Hotelbeds, which incorporates Bedsonline, is responding to the surge in demand for local options for domestic travel across the globe, by adding 10 000 more properties to its portfolio by year-end.
There is a requirement for more product in secondary destinations across all property types, says León Herce, global sales director of Hotelbeds.
Major source markets where content will be significantly strengthened initially include the USA, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, China, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.
“As you would expect, hoteliers in these destinations – many of them previously dependent on international markets that are unlikely to be travelling any time soon – are very keen to capture the new domestic demand following the pandemic and we are working hard to sign them up fast,” says León.
The plan is to also add more property types, such as resorts and rural hotels, increasing the availability of refundable rates, as well as reducing releases and minimum-stay requirements to increase to the maximum availability and respond to the last-minute profile of domestic travellers.
Shaun Beckley, Bedsonline regional manager for Africa and Indian Ocean, says that for South Africa, this strategy includes best-sellers such as DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cape Town, Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel, Taj Cape Town, The Hyde Cape Town, Bantry Bay Suite Hotel, Royal Palm Hotel (Umhlanga), Pavilion Hotel (Durban), Holiday Inn Johannesburg Sunnyside Park and the Reef Hotel in Johannesburg.
