PARSIPPANY, N.J. -- Cendant Corp.'s Hotel Group said it signed net
rate distribution agreements for nearly 4,000 of its hotels with
five major third-party travel Web sites: CheapTickets.com,
Lodging.com,
Travelocity.com, Travelweb.com and WorldRes.com.
Under the agreements, those Web sites will prominently display
rates of participating Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada, Travelodge,
Howard Johnson, Knights Inn, Villager, Wingate Inn and AmeriHost
Inn hotels.
The agreements ensure that Cendant-franchised hotels are
prominently displayed on these sites when customers search for
rates and availability, said Peter Strebel, senior vice president
of sales and marketing for Cendant's Hotel Group.
"While Cendant's brand Web sites continue to contribute the
single greatest number of room nights from the Internet, these
agreements ensure our hotels are represented wherever consumers
choose to shop," Strebel said in a statement.
Cendant said it has integrated bookings captured by the
third-party sites into its central reservations system, allowing
delivery directly to hotels. Cendant franchisees can manage rates
and inventory for those sites within their property management
systems.
"The integration of third-party rates and inventories into our
central reservations system will save our franchisees significant
time and labor expense while capturing this important segment of
business," Strebel said.