Hotels.com,L.P.[1] is a global website for booking hotel rooms online and by telephone. The company has 85 websites in 34 languages, and lists over 325,000 hotels in approximately 19,000 locations. Its inventory includes hotels and B&Bs, and some condos and other types of commercial lodging. Hotels.com was established in 1991 as the Hotel Reservations Network (HRN). In 2001, it became part of Expedia, Inc. and in 2002, changed its name to Hotels.com. The company is operated by Hotels.com LP, a limited partnershipsubsidiary located in Dallas, Texas, in the United States.
Hotels.com was established in 1991 by David Litman and Robert Diener as the Hotel Reservations Network (HRN), providing hotel booking via a toll-free phone number in the United States.[2] In 2001, the company was acquired by USA Networks Inc (USAI) which also acquired a controlling interest in Expedia, the online travel booking company.
After buying the domain name for approximately US$11 million,[3] HRN changed its name in 2002 to Hotels.com and launched the offline brand 1-800-2-Hotels as well as allowing hotel bookings on line. There followed a period of rapid international expansion with 29 sites added over the next two years. In 2003, USAI was renamed InterActiveCorp (IAC). In 2005 IAC separated its travel business under the name Expedia Inc. Hotels.com then became an operating company of Expedia Inc.[4]
In 2011, the site launched an iPad application and updated its mobile phone product on iPhone and Android.[5]
On December 1, 2016, Hotels.com took over Venere.com (another Expedia owned company).[6]
U.S. disability rights infringement
In May 2007, Hotels.com was subject to a class action complaint (Smith v. Hotels.com L.P., California Superior Court, Alameda County, Case No. RG07327029) brought against them for “ongoing discrimination against persons with mobility disabilities who desire to, but cannot, use Hotels.com’s worldwide reservation network to make reservations for hotel rooms”.[7] The company denied the accusation and opposed the action, but was found guilty on one count of infringing California's Unruh Civil Rights Act, and on one count in violation of Unfair Competition Law. It was agreed that the company would provide suitable accessibility information about hotels sold on its website.[8]
Privacy concerns
In February 2019, TechCrunch reported that the Hotels.com mobile app in the iOS App Store was using session-replay functionality from Israeli firm Glassbox, to record users' activities and send the data to Expedia servers without users' informed consent, compromising users' privacy and contravening the rules of the iOS App Store.[9][10]
Loyalty program
The first loyalty program for Hotels.com was called "Hotels.com Rewards" (formerly "Welcome Rewards") and rolled out across multiple countries from 2008 to 2011.[11] On July 6, 2023, Hotels.com replaced Hotels.com Rewards with One Key. The new program decreased rewards by 80 percent, including bookings paid in advance under the terms of the prior program. The website Frequent Miler criticzed these changes as an unusually large devaluation of the program not comparable to any other loyalty program change in the hospitality industry for a company not undergoing bankruptcy proceedings.[12]
Hotel Price Index
Starting in 2004, the site has published a twice-yearly review of international hotel room price trends called the Hotels.com Hotel Price Index. It is based on the prices paid per room by its customers using a weighted average based on the number of rooms sold in each of the markets in which it operates.[13] Information includes notable price changes and comparisons between destinations, hotel types, and other price-related analyses for the previous six months.[14] The Hotel Price Index is published both digitally and in print, and is aimed at journalists, the media, and hoteliers as part of its public relations.
Advertising
Ed Helms voiced the character "Smart" in Hotels.com advertisements.[15] In 2012, the character was changed from clay animation to CGI.[16] The company's advertising slogan was originally "Smart. So Smart"[17] before being changed to "Be Smart. Book Smart".[18]
In 2014, the site introduced the character "Captain Obvious" who is portrayed by actor Brandon Moynihan. Captain Obvious makes self-evident comments with the aim of communicating that Hotels.com is the obvious choice.[19] The campaign was devised by the ad firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky.[20] Moynihan said in an interview "Hotels.com has a great self awareness and they're not afraid to push the envelope with the crazy stuff I get to do as Captain Obvious".[21] Notable advertisements include one where he runs for president,[22] a La La Land inspired ad[23] and an ad where Captain Obvious meets his future self.[24] In 2018, Captain Obvious featured in Channel 4's ad blocking campaign.[25] In 2019, Captain Obvious appeared as a DJ in an episode of Four Weddings and a Funeral.[26]
In December 2020, Hotels.com signed a partnership with the National Basketball Association, and it was named as the Official Travel Partner of the NBA.[28]
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