NEWTON, Mass. -- Cahners Business Information will become the
exclusive provider of a new on-line hotel directory on Microsoft's
Expedia Web site and other sites licensed by Microsoft Travel
Technology.
The on-line database will be the Internet's most comprehensive
source of hotel information, according to officials of Cahners and
Microsoft. Cahners also will have exclusive rights to sell hotel
directory advertising on the site.
The on-line directory, with detailed listings and pictures of
hotels, will replace the current Expedia hotel directory. It will
appear initially on Expedia and then on other sites licensed by
Microsoft Travel Technology as well as on selected sites sponsored
by Cahners.
The sites licensed by Microsoft include those sponsored by
Continental, KLM and Northwest Airlines. Microsoft also has a
partnership with American Express to provide information to the
corporate clients of American Express with a product called
American Express Interactive.
The Cahners-Microsoft agreement was described by the two
companies as a "first step in a plan to codevelop and distribute a
wide range of on-line hotel directory products to support travel
agents, corporate travel arrangers and individual travelers.
Bruce Barnet, president and chief executive officer of Cahners,
said that Cahners would continue to develop specific on-line
products for travel agents. "We have a strong view that travel
agents will remain important service providers and all projections
for online bookings show that the vast majority will come from
agents."
Simon Breakwell, Microsoft's Travel Group product manager, said
the arrangement with Cahners would allow Microsoft to provide "the
best selection and most in-depth information about hotels on the
Internet."
Cahners Business Information is the parent company of Cahners
Travel Group, whose products include Hotel & Travel Index,
Official Hotel Guide as well as Travel Weekly and Travel Weekly
Crossroads.