Tripadvisor has launched Tripadvisor Plus, a new membership program for travellers.
Tripadvisor Plus hotels receive special badging and increased visibility on the platform, helping them to stand out from the competition and increase bookings at a lower cost than traditional channels – providing a crucial cost saving to hotels as the hospitality industry recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The program is free for hotels to join, with no upfront costs and zero commission rates.
For travellers, Tripadvisor Plus offers the ability to up-level their travel by unlocking insider savings, personal service, benefits and perks (such as a free bottle of wine upon check-in, room upgrades when available or spa credits), all available for an annual membership fee of $99.
Tripadvisor Plus offers an alternative to the traditional online model of room distribution for hotels.
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Rather than spend as much as 30 per cent per booking on commission fees, hotels can now significantly reduce their third-party costs and pass on some of those savings to their guests via discounts and perks, increasing room demand and enhancing the guest experience at the same time.
By offering these savings and perks to Tripadvisor Plus subscribers, hotels increase their visibility on the travel platform, among both subscribers and non-subscribers alike.
Tripadvisor Plus accommodations receive special badging and enhanced placement within the Best Value sort order reflective of the strength of their offering to travellers.
“Tripadvisor Plus is a gamechanger for both travellers and hoteliers,” said Kanika Soni, chief commercial officer, Tripadvisor.
“Travelers get to enjoy a memorable experience thanks to special perks and discounts – and hotels have a brand-new way to attract valuable guests while avoiding hefty third-party commissions.”
Discounted room rates available via Tripadvisor Plus can only be viewed by Tripadvisor members and can only be booked by Tripadvisor Plus subscribers, ensuring those rates are not widely available on the open internet, thereby preserving a hotel’s rate integrity.
Furthermore, by participating directly in the program, Tripadvisor Plus hotels get full access to all of the customer information from each reservation.
