns; Singapore's Fragrance Hotels and Hong Kong-based Marco Polo Hotels; and Anantara Resorts & Spas. The new deals come on top of recent launches of Expedia sites in India, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea.