Expedia Becomes Exclusive Distributor of Marriott Wholesale Rates

Expedia Group and Marriott International announced Tuesday the online travel platform will become the exclusive distributor of the hotel giant’s wholesale rates, availability, and content to a network of global travel provider, marking an industry first.

Redistributors — such as bed banks, online travel agencies, and wholesalers — will no longer have access to rates and inventory directly from Marriott, beginning Oct. 15. Instead, they will be redirected to Expedia Partner Solutions to obtain access to Marriott’s rates and availabilities from any of the chain’s 7,000 properties across the globe.

Tour operators, global distribution systems, retail travel agents, travel management companies, and airlines that have established relationships with Marriott are not expected to be impacted. 

The wholesale distribution landscape today is fragmented and complex; hotels need to navigate an intricate web of third-party redistributors and technology standards. Marriott said it will leverage the power and scale of Expedia’s technology and enterprise-level service to create a “single gateway” for the redistribution of Marriott’s wholesale inventory, eliminating the complexity and inefficiency of today’s wholesale redistribution model.

The uniform technology for all Marriott hotels worldwide will enable Marriott to more efficiently manage its wholesale redistribution.

It’s part of an overall, multi-year agreement between the two companies signed in April. Marriott was able to negotiate a commission rate with Expedia.