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Hotelbeds Goway Travel strategic partnership

Strategic Partnership: How Hotelbeds and Goway Travel Drove Global Growth Through Innovation

&nbsp;When pricing packages as a tour operator, you need to factor in fluctuating accommodation rates, demand, airline fares, taxes, currency shifts, and more.&nbsp;A fixed pricing model doesn’t account for fluctuations, which means your prices can quickly become misaligned with real market conditions. As a result, you risk either eroding your margins or losing competitiveness.&nbsp;Dynamic pricing helps you adopt a smarter strategy and adjust your rates based on demand, availability, and similar factors.Why dynamic pricing is now essentialDynamic pricing means your rates are adjusted based on real-time demand, availability, seasonality, and market conditions.&nbsp;Here’s an example: let’s say you’re organising a culinary tour in Tuscany. With dynamic pricing in place, your tour will be priced lower off-season and higher when there are food festivals in the region. This allows you to:&nbsp;Protect margins: You’re already aware of the challenges that come with the fluctuating costs in the industry, such as flight fares, hotel rates, and demand affecting your profitability. Dynamic pricing helps you factor in these variables in your pricing and maximise your revenue.&nbsp;Respond to market changes: If an airline launches a new route to a destination you operate in and increases demand for your tour, dynamic pricing can automatically adjust your rates to reflect the market. Overall, you’ll be better prepared for factors outside your control, including weather conditions, competitor promotions, and local events.&nbsp;Offer competitive pricing: Many airlines and hotels already use dynamic pricing to adjust their prices in real-time, based on demand. Scaling beyond static pricing means you’re more aligned with their rates and are charging according to demand.Practical tips for implementing dynamic pricingYou don’t need to change all your strategy and systems overnight to get started with dynamic pricing. Instead, follow a structured approach, so the process is manageable.&nbsp;Here are some tips:Understand the logic behind dynamic pricingStart by identifying the products, tours, and destinations most exposed to volatility. For example, according to the European Commission, Croatia and Greece experience high tourism seasonality, meaning visitor numbers vary significantly throughout the year.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tour operators using dynamic pricing likely increase prices during peak travel periods and adjust them downward during slower seasons. Lower off-season pricing helps the destination’s economy during slower periods, generates revenue for the operators, and encourages sustainable travel, especially when overtourism remains a problem.&nbsp;Other volatility signs could include:Event or festival travel, where demand increases around specific dates.Time or weather-dependent travel, such as seasonal wildlife migrations or Northern Lights.Tours which are dependent on airline connectivity.Destinations sensitive to geopolitical developments, economic changes, or travel advisories.Tours with short booking windows.Last-minute availability.Use data insights to define pricing thresholds and triggersData can help you define clear pricing patterns for when to increase or decrease rates. For example, if a tour is underperforming and the departure date is approaching, you may choose to activate promotions to encourage some last-minute bookings. Look out for data related to:Occupancy levels.Booking pace.Lead times.Seasonal demand patterns.Cancellation trends.Align pricing strategies across teams.&nbsp;Make sure all teams are aware of the pricing strategy and its core rules. For example, you may set rules for:Minimum price (the lowest level a product can be sold for without harming profitability).Maximum price (the upper limit, ensuring pricing remains competitive and aligned with market expectations).Monitor performance regularlyReview performance regularly to assess what’s working and what isn’t. This way, you can refine pricing rules if needed, or adjust them based on data.Reduce complexity and risk with trusted travel partnersRelying on spreadsheets or manual processes may work early on, but as your product range and distribution channels grow, it becomes more time-consuming. Use revenue management software, booking platforms, and data-driven systems to streamline your operations.How Hotelbeds supports smarter pricing decisionsWith its global travel distribution solutions, Hotelbeds can support your pricing strategy, including dynamic pricing.Global portfolio with real-time ratesTour operators working with Hotelbeds have access to a broad portfolio of 300,000+ hotels, 23,000+ experiences, and 150+ car rental companies around the world. All the rates you’ll see on the platform are updated in real-time, which makes it easier to create packages with competitive prices.Data-driven insightsHotelbeds partners have the potential to grow their annual booking value by up to 10x, with the help of our destination experts. Our partners have access to the following data, which is essential for dynamic pricing and smart operations:Competitor analysis.Destination and product performance.Personalised sales recommendations.Corridor optimisation.Products with optimal coverage.A Powerful API suiteWith our API solutions, you can streamline booking management and minimise manual processes, including updating prices on your website, CRM, and the various OTAs you work with. In other words, your prices will be updated in real-time across all sales channels.Expert teamsHotelbeds partners get a dedicated account manager and access to a team of destination experts. They’ll identify growth opportunities, share insights tailored to your business, and inform you about upcoming promotions you may benefit from.&nbsp;A closer look at Hotelbeds’ tour operator solutionsOur B2B solutions for tour operators support your backend while you focus on creating unforgettable travel experiences for your clients. Working with over 60,000 travel distributors, our platform powers:A global portfolio in 170+ countries.Advanced technologies to support over 7 billion searches daily.An API suite with a response accuracy of at least 91%.Strong relationships with travel partners, including our Preferred Partner hotels, offering exclusive rates.Destination experts ready to help at all times.Personalised data and recommendations through Insights, our dedicated travel data tool.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sign up to become our B2B travel partnerOur global tour operators access our full inventory, our data intelligence via Insights, and smart pricing strategies. We’re able to offer the best prices thanks to our destination experts, who negotiate exclusive contracts with various travel partners.&nbsp;Sign up here to join us and grow your business with tailored, data-driven tour operator services.&nbsp;

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Hotelbeds tour operators and dynamic pricing

Tour Operator Solutions: Dynamic Pricing with Hotelbeds

Executive SummaryTraveloka is a leading travel platform in Southeast Asia, with 50 million monthly active users in Asia-Pacific and other regions. It offers flights, accommodations, transfers, and activities to travellers with diverse budgets and interests.&nbsp;&nbsp;Traveloka's partnership with Hotelbeds as part of HBX Group, a leading B2B travel marketplace, dates back to 2017. The collaboration began at a key stage in Traveloka’s growth, when the company was preparing to expand beyond its native Southeast Asia.&nbsp;To make sure it could offer its clients the best possible options, Traveloka was looking for a global travel partner with solid technologies. Hotelbeds’ extensive portfolio, reliable API technologies, and expert teams stood out, and a long-standing travel tech partnership started.&nbsp;Today, Traveloka operates in more than 100 countries, and its partnership with Hotelbeds, as part of HBX Group, remains focused on growth, especially following their new strategic agreement announced in 2026.&nbsp;&nbsp;In this case study, learn more about how Hotelbeds helped Traveloka achieve its goals and how the partnership has evolved.The Challenge: Why did Traveloka choose Hotelbeds?Traveloka started as a flight OTA in Southeast Asia and then expanded its offerings into accommodations, attractions, and transfers.&nbsp;By 2017, five years after its founding, the company had established itself as a strong operator across the region. The next step was to expand into new markets, including the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, to give their clients more options.&nbsp;When we spoke to Tejveer Singh Bedi, Vice President at Traveloka about the partnership, he suggested that “early on in the partnership, Traveloka was consolidating in Southeast Asia, so our travellers needed options for when they were travelling outside of Southeast Asia... this is where Hotelbeds [part of HBX Group] really helped us.”&nbsp;To achieve their expansion goals, Traveloka needed stable connectivity, reliable API technology, and high-quality inventory from all over the world; and they also required a partner that would help them scale their offering in order to expand into a global tour operator.&nbsp;Tejveer suggested this was achieved through the partnership with Hotelbeds, which continues to this day. At the same time, the company recognised that travellers’ needs varied across markets and segments.&nbsp;Combined, all these requirements meant that Traveloka needed a global partner with strong industry expertise in travel distribution.&nbsp;“With the experience and technology they have, Hotelbeds [part of HBX Group] will be able to scale your business when you talk about your goals and give them the best insights,” Tejveer detailed, highlighting the high impact of utilising the scale of Hotelbeds’ supply scale when it is precision-merchandised, when the partnership is founded on a clear goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;This resulted in the consequent positive trajectory towards the goals outlined at the beginning of the partnership that Traveloka enjoyed.&nbsp;The Solution: Hotelbeds’ global portfolio, API technologies, and expertsHotelbeds’ solutions were a natural fit, as they ticked all the boxes for Traveloka:Global portfolio: Hotelbeds expansive portfolio includes 300,000+ hotels, 23,000+ experiences, and transfer services in over 170 countries. As part of its tour operator solutions, it provides partners with exclusive rates and guaranteed availability across its portfolio.&nbsp;API connectivity: Stable API connectivity was one of Traveloka’s priorities when they started working with Hotelbeds. They wanted to integrate global inventory while ensuring that pricing, availability, and other data remained accurate and consistent for users. Hotelbeds’ three APIs supported this across hotels, activities, and transfers.&nbsp;Expert teams: Hotelbeds’ account managers, destination experts, and tech teams were invested in Traveloka’s success from day one. Throughout the partnership, Traveloka collaborated with experienced product and commercial leaders, whose insights helped the company break into its target markets.&nbsp;When asked about the experience of working with Hotelbeds through HBX Group, Tejveer said in conversation with us that professionalism was the “first word” he could think of.&nbsp;“Whether it’s the commercial or product leaders, [Hotelbeds] bring a lot of experience and understand the travel market and the hotel business deeply. Their insights have been extremely valuable to us,” he continued.&nbsp;Combined with advanced API technologies, this expertise has been nurturing the partnership since 2017.&nbsp;The Results: Global expansion with 100+ countriesThroughout its ongoing partnership with Hotelbeds, Traveloka succeeded in expanding beyond Southeast Asia, offering hotels and experiences in over 100 countries, and car rentals and airport transfers in over 20 countries.&nbsp;In 2025, Traveloka opened three new offices in Japan, South Korea, and Australia, adding these markets to its focus alongside Southeast Asia.&nbsp;&nbsp;By providing relevant inventory, Hotelbeds supported Traveloka’s entry into these markets: “Hotelbeds helped us with our penetration into these markets, by helping us get access to relevant chain and non-chain inventory, and making sure that our customers had the best options,” Tejveer revealed.&nbsp;While expanding into new markets and broadening its portfolio, Traveloka also continued growing in Southeast Asia. In 2026, the long-standing Traveloka – HBX Group Partnership reached a new milestone when Traveloka integrated its Southeast Asia and APAC portfolio into HBX Group’s platform.&nbsp;“HBX Group’s strength in global inventory and our strength in Southeast Asia go hand in hand. Now, HBX Group partners can access Traveloka inventory, which has world-class price competitiveness and options in Southeast Asia. This partnership means both companies can grow while providing a wider range of options,” said Tejveer Singh Bedi.&nbsp;Looking Forward: Many more years of mutual growthFor nine years and counting, Traveloka has benefited from HBX Group’s B2B travel distribution solutions, including worldwide inventory, advanced technologies, and expert teams invested in their growth. Traveloka successfully expanded into new markets while strengthening its operations further in Southeast Asia.&nbsp;Tejveer Singh Bedi recommends travel businesses to explore partnerships with the HBX Group: “Partnering with HBX Group should start with a goal. Whether your goal is to get access to a global inventory or scale in a particular market, share your insights with the HBX Group team. This will make sure the partnership is targeted and goal-oriented.”&nbsp;The future looks bright, as the next chapter of the partnership will combine the strengths of both companies to help even more travellers.&nbsp;Ready to explore a partnership rooted in mutual growth? Sign up with Hotelbeds and tell the team what you’d like to achieve for your travel business.&nbsp;Sign up today to become a Hotelbeds partner&nbsp;

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strategic partnership traveloka and hotelbeds 

Strategic Partnership: How Hotelbeds Supported Traveloka’s Global Expansion

&nbsp;In today’s rapidly evolving travel industry, Online Travel Agents (OTAs) face increasing levels of competition. From direct bookings through hotel websites to global giants dominating the market share, the landscape is fiercely contested.Navigating the Challenges of Intense Competition in the OTA MarketThe online travel industry is more competitive than ever. According to a report from Phocuswright, online travel bookings surpassed $1 trillion during 2025, growing faster than offline channels across all major regions, according to Phocuswright's recent Travel Forward: Data, Insights &amp; Trends for 2026 report.&nbsp;However, this expanding market has also intensified competition among OTAs, leading to a crowded landscape where differentiating oneself is increasingly difficult.&nbsp;With rising competition from social commerce platforms, AI-driven bookings, short-term rentals, and increasing efforts from hotels to raise direct-channel bookings, online travel agents are experiencing increasing levels of competition in today's travel landscape.&nbsp;&nbsp;Alongside increasing digital adoption, challenging traditional distribution, and direct supplier bookings applying ever-more pressure, acquisition costs are rising too, creating a highly competitive and threat-heavy landscape for OTAs to navigate.&nbsp;But with Phocuswright suggesting a gross booking value of $408 billion driven by OTAs in 2025, maintaining hold in spite of supplier pushback, and around 50% of travellers using OTAs while planning or booking international trips, according to Tourism Economics, the battle for visibility is worth it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Why Is Price the Question for Today's Travellers?Despite forecasts that global travel demand will not slow, price is a major motivator for today's travellers, with high travel costs as a leading deterrent for 52% of respondents to a recent survey conducted by the European Travel Commission (ETC) and Eurail. Price, therefore, is a constant challenge for OTAs, with many travellers prioritising this factor when choosing where to book, and comparing multiple platforms before making a decision.&nbsp;This consideration in price-sensitive bookings intensifies the competition between OTAs and travel distributors, further squeezing margins and making it harder for OTAs, among other distributors, to differentiate based on value alone.&nbsp;In such an environment, offering competitive prices is no longer enough. To thrive, OTAs must be comprehensive themselves, meeting the flexible needs of today's traveller with relevant, personalised opportunities that capture the right audience where they are, with the product they want.&nbsp;&nbsp;To do this, you need exclusive inventory and strong supplier relationships, and a partner that can navigate an increasingly fragmented travel industry to create connections and streamline the booking journey—for both travellers and distributors.&nbsp;This is where Hotelbeds becomes an essential partner, empowering OTAs to stand out and succeed.&nbsp;Why Choose Hotelbeds? Unique Positioning in the Global MarketHotelbeds holds a distinctive position within the travel ecosystem, which is a strength that our Online Travel Agent partners can tap into.&nbsp;&nbsp;As a provider of distribution services for travel distributors and intermediaries across the industry, Hotelbeds offers access to an extensive inventory of accommodation options, in-destination experiences, transfers, car rentals and hire.&nbsp;This vast and diverse inventory allows online travel agents, tour operators and wholesalers to provide travellers with a wide array of options, often including exclusive rates and inventory not available via other direct booking means.&nbsp;Being able to better meet evolving traveller needs is especially important to retain relevance and competitiveness as new digital channels, such as social commerce, step into the traditional supply chain.Success Stories: Differentiation Through HotelbedsMany OTAs have harnessed Hotelbeds’ offerings to carve out a unique space in the crowded travel market. For example:&nbsp;Discover how tiket.com benefitted from highly competitive, often exclusive rates, expertly negotiated by our experienced sourcing teams with on-the-ground, local knowledge in order to to increase their presence within international markets.&nbsp;Read the full partnership story here.&nbsp;Or see how the partnership between lastminute.com and Hotelbeds has led to expanded operations, increased revenue, a broader customer base, and international renown for lastminute.com, enabling and empowering them to develop into and remain a leader in European dynamic holiday packages.&nbsp;Read the full partnership story here.&nbsp;These success stories underscore how Online Travel Agents leveraging Hotelbeds’ inventory, distribution solutions and support from our expert teams, can create a distinctive market presence, attract diverse customer segments, and boost revenue.The Power of Strong Supplier RelationshipsAt the heart of Hotelbeds’ value proposition is its focus on building strong, strategic relationships with suppliers.&nbsp;With a focus on optimising the supply chain, Hotelbeds provides OTA solutions that focus on: access to competitive rates, real-time availability, and flexible booking options. This helps OTAs deliver better value to global customers, enhancing that all-important competitive edge.&nbsp;These relationships translate into several competitive advantages for Online Travel Agents:&nbsp;Access to Global Inventory: Hotelbeds’ expansive product inventory ensures that OTAs can offer unique hotel options and rates that are not always available to competitors, giving them a significant edge in today's market, when personalisation and price are key motivators for travellers across markets.Competitive Pricing and Terms: Strong supplier partnerships often result in more favourable rates and flexible booking conditions, enabling OTAs to pass savings to customers while maintaining healthy margins.Differentiated Products: With the Preferred Partnership programme, our expert sourcing teams negotiate directly with a selected portfolio of hotels, offering better commercial conditions, improved availability, and stronger conversion.Priority Access and Flexibility: In high-demand periods, having a close relationship with suppliers means OTAs can secure inventory and special rates that others may not be able to, ensuring they can meet customer expectations even during peak seasons.Reliability and Trust: Long-standing relationships with many of our hotels allow us to help you offer reliable, satisfying experiences to your customers, to foster trust and loyalty.&nbsp;Hotelbeds invests heavily in maintaining these relationships through dedicated account management, supplier onboarding, and continuous collaboration, ensuring their partner OTAs are always well-positioned in the competitive landscape.&nbsp;How Hotelbeds’ Tools and Solutions Empower OTAsHotelbeds offers a suite of innovative tools designed specifically to address the pain points faced by OTAs:&nbsp;API Integration: Seamless integration with your platform allows real-time access to inventory, rates, and availability, ensuring your customers see the most accurate and competitive options.&nbsp;Dynamic Packaging: Combine hotel, transfer, and experiences into customisable packages, enhancing the customer experience and increasing the value of each booking - all from our powerful travel booking platform.&nbsp;Seasonal Campaigns: Capture bookings from international travellers with exclusive global and regional promotional campaigns, equipping our partners with in-demand, competitive offerings. Each campaign benefits from specially negotiated conditions, in line with each campaign’s specific goals.&nbsp;Revenue Optimisation: Advanced algorithms and analytics help OTAs maximise bookings and respond swiftly to market changes, using real-time data provided in our easily accessible Insights tool.&nbsp;Data &amp; Analytics: Insights into customer preferences and booking trends allow you as Online Travel Agents to tailor your offerings, improve targeting, and boost conversion rates.&nbsp;By leveraging these tools, our OTA distribution partners can streamline operations, offer more personalised experiences, and respond agilely to market demands—crucial factors in today’s competitive environment.&nbsp;Why Partnering with Hotelbeds Is a Strategic Move for OTAsIn a market where differentiation is key, partnering with Hotelbeds provides Online Travel Agents with the resources, inventory, and relationships needed to stand out. Here are some compelling reasons:&nbsp;Expand Your Inventory Quickly: Access thousands of properties and travel products globally without the need for extensive supplier negotiations.Offer Exclusive and Competitive Rates: Leverage Hotelbeds’ global inventory and negotiated rates to provide unique booking and experience opportunities to your customers.Enhance Customer Satisfaction: A broader and more diverse inventory allows for tailored options that meet varied customer preferences, building trust and loyalty in a market that values personalisation.Increase Revenue Streams: Easily increase basket value with hotels, experiences, car hire and transfers, through integrated solutions all available in our intuitive booking platform.Stay Ahead of the Competition: Innovative tools and strong supplier ties enable OTAs to be more responsive and flexible in a dynamic market.&nbsp;The travel industry’s competitive landscape demands that travel distributors continually innovate and differentiate themselves. Hotelbeds, with our extensive, exclusive inventory and advanced technological solutions, stands out as a strategic partner capable of helping OTAs carve out their niche, increase market share, and foster long-term growth.&nbsp;By building strong supplier relationships and leveraging Hotelbeds’ tools, OTAs can not only meet customer expectations but exceed them—turning challenges into opportunities and establishing a sustainable competitive advantage.&nbsp;To learn more about how Hotelbeds can help your OTA succeed, sign up with Hotelbeds today to explore the full range of solutions designed to elevate your business, as part of the wider HBX Group ecosystem.&nbsp;Join the Hotelbeds network today&nbsp;You can also download our comprehensive introduction to the distribution solutions offered to our Hotelbeds partners, with our guide below:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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online travel agents and hotelbeds competition

Online Travel Agent Solutions: How Hotelbeds Helps OTAs Navigate Intense Competition

In today's travel distribution landscape, staying competitive and relevant is as often about being empowered with the right tools and services as a distributor, as it is about offering the right product at the right time.&nbsp;In this comprehensive guide, we'll introduce you to the B2B distribution solutions offered by Hotelbeds as part of HBX Group, and answer these vital questions:&nbsp;What distribution services can our Hotelbeds partners expect? - from expansive travel product portfolios, intelligent travel marketing campaigns, the valuable features of our booking platform, to the experts on hand and the real-time data to enable smart decisions.How does Hotelbeds empower partners to grow and sharpen that all-important competitive edge?What are the benefits of an interconnected travel ecosystem like HBX Group? - exploring the valuable resources and how they benefit distributors in an increasingly fragmented travel industry.&nbsp;Download your free guide today, and explore the tools, services and products that help put you ahead of the competition and equip you with the choice and quality of product that today’s traveller is demanding.&nbsp;

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Hotelbeds b2b distribution solutions

[GUIDE] Growth Tools for Travel Distributors: Hotelbeds’ B2B Distribution Services

&nbsp;In an increasingly dynamic and competitive travel environment, maintaining a competitive advantage depends on having the right technology at your disposal.&nbsp;For this reason, we are enhancing the Hotelbeds Booking Engine with a series of substantial upgrades that elevate it beyond a traditional booking tool. The result is a powerful, AI-enabled travel booking experience designed specifically to support travel distributors.&nbsp;This marks the next phase in how Hotelbeds enables you to deliver high-quality travel products, exceptional service, and manage bookings with greater confidence, accuracy, and efficiency.&nbsp;A New and Enhanced Booking Experience: What to ExpectIn this article, we outline several of the new features being introduced, explain how they will support your day-to-day operations, and share what you can expect as additional enhancements are rolled out throughout the year.&nbsp;This booking experience evolution will focus on:&nbsp;Surfacing competitive product recommendations to help you offer the best options.Enhancing search relevance and speed for quicker, more accurate results.Adding greater structure to itineraries for a smoother end-to-end booking experience.Reducing manual effort across your workflows, freeing up time to focus on your clients.&nbsp;Sign up to maximise sales potential, streamline operations, and benefit from streamlined booking management with our overhauled travel booking platform.&nbsp;Sign up to Hotelbeds today&nbsp;Here’s how it's designed to help you even more...&nbsp;Introducing the New Itinerary ViewThe new Itinerary View provides a clearer and more intuitive way to review and communicate multi-service bookings, enabling both distributors and travellers to understand booking details at a glance.&nbsp;Clear day-by-day layout: Bookings are displayed as a structured schedule, making confirmed services easy to identify and communicate.Direct access to service details and vouchers: Each service can be accessed directly from the itinerary, saving time and simplifying ways of working.Simple voucher downloads: Download all vouchers at once or individually to efficiently provide customers with essential documentation.Easy itinerary sharing: Share the complete itinerary with travellers, offering a comprehensive overview of their trip and included services.&nbsp;This enhancement supports daily operational efficiency and enables a more polished, professional service delivery.&nbsp;Managing Multi-Service Bookings More EffectivelyLooking ahead, we are finalising major functional upgrades, including a new confirmation flow and the ability to search for alternatives directly from the confirmation page.&nbsp;These booking infrastructure improvements are part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing how travel distributors manage complex, multi-service bookings within the Hotelbeds Booking Engine.Transparent Booking ConfirmationOnce “Confirm” is selected, a confirmation modal displays a real-time progress bar with status indicators for each service. Confirmed and unsuccessful services are clearly identified, improving transparency and reducing the need for manual follow-up.Automatic Retries for Unsuccessful ServicesIf a service cannot be confirmed on the first attempt, the system will automatically retry, increasing the likelihood of success without requiring manual intervention.Clear Post-Confirmation CommunicationFollowing confirmation, a detailed summary outlines confirmed and unsuccessful services alongside actionable next steps. This ensures distributors can respond quickly and efficiently.Offering Alternatives to Maximise ConversionWhen a service cannot be confirmed, a dedicated “Search for alternatives” option allows distributors to identify suitable replacements directly from the confirmation screen.Reduced Manual Effort and TimeTogether, these improvements reduce booking errors, minimise friction, and help recover potential lost sales—strengthening confidence when managing complex itineraries.&nbsp;Please note: In the initial phase, the new confirmation flow will apply only to the Credit booking flow. The Web Prepay flow (Book Now, Pay Later / Pay Now) will be included in a future release.&nbsp;Sell Hotel Inventory More Effectively with Room Mapping EnhancementsAmong the latest updates, one key enhancement relates to Room Mapping improvements.&nbsp;This functionality enables distributors to access a single, reliable representation of a hotel’s actual room inventory, making room selection more consistent and predictable.&nbsp;Through an AI-powered “Real Rooms” database for each property, rooms are defined using structured attributes that help to:&nbsp;Reduce room type duplication within a single hotel.Eliminate inconsistencies in room naming across different sources.Improve inventory clarity, making rooms easier to understand and sell.&nbsp;These enhancements significantly improve accuracy, usability, and confidence when selecting and managing room inventory.&nbsp;Seamless Travel Experiences: Online Check-InWhen booking hotels via the Hotelbeds Booking Engine, selected properties now offer travellers the option to complete online check-in prior to arrival.&nbsp;What is the value of this online check-in solution?&nbsp;Digital check-in management, improving operational efficiency.Queue-free arrival experiences for travellers.Integrated booking data, enabling a smoother guest journey.&nbsp;The online check-in option is displayed as a QR code on the booking voucher. Thanks to the enhanced confirmation flow and itinerary view, vouchers can be accessed and downloaded easily. Simply select “Documents” from a confirmed booking and choose “Voucher” from the pop-up menu.&nbsp;Enabling online check-in reduces manual processes for both distributors and hotel staff, while saving valuable time for travellers upon arrival.&nbsp;Why These Booking Platform Enhancements MatterThese ongoing updates to the Hotelbeds Booking Engine are designed to directly support the success of travel distributors.&nbsp;They are intended to:&nbsp;Increase operational efficiency: Clearer itineraries, faster searches, and intelligent automation reduce manual effort.Minimise errors and cancellations: Improved confirmation flows and accurate room mapping help ensure smoother bookings.Enhance professionalism and confidence: Structured, reliable information supports the management of complex bookings.Strengthen competitiveness: Smarter tools and automation enable faster, more tailored product offerings.&nbsp;Looking Ahead: The Booking Platform Designed for YouOur objective is to support your continued growth through technology that is intuitive, dependable, and aligned with your operational needs.&nbsp;Travel distributors require advanced decision-support tools, greater automation, and a strong competitive advantage throughout the booking journey.&nbsp;This evolution of the Hotelbeds Booking Engine delivers smarter search results, personalised recommendations, and time-saving automation—allowing you to focus on what matters most: delivering high-quality, tailored travel solutions with confidence.&nbsp;Stay tuned for further updates. If you are not yet a Hotelbeds partner, sign up today to begin delivering even more exceptional travel experiences to your customers.&nbsp;Sign up to Hotelbeds today&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Hotelbeds travel booking platform

The Next Step in the Evolution of the Hotelbeds Travel Booking Platform

&nbsp;According to a 2025 survey, manual data entry costs US businesses $28,500 yearly. For tour operators, this often shows up in day-to-day tasks such as manually updating availability, managing multiple booking channels, and invoicing. Besides money, this is lost time you could be spending on your business: building supplier partnerships, optimising pricing and packages, and focusing on the customer experience.&nbsp;Hotelbeds’ booking and reservation management platform helps minimise manual processes, while acting as a powerful tool to globalise and optimise your products. Learn more about how it helps common tour operator challenges below:&nbsp;Common challenges in manual booking for tour operatorsCan you relate to one or more of the challenges below? If so, it may be time to consider how to streamline travel bookings.Fragmented processes and operational inefficienciesCopying booking details from emails into spreadsheets, checking availability across multiple platforms, and coordinating colleagues over text may seem harmless. But in fact, the risk is often higher than you think.&nbsp;Research shows that manual data entry error rates could be anywhere from 0.55% to 26.9%. For 1000 bookings, that could mean between 5 and 269 potential errors, such as incorrect dates, double booking, and wrong passenger details.Time-consuming coordinationHandling confirmations, reminders, and updates manually can take several hours per week. In today’s travel tech landscape, some routine tasks you can automate with integrated travel management tools include:Booking confirmation emails.Availability and inventory updates across channels.Invoice and receipts.Payment confirmations.Booking reminders.Standard cancellation acknowledgements.CRM record updates after each booking.Lack of real-time dataWhen availability, pricing, and reservation data are not updated in real time across systems, the error risk increases. And in the long run, this puts customer satisfaction at risk.Limited customer engagement and feedbackAs early as 2021, industry data showed that 71% of consumers expected personalised interactions, and expectations have only increased since. Relying on manual outreach may mean you’re missing valuable opportunities in customer communication, like sending timely pre-trip information, targeted follow-ups, or post-experience surveys.Pricing inefficienciesWhen rates are updated manually or infrequently, you risk underpricing high-demand periods such as summer holidays, New Year’s Eve, or seasonal breaks. To increase revenue with dynamic pricing in travel, operators need systems to adjust rates in line with demand, seasonality, availability, and competitors.Compliance and safety risksSome manual data entry errors carry significant legal and operational risk. A good example is compliance checks. Missing or incorrect information can lead to legal exposure, denied services, or safety incidents.&nbsp;Introducing the Hotelbeds booking platformPowered by the sourcing strength and global reach of HBX Group, Hotelbeds’ comprehensive platform gathers all booking and management tools in one place. It’s particularly designed for tour operators who want more accurate, faster, and more efficient businesses.&nbsp;Here are our key tools:Booking Engine: Choose from travel products in 170+ countries. You’ll find 300,000+ accommodations, 23,000+ experiences, global transfer routes, and 150+ car hire suppliers in 500+ service locations, all accessible via one comprehensive travel booking site.&nbsp;Hotelbeds APIs: With our Booking API, Content API, and Cache API, access live inventory, pricing, availability, and booking data. This means faster confirmations and less reliance on manual updates across channels.&nbsp;Insights: Our data intelligence tool, Insights, offers you an insider look at booking patterns, customer preferences, booking trends, and growth opportunities to stay ahead of competitors. The more you use it, the more accurate it gets, and you get relevant suggestions in a matter of seconds.&nbsp;eWallets: Save time on manual invoicing, following up on late payments, and expense tracking.&nbsp;Become a Hotelbeds partner today&nbsp;How do Hotelbeds’ tour operator booking solutions work?Looking to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of how Hotelbeds helps with global travel distribution?&nbsp;Here’s more information about the capabilities of our travel booking platform, and how it helps boost travel distributors’ daily efficiencies:All-in-one booking and reservation softwareYou’ll find all your booking and reservation data in one place on the Hotelbeds platform. No need to manage multiple platforms and stress over double bookings.&nbsp;This means that our travel distribution partners can more easily grow basket value effortlessly by expanding any booking with complementary travel products, like experiences or mobility solutions – all through one platform.&nbsp;Uplift your travel distribution by accessing competitively priced travel products, including exclusive rates and availabilities as a result of expert negotiation with our strategic partners.&nbsp;Not to mention, access to our Preferred Partner Programme; a collection of exclusively negotiated hotel offerings with tailored, competitive prices and negotiated availabilities for our partners, from trusted hotel partners for traveller peace of mind.Dynamic pricing tools and revenue management for travelGet the tools you need to align your prices with demand, seasonality, and market trends to reach your full revenue potential.Seamless API integrationThe online Hotelbeds booking platform complements our powerful API Suite, empowering our API partners to access and manage all bookings completed via API. Our online booking platform, therefore, becomes the ‘back office’ platform of the API, where actions taken via API are reflected in the Booking Engine and vice versa, for seamless travel management.Self-Service Tools for end-to-end booking managementStreamline booking management with a comprehensive suite of online self-service tools which allow users to:Add products to an existing booking, cross-sell experiences, transfers, hotels and car hire.Cancel or modify any booking in a few clicks: from accessing booking information to changing dates, traveller details, removing or adding nights and making special requests.These changes can be made even when third-party providers do not allow changes.&nbsp;Booking management is also fully aligned with our API connection, enabling all API bookings to be managed via the Hotelbeds booking platform. Plus, users requiring multiple API credentials can access all bookings with our specialised user role.Access to personalised travel dataSpecially designed for API clients, the ‘Insights’ section integrated into the Booking Engine allows for API connection optimisation, with direct access to our travel recommendation tool. This tool also offers tailored growth opportunities: such as new hotels to map, or underperforming hotels to promote.Built-in compliance and safety controlsWith automated checks, stay on top of regulatory and safety requirements. If you’re coordinating multiple suppliers, destinations, and service standards, this is particularly important.Real-time support from destination expertsNo matter where you’re based or which customer segment you’re targeting, our destination experts are ready to help. They act as the extension of your operations team, supporting you with competitor analysis, sales recommendations, product optimisation, and more.Integration and automation toolsConnect your systems for end-to-end automation in Hotelbeds’ integrated booking system. This means that when a booking is made, availability is updated instantly, the reservation is recorded in your CRM, and confirmation details are sent to the customer.&nbsp;Integrating Hotelbeds’ travel distribution platform into your workflowsIntegrating Hotelbeds into your workflow means all your tools will be able to communicate with Hotelbeds in real time. This way, you’ll automatically:Sync live availability, rates, and inventory into your booking system and website.Send and receive reservation data without manual re-entry.Update your CRM with customer and booking details as transactions happen.Align pricing and revenue tools with real-time data.Streamline accounting, invoicing, and cancellation processes.Feed accurate operational data into reporting and analytics dashboards.&nbsp;Sign up for Hotelbeds and improve efficiencyYou’re already managing complex bookings, working with different suppliers, and coordinating your team, all while balancing quality and competitive prices. Fragmented systems, manual processes, and a lack of data make your job challenging.&nbsp;Hotelbeds’ powerful booking platform solves these problems while connecting you with B2B travel partners across the world.&nbsp;Become a Hotelbeds partner today&nbsp;Curious about how our travel APIs work? Explore our article on API solutions.&nbsp;

Tour Operator Booking Management Solutions Hotelbeds

Streamlined Travel Booking & Reservation Management for Tour Operators with Hotelbeds

&nbsp;The Preferred Partner Programme is a collection of hotels including within our powerful travel booking platform, the Booking Engine, which is not only designed to be a growth engine for your bookings as a travel distributor, but as an amplifier for your daily operations when it comes to: securing recurring revenue, streamlining operations with more efficient hotel sourcing, or attracting more high-value clients.&nbsp;&nbsp;When you join Hotelbeds, you get access to the hotels within our Preferred Partner Programme; a unique partnership that hotel clients working with our parent company HBX Group - a leading B2B travel maketplace - elect to join in order to improve their hotel distribution. This means that these hotels enter into specific agreements with our expert teams regarding their distribution.&nbsp;&nbsp;The result? Guaranteed rates and availabilities from a collection of high-quality hotel partners are offered to our network of distributors, instantly accessible for all registered partners with Hotelbeds.&nbsp;Find out how Hotelbeds Preferred Partner Programme’s travel distribution solutions can help your business.&nbsp;Become a Hotelbeds partner today&nbsp;Which market challenges does the Preferred Partner Programme address?According to industry data, online travel bookings have surpassed $1 trillion (as suggested in Phocuswright’s Travel Forward: Data, Insights &amp; Trends for 2026). As more travellers move online and digital channels grow faster than offline ones, tour operators and online travel agents (OTAs) find themselves in an increasingly competitive market.&nbsp;To stand out, you need travel distribution services that provide reliable inventory, guaranteed pricing, consistent hotel quality, and smooth customer experiences across every booking.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Hotelbeds Preferred Partner Programme empowers travel distributors with the means to address such challenges in today's travel landscape:Meeting rising traveller expectations.Managing fragmented distribution channels and operational costs.Navigating demand volatility and seasonality shifts.Securing reliable inventory in high-demand destinations.Broadening your portfolio with new destinations.Finding trusted hotels around the world.&nbsp;Benefits of the Preferred Partner ProgrammeWorking with hotels that are part of our Preferred Partners Programme increases your reliability, helps you offer more competitive rates, and strengthens your reputation. Here’s how:Access to a global hotel portfolioBy joining the Preferred Partner Programme, hotels agree to provide our network with exclusive rates, availability, and quality standards.&nbsp;&nbsp;This collection is constantly growing, with thousands of hotels across global source markets offering guaranteed rates and availabilities which have been negotiated under specific terms for our Hotelbeds partners.&nbsp;&nbsp;To access these hotels and their benefits, all you need to do is sign up for Hotelbeds as a travel distributor.&nbsp;Join the Hotelbeds network today&nbsp;Exclusive inventory and ratesHotelbeds’ parent company, HBX Group, has over 1,000 commercial experts who negotiate pricing exclusively for our partners. This means you can confidently offer competitive rates to your clients while protecting your margins.&nbsp;&nbsp;Because the opportunities available with the Preferred Partner Programme are usually backed by long-standing relationships with reliable and trusted hotel partners​, this empowers you as travel distributors with greater peace of mind when championing these travel offers to end customers - creating a mutually beneficial relationship between you as the provider and your customers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Your customers enjoy incentivising and competitive rates that, often, may not be available via other platforms and self-sufficient booking journeys, while travel distributors enjoy a more competitive offering, which enables you to compete more effectively in a landscape of increasing competition between travel distributors, as AI-trip planning and social media-enabled bookings encroach into online booking spaces as major players.&nbsp;&nbsp;Besides rates, our commercial experts also negotiate increased availability, flexible conditions, room allocations during peak periods, and exclusive offers.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is especially valuable for clients with specific needs, such as corporate travellers who require flexible cancellation policies, or families who seek larger rooms or child-friendly amenities.Sourcing hotels and operational efficiencySave time on sourcing hotels, so you can focus on what actually matters: delivering exceptional customer experiences.&nbsp;Our dedicated sourcing teams at Hotelbeds take care of negotiating deals and presenting you with the most relevant hotels for your market via the Preferred Partner Programme.&nbsp;Instead of juggling multiple suppliers and contracts, you benefit from an easily-accessible collection of competitive rates and availabilities, all offered in one place: the Hotelbeds Booking Engine.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hotels offered under the Preferred Partner agreement are identifiable within the dashboard of search results due to the 'Preferred' marker on the hotel listing itself. Alternatively, refine your search results to only Preferred hotels using the 'Preferred' filter listed under the 'Top Product' category within the Booking Engine's useful filtering functionalities.&nbsp;Simply log in to the Booking Engine, or sign up if you are not yet one of our valuable Hotelbeds partners, and begin benefitting from a collection of specially negotiated rates and opportunities exclusively for Hotelbeds partners.&nbsp;Increased competitiveness for travel distributorsWorking with hotels that are part of our Preferred Partnership Programme has several benefits. These hotels:Attract long-stay guests – guests who book these Preferred Partner hotels tend to stay, on average, 33% longer than non-preferred hotels.Offer exclusive discount commitments with HBX Group.Experience fewer cancellations and consistently show high satisfaction rates.&nbsp;They’re already investing in attracting high-value travellers who tend to book with tour operators and OTAs – guests who stay longer, book in advance, and seek specific hotel amenities, such as family-friendly facilities, business meeting rooms, or wellness services.&nbsp;When you book these hotels on Hotelbeds, you’re accessing both their quality standards and their exclusive rates. In other words, your customers have a great experience at prices they’ll only find through you. As a result, travellers are more likely to leave satisfied, return for repeat bookings, and recommend your travel business.&nbsp;Your all-in-one platform for travel distribution servicesHere’s what partnering with Hotelbeds through the Preferred Programme means for your day-to-day operations and performance:Access to a curated portfolio: Exclusive rates and availability from trusted partner hotels, from global chains to independent hotels across the world.&nbsp;Competitive prices: Hotels in the Preferred Partner Programme each have their own tailored agreement with us, meaning we’ve already negotiated the rates they’ll offer to our partners. These rates work in everyone’s favour: your clients enjoy deals they won’t find elsewhere, the hotel gets to welcome new guests, and your competitiveness in the market increases.&nbsp;Market differentiation: Guaranteed rates and high-quality inventory allow you to promote competitive deals and stand out. Especially if you’re targeting a specific niche, this is particularly important as travellers will want specific amenities at competitive prices.&nbsp;Reliable partners: Working with trusted partners reduces risks related to last-minute availability issues, quality, and rate disparities. The hotels included in the Hotelbeds Preferred Partner Programme are made up of trusted, and often long-standing partnerships, which ensures a higher peace of mind for travel distributors as the provider of deeply personal and meaningful travel experiences to end travellers.&nbsp;Customer satisfaction and loyalty: You can recommend our trusted hotel partners with confidence, knowing your clients will get consistent quality and fair rates every time. Over time, these positive experiences increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.&nbsp;Access high-quality hotels all around the worldWhat makes the Preferred Partnership Programme more than a distribution deal is its focus on quality and partnership.&nbsp;Hotelbeds acts as the bridge between your business and high-quality hotels: we negotiate rates and availability, hotels give our members special rates, and you offer the deal to your clients.&nbsp;&nbsp;Given the quality and reliability of these hotels, your clients are more likely to return, especially as you’ll have offered exclusive rates thanks to the Preferred Partner Programme.&nbsp;Sign up for Hotelbeds and start browsing hotels in our Preferred Partner Programme.&nbsp;Join the Hotelbeds network today&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Hotelbeds Preferred Partner programme

Travel Distribution Solutions: Unlock Growth with the Hotelbeds Preferred Partner Programme

&nbsp;As a B2B travel marketplace, HBX Group's mission is to provide a collaborative network to industry partners. For tour operators and online travel agents, this means connecting to travel agents, destination services, experience providers, car rentals, and more. Besides being part of this interconnected ecosystem, our partners also benefit from travel tech solutions that make their jobs easier.&nbsp;And as a part of this travel ecosystem, while Hotelbeds' smart solutions for distributors focus on optimising your booking success and help you capture more of the market, the wider HBX Group ecosystem offers complementary services and tools designed to: help you attract new types of travellers, enhance your product offering, and strengthen your commercial strategy.&nbsp;Here is more information on the benefits our partners get:&nbsp;Extensive inventory accessConnect with key players in the travel industry ecosystem across 170+ countries. Our portfolio includes:300,000+ accommodations – including luxury properties and concierge services from The Luxury Collection, and certified sustainable stays.23,000+ in-destination experiences – from tickets to tours.Global transfer routes – including private and airport transfers.150+ car hire suppliers in 500+ service locations.&nbsp;Take this as an opportunity to broaden your client base, personalise offers, or upsell travel packages by adding ancillaries. One of our partners, Indonesia-based OTA tiket.com, is a great example of this. The company was established in 2011, and for six years, it operated in its home country. By 2018, expanding globally had become one of their main challenges.&nbsp;“Partnering with Hotelbeds helps us access its global inventory, and at the same time, it allows us to offer a wider range of products to our customers,” said Cisyelya Bunyamin, SVP of Accommodation for tiket.com.Simplified distribution and increased reachHotelbeds simplifies travel distribution and the operational processes behind the scenes. When you become a partner, you connect to Hotelbeds once, and gain access to a large, global portfolio of hotels and travel services. This connection allows the Hotelbeds’ platform to “talk” to your systems, so product details, availability, and pricing data integrate directly into your system.&nbsp;Besides improving travel distribution, this model also helps you expand your customer base. Since Hotelbeds works with a wide range of partners around the world, you’ll benefit from access to new markets, respond faster to demand in emerging destinations, and form new connections without manual effort. In other words, you sell faster in more diverse markets.Competitive pricing and negotiation power“For us, it’s very crucial to be able to partner with a wholesaler that has a very deep pricing and rate plan, to help us improve our overall competitiveness,” said Cisyelya Bunyamin, of tiket.com. Partnering with Hotelbeds helped the OTA generate more revenue, increase demand, and improve its positioning with competitive rates.&nbsp;This is possible because our 1000+ sourcing and destination experts negotiate:Exclusive rates.Preferential availabilities.Flexible pricing models.Locally negotiated supplier partnerships.&nbsp;This translates into notable differentiated opportunities for our partners:Unmatched deals from worldwide hotelsWhen you book with HBX Group’s Preferred Partners, you’re accessing a curated portfolio of 6000+ top-performing hotels that offer better rates, more availability, and stronger conversion. You get competitively priced, reliable inventory that’s easier to sell, all backed by our data insights and simplified contracting. It’s smarter sourcing that helps you grow with less complexity.Uplift your sales with intelligent campaignsAs part of the HBX Group wider ecosystem and with access to our global inventory, throughout the year our registered Hotelbeds partners can benefit from exclusive global and regional promotional campaigns which empower you with in-demand, competitive offerings to better serve the preferences and demands of your desired audience.&nbsp;Not only are these campaigns informed by valuable booking behaviours to identify popular, and therefore sellable, travel opportunities in your market, but unique, highly competitive commercial conditions.Direct sourcing to elevate your Travel DistributionWith direct connections to over 100,000 hotels, our registered partners benefit from the best opportunities to capture travellers’ ever-evolving interests.&nbsp;Seamless technology and integrationOnline travel agent technology and tour operator platforms need reliable travel APIs to automate processes and provide real-time updates. Hotelbeds has three of them:Booking API: Lets your system access up-to-date information, send instant booking confirmations, and set filters for geolocation and keywords.Content API: Provides hotel and product details such as photos, descriptions, and key property information.Cache API: Offers frequently updated prices and availability that you can store locally for faster search results.&nbsp;This way, you automate availability checks, pricing and availability updates, and content distribution. In the long run, these reduce errors, minimise manual data entry, and improve speed.&nbsp;Learn more about our comprehensive travel API solutions here.Decision-making backed by dataHBX Group’s data lake is one of the most powerful engines behind the Hotelbeds platform, operating at a scale that meaningfully enhances the work of our partners.&nbsp;With a technology stack capable of handling 7 billion searches every day, and up to 7.8 billion at peak, HBX Group’s systems return approximately 380 billion results daily—a volume that far exceeds many of the world’s major search platforms.&nbsp;What matters most, however, is how this scale translates into value for you. This extraordinary level of real‑time activity continuously feeds our extensive data lake, creating a data‑rich ecosystem that strengthens the intelligence behind every search.&nbsp;&nbsp;As a Hotelbeds partner, every recommendation, hotel option, experience, and insight you see is informed by this vast and continuously refreshed pool of information, ensuring accuracy, relevance, and stronger decision‑making across your workflow.&nbsp;Combined with a reliable 99.80% platform uptime, this is more than data—it is a built‑in competitive advantage designed to support your business, enhance your efficiency, and help you serve your clients with confidence.&nbsp;Become a Hotelbeds partner todayPersonalised InsightsHotelbeds is data-driven, which means the hotels and experiences you’ll see on the platform will be tailored to your market and goals. As a part of our B2B hotel distribution, we’ll also show you the hotels with the highest potential in terms of revenue, availability, and length of stay.&nbsp;For personalised recommendations, you can also use our search and recommendation tool, Insights. The more you use Insights, the more accurate it gets, as it learns from your past bookings.&nbsp;Reliable support &amp; partnershipOur global proficiency is supported by on-the-ground know-how as a result of 3000+ local experts, from hotel contracting teams and optimisation specialists, to marketing teams and finance experts.&nbsp;With a 92% customer satisfaction rate, our teams are ready to provide financial, operational, and onboarding support. They’re invested in our partners’ success, which makes our partnership a true collaboration.&nbsp;That’s exactly what online travel retailer lastminute.com experienced during our decade-long partnership. “This is the best thing about the partnership – that we’ve grown together. The fact that lastminute.com is seen as European experts in dynamic packages is partly thanks to you, our suppliers,” said Martin Kleinman, Supply Director &amp; Chief Commercial Officer.Future outlook and strategic advantageAccording to The World Travel &amp; Tourism Council’s Future of Work in Travel Report, the travel industry will support one in three new jobs globally by 2035. The report also advises keeping in mind the five macrotrends the World Economic Forum identified, one of which is technological change.&nbsp;This isn’t only about AI, but also about automating routine tasks, using technology for faster searches, and investing in tools that make work more efficient. Hotelbeds partners get access to such travel tech solutions, alongside a collaborative ecosystem where they explore new opportunities, insights, and products. In short, we help our partners navigate the future of travel and travel tech.Become a partner todayHBX Group partners gain a competitive edge in many ways: extensive inventory, streamlined global travel distribution, exclusive rates, and support from a team that values your success as their own.&nbsp;Become a Hotelbeds partner today&nbsp;

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HBX Group travel ecosystem Hotelbeds

What Does Being Part of HBX Group Mean for Global Travel Distributors?

The Modern Traveller Mindset: Shifting to Authentic TravelOver the past decade, travellers increasingly seek genuine cultural engagement. According to a recent Oxford Economics report presented at HBX Group’s MarketHub Asia event, 72% of travellers prefer spending money on local activities over traditional sightseeing. This trend is especially pronounced among Millennials and Gen Z, who value meaningful connections and personalised experiences over conventional tourism.&nbsp;Why now?&nbsp;The rise of the experience economy has outpaced traditional tourism. Travel is no longer about passive observation; it’s about participation. This heightened appetite for immersive travel is reinforced by the booming experiential travel sector.&nbsp;Industry forecasts, highlighted in the Hotelbeds Trend Report for Distributors, project the experiences market (tours, activities, attractions) to reach $372.93 billion by 2034, reflecting strong, sustained demand for in-destination engagement. Nearly 90% of Europeans now seek more travel experiences than in recent years, emphasising this shift.&nbsp;You can also download our travel trend report at the bottom of this page, for more insights on the most influential trends for this year and beyond.The Demand for Authenticity and ParticipationToday’s travellers want authentic interactions—whether it’s trying local food, participating in cultural workshops, or engaging with communities. Data suggests that travellers are seeking more interactions with local culture, food, and communities, with 50% saying they are more interested in trying local food and drink than two years ago, according to Oxford Economics.&nbsp;Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram amplify these desires, showcasing real-world immersion through videos of regional festivals, cooking classes, or staying in local homestays. These snippets shape expectations, pushing travellers toward active participation rather than passive sightseeing.&nbsp;‘Meaning’ now often equals active participation—meeting locals, stories, workshops, food, culture—rather than passive sightseeing.Distributors who can tailor products to personal interests (food, heritage, wellness, nature, creativity) will win share and loyalty.International Travel Accelerates with a Focus on Local ExperiencesForecasts indicate global inbound tourism will reach 2.1 billion visits by 2030, a 39% increase from last year, with expenditures hitting around $2.6 trillion. Booking patterns support the fact that travellers are staying longer in their chosen destination, with international trip lengths where travellers are staying in paid accommodation, from hotels to local homestays, was 7% higher in 2025 than pre-pandemic averages, according to Oxford Economics.&nbsp;These longer stays amplify demand for accommodation in culturally-rich neighbourhoods within cities, guided cultural tours, and immersive or ‘everyday’ experiences that make visitors feel part of the locale, not just outside spectators.&nbsp;So, today’s, and tomorrow’s, traveller will not only be hungry for experiential travel, but will be travelling more in order to satisfy this demand.&nbsp;An illustrative example is Japan’s retailer Don Quijote (‘Donki’) as one of the notable beneficiaries of this surge in demand for everyday experiences. Their stores, with neon-lit decor and eclectic offerings, have become cultural landmarks, attracting international visitors seeking a ‘local’ shopping experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;Their success hinges on localisation, as each location adapts its product ranges to reflect local tastes. Combine this with the appeal of multilingual staff, overseas partnerships and international products, and this Japanese retailer is well positioned to expand its reach, capture this increasing demand to ‘live like a local’, while also offering an example as to the success awaiting businesses looking to leverage this rising demand for ‘the everyday’.&nbsp;While this is a unique example, Don Quijote’s current success—their 2024 advert with Bruno Mars generated around 20 million views—the message is clear: significant opportunities exist due to the growing appetite for ‘everyday’ trips and itineraries for today’s traveller.&nbsp;Cultural Festivals &amp; Niche Events as Travel DriversEvent-led travel is booming, and of course, globally renowned festivities like Japan’s Hanami or Thailand’s Songkran draw millions, offering genuine cultural experiences.&nbsp;However, today’s traveller is just as likely to be drawn in by local, niche festivities, which are forming powerful drivers for experiential travel, such as regional festivals, music or sporting events. With travel appetite and spending set to remain a priority regardless of economic circumstances for many travellers, this presents key opportunities for distributors to leverage an experience-hungry traveller ready to spend on local, authentic moments.&nbsp;Industry data shows 60% of international travellers planned trips around such events in 2025; among younger travellers (Gen Z and Millennials), this rises to 56%. While around 40% of surveyed sports fans have travelled abroad for an event, and nearly 20% of ticket buyers have travelled abroad for music festivals (based on AEG Global Partnerships data alone).&nbsp;Travel distributors can leverage local festivals, food festivals, cultural seasons and local sporting events as high‑intent moments to craft tailored itineraries—focusing on neighbourhood exploration, micro‑districts, and off‑the‑beaten-path experiences before and after the event itself, rather than just the traditional checklist trip.&nbsp;Local calendars: (festivals, food fairs, cultural seasons) are high‑intent moments to package these ’local living’ itineraries.City breaks can be reframed as neighbourhood‑centric cultural stays: highlighting markets, galleries, venues, micro‑neighbourhood tours, rather than ‘checklist’ weekends.&nbsp;Why the ‘Local Living’ Travel Trend Matters NowA few key macro forces underpin this shift:PersonalisationAbout 70% of younger travellers want trips tailored to their tastes, with mobile platforms at the core of planning and booking.&nbsp;&nbsp;Online Travel Agents are central to fulfilling this demand, however: 50% of global travellers used OTAs when planning or booking their last international trip, who saw approximately 50% growth in gross bookings between 2019 and 2025 (according to the World Travel Market Travel Trends Report).&nbsp;&nbsp;For all distributors to stay competitive, platforms must be API-first, mobile-optimised, and feature reviews to build trust and convert browsing into bookings.Value &amp; MeaningWhile price influences destination choice for 81% of travellers, more than 50% consider luxury important, when luxury is defined as high‑quality, personalised, and authentic experiences rather than high price tags, according to insights delivered by Oxford Economics during HBX Group’s MarketHub Asia.&nbsp;Therefore, distributors who can offer curated, personalised experiences will be able differentiate themselves.Empower Today’s Luxury Traveller with The Luxury CollectionHotelbeds’ The Luxury Collection, a curated portfolio of 11,000+ luxury hotels and resorts worldwide, empowers you with exceptional stays, concierge services, private transfers, exclusive experiences, and VIP amenities, all at no extra cost.&nbsp;Browse and select from The Luxury Collection using the 'Luxury Collection' filter in the Booking Engine and discover this growing portfolio of luxury travel options. Add high-end accommodations to your clients’ itineraries with just a few clicks to build out their ideal itinerary.&nbsp;These services can help you to elevate standard bookings into high-end, memorable journeys, fostering loyalty and satisfaction, as well as providing travellers with the luxury of time, which is fast becoming the most valuable commodity in today's fast-paced world.&nbsp;Sign up today to start booking luxury properties and concierge services today through Hotelbeds’ Luxury Collection, and deliver unforgettable tailor-made experiences that today's traveller.&nbsp;Sign up to access The Luxury Collection&nbsp;The Rise of ‘Off the Beaten Path’ DestinationsWhile popular tourist spots attract millions, more travellers now seek less crowded, more authentic locales.&nbsp;Around 56% of travellers are interested in discovering new destinations, especially those offering cultural immersion and fewer crowds. This demand is linked to a desire for ‘detour destinations’—lesser-known spots that, often, provide richer cultural engagement for travellers seeking authenticity.&nbsp;Consider also the benefit of ‘shoulder season’ itineraries—trip-planning built around more niche seasonal festivities and culture-saturated periods of the year; adapting commonly delivered summer itineraries to winter-adjacent experiences; or replacing popular city destinations with a cooler climate recommendation, or an alternative secondary city. This satisfies the increasing desire for value (in terms of personal meaning, not necessarily cost) and authenticity.Global Travel Distribution Tools: Leverage Trends with HotelbedsHotelbeds, as a leading B2B travel provider within the HBX Group ecosystem, offers a comprehensive portfolio and technological solutions to help distributors meet this evolving demand:&nbsp;Locally Located Accommodations: With over 300,000 properties in culturally-rich neighbourhoods, global cities, and natural landscapes worldwide, Hotelbeds enables tailored, immersive stays that reflect local architecture, cuisine, and culture.&nbsp;Experiences &amp; In-Destination Services: Over 23,000 experiences, including local tours, cultural workshops, artisan-led activities, and off-the-beaten-path excursions, all available to craft and package immersive, authentic itineraries.&nbsp;API Suite Connectivity: Our robust API solutions, offered as part of the HBX Group ecosystem, streamline inventory access, real-time pricing, reservations, and analytics. This ensures fast, relevant search results and seamless integration into distributor platforms, supporting the rapid growth of international bookings.&nbsp;The Future of Travel Is Local, Authentic, and ImmersiveThe ‘living like a local’ trend isn’t fleeting; it’s the defining mindset of modern travellers. Backed by data, a robust experiential market, and social media’s influence, this movement will continue shaping travel in 2026 and beyond.&nbsp;Opportunities for tour operators and online travel agents:Embrace hyper-local, immersive experiences.Leverage social media insights and niche events to create targeted campaigns.Incorporate local festivals, cultural events, and off-the-beaten-path destinations into itineraries.Utilise technological solutions like API integrations to deliver seamless, relevant experiences at scale.Partner with Hotelbeds to Lead the FutureHotelbeds is committed to enabling this shift through its extensive global portfolio, innovative technology, and data-driven insights. By partnering with us, you can deliver immersive, meaningful travel experiences that foster loyalty, differentiation, and long-term growth.&nbsp;Join us today to access the power of a comprehensive B2B travel ecosystem as part of HBX Group, offering local accommodations, experiences, and seamless API integration, so you can meet the rising demand for authentic, local travel in 2026 and beyond.&nbsp;

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2026 travel trends live like a local hotelbeds

2026 Travel Trends: Living Like a Local

&nbsp;We have assembled a list of the 13 essential travel trade shows that you should consider attending in 2026. While not an exhaustive list, considering the wealth of valuable tradeshadows and industry events across the globe, these travel events offer critical opportunities for expanding your industry reach, staying updated on the latest trends and developments, and forming valuable connections with industry leaders and potential partners.Bookmark this page to return to it year on year for updated recommendations.&nbsp;The MarketHub by HBX GroupWhen? MarketHub Asia 3rd – 6th February 2026; MarketHub Europe 21st – 24th April; MarketHub Americas 23rd – 26th JuneWhere? Bali, Malta, Punta CanaOur list would not be complete without mentioning the MarketHub, the flagship travel industry events organised and hosted by HBX Group. Due to offer impactful and engaging experiences, the 2025 MarketHub events are set to take place in February, April, and June in Bali, Malta and Punta Cana, respectively.This edition of the MarketHub will consider ‘The MarketHub: Unlocked’ as its core, with a primary focus on idea exchange, bringing together diverse perspectives and cultures, and promoting a deeper understanding of the changing landscape of the travel industry.With a programme that combines illuminating presentations, roundtables designed to incite discussion and key networking opportunities, the MarketHub is truly a meeting point of culture, innovation and collaboration in the industry, while also ensuring that the unique local heritage of our host countries is never far from the action.Why attend?The MarketHub events provide a valuable opportunity for industry professionals to interact with top brands and experts in the field. With key players such as hoteliers, experience providers, and travel distributors in participation, this event serves as a platform for global travel professionals to network and enhance business opportunities within the travel ecosystem.With 8 years behind it and more than 450 participants every year, MarketHub Europe is a must-attend event for the B2B sector of the travel industry. The event attracts decision-makers from all areas of the travel ecosystem from 15 source markets, including key distributors from around the world.Top tip: The MarketHub events are exclusively for our valuable partners, curating a memorable experience which drives businesses forward, while allowing our travel partners from all across the industry to keep ahead of the competition with leading insights and thought-provoking sessions, and of course, the ability to network.It goes without saying, but we cannot wait to see you at one of these truly exciting travel industry events. Visit the MarketHub website or discover the regional websites for Asia, Europe and Americas for more information.Sign up today to join an increasing network of global travel distributors from all walks of the industry, and take your business to the next level with opportunities and events like our flagship MarketHub events.Join the Hotelbeds network today&nbsp;Travel &amp; Adventure ShowWhen? From January to April 2026With over 20 years of experience and 125+ produced events, Travel &amp; Adventure Shows has connected over 2.7 million travel enthusiasts, over 16,500 unique Travel Advisors and thousands of travel media with over 5,800 different exhibiting companies from around the world, influencing billions in travel bookings.This series of events consists of nine different conferences held across the United States in some of its top gateway markets: Atlanta, San Fransico Bay Area, and Washington DC. Widely considered ‘America’s favorite travel trade show’, this is the ultimate destination for key players in the tourism industry to connect directly with the traveller.During this event, attendees will discover the hottest holiday destinations, speak with leading tour operators and global travel distributors and travel providers, and receive the best travel advice available.Why attend?These events are crucial for both B2C and B2B sectors, as travel professionals place high importance on them as a means to directly engage with travelers. It provides valuable insights into the needs, concerns, and preferences of current and future travelers in these popular destinations.Attracting around 150,000 attendees at past events, Travel &amp; Adventure Show is a sure-fire way of getting to the heart of your perfect clients’ wants and needs for the year ahead, scope out the latest industry trends and promote your offers.&nbsp;Fitur&nbsp;When? 21st – 26th January 2026Where? Madrid, SpainFitur, held annually in Madrid, is the premier trade show for inbound and outbound markets in Latin America. Key topics discussed include the future of technology in tourism and destination management, cruises, LGBTQ+ tourism, and the promotion of female tourism professionals.Why attend?This year’s key talking points will centre on what's next for sustainable travel and will be directed primarily at hotel chains, travel agents, tour operators, and tech companies.Spanning five days, FITUR provides an unparalleled platform for business development, project launches, strategic partnerships, and advanced training. During the weekend, the event opens its doors to the public, offering immersive experiences, destination showcases, and opportunities to discover the diverse offerings of global tourism firsthand.&nbsp;ITB Berlin&nbsp;When? 3rd – 5th March 2026Where? Berlin, GermanyEvery year in March, the world of international tourism gathers at one of the largest travel trade shows: ITB Berlin. This year, the event runs 3rd – 5th March 2026 at Messe Berlin and celebrates its 60th anniversary under the theme ‘Discover the stories behind 60 years of legacy’.ITB Berlin will bring together prominent figures from the global travel industry, offering attendees the opportunity to connect with numerous exhibitors, speakers, and industry leaders. This three-day event will feature various segments, such as business travel, adventure travel, destination showcases, hospitality, luxury travel, medical tourism, travel technology, and more.Why attend?Whether you’re looking for networking opportunities or simply the chance to learn from some of the sector's top thought leaders, you don't want to miss out on this event.&nbsp;WTM AfricaWhen? 13th – 15th April 2026Where? Cape Town, South AfricaWTM Africa was first held in 2014 to bring the benefits and opportunities of our global industry expertise to travel professionals in this region. It’s the leading and only B2B exhibition for both the inbound and outbound African travel and tourism markets.WTM Africa embarks on a journey to showcase its untapped potential, celebrate its heritage, and pave the way for sustainable growth in both inbound and outbound tourism.Why attend?Those looking to break into the travel industry in Africa should attend WTM without a doubt. This event allows attendees to generate new leads, launch products, enter new markets, raise brand awareness, and more.Over 6,000 travel industry professionals attend this show each year, helping travel businesses in Africa drive commercial success, accelerate growth, and expand their network. This expo is part of a larger group of flagship events, including WTM London and the Arabian Travel Market Show.&nbsp;WTM Latin AmericaWhen? 14th – 16th April 2026Where? São Paulo, BrazilJust like in Africa, and London, Latin America also has an unmissable event: the WTM Latin America. In 2026, travel and tourism professionals will be heading again to the colourful and lively city of São Paulo, home of this year's event.Why attend?With successful recent editions drawing an attendance of around 30,000 travel and tourism professionals and almost 800 exhibitors, WTM Latin America is positioned as the place to be to meet tour operators, travel agencies, travel technology companies, hotels, airlines and much more.&nbsp;Arabian Travel Market (ATM)When? 4th – 7th May 2026Where? DWTC Dubai, UAEFor those looking to tap into the vast travel and tourism opportunities in the Middle East, attending the Arabian Travel Market show is an essential step. With a successful track record spanning over three decades, this event has solidified its reputation as a premier global platform for the inbound and outbound travel sector in the region.Why attend?The main theme for this year will be ‘The Gateway to Global Travel and Tourism Growth’, with attendees invited to explore innovation in tourism with smart mobility, AI, AR/VR, and ultra-luxury experiences. It emphasises collaboration through AI matchmaking and hybrid forums, while championing sustainability initiatives such as carbon-negative practices and electric aviation, to shape a greener, more connected travel future.The event has experienced rapid growth, generating a significant $2.5 billion in deals. If you are looking to tap into the travel and tourism business potential in the Middle East, then ATM is an event that should not be overlooked. Key players in accommodation, hospitality, destination management, attractions, and more will be present, offering their valuable insights into the region's tourism industry.&nbsp;Business Travel Show (BTS) EuropeWhen? 24th – 25th June 2026Where? London, United KingdomIf you're seeking a forum to connect with the foremost innovators and leaders in business travel, look no further than the Business Travel Show Europe conference. This prestigious annual event unites top professionals from the travel and tourism industry for a comprehensive three-day gathering of educational sessions and networking opportunities at the esteemed ExCel venue in London.The year’s event, showcasing the tagline ‘#ForTheLoveOfTravel’, is essential ‘for anyone serious about improving, benchmarking or establishing their travel programme’. With 30 years behind it, BTS Europe is one of the largest face-to-face exhibitions for travel professionals in the European corporate travel industry.Not only this, but Business Travel Show Europe is part of the BTN Group, which has firmly cemented its position as Europe’s leading source of travel news, insight and analysis for the business travel community.Why attend?With around 700 approved buyers in attendance at previous events, this tradeshow is an excellent opportunity to refresh existing connections and forge new ones. Attendees can engage with industry leaders, learn from pioneers, and build meaningful relationships that can drive future success. The programme features insightful and thought-provoking content, offering the chance to explore current trends, gain expert insights, and discover innovative ideas to enhance travel management strategies. By participating, travel professionals can take a significant step towards elevating their travel programs and staying ahead in a competitive landscape.&nbsp;Phocuswright EuropeWhen? 15th – 17th June 2026Where? Barcelona, SpainPhocuswright Europe is a must-attend event for travel industry professionals. It combines thought-provoking sessions, lively panel discussions, and invaluable networking opportunities.Why attend?This year’s theme, 'Game On', delves into the evolving landscape of travel distribution, technology, and consumer behaviour, highlighting the urgent need for travel distributors to stay agile amid rapid industry transformation driven by AI, geopolitical tensions, and economic volatility. The event offers key insights, innovative strategies, and networking opportunities with emerging players shaping the future.Travel managers will benefit from gaining practical knowledge and strategies to adapt to industry shifts. This forward-thinking conference connects attendees with trailblazers and peers to discuss innovative approaches to corporate travel management.&nbsp;International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Asia PacificWhen? 29th June – 2nd July 2026Where? Marina Bay Sands, SingaporeSet to take place at the prestigious Marina Bay Sands Hotel, the 2025 International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Asia Pacific conference will serve as a pivotal platform for luxury travel brands to network and collaborate. Tailored for travel entities seeking to tap into the burgeoning Chinese market, ILTM Asia Pacific is an essential event for top-tier industry professionals.Why attend?Spanning across 5 full days, this luxury travel expo boasts some impressive attendance figures, with previous editions attracting around 650 Asia Pacific travel agents, 33 Asia Pacific travel boards and country panels, 650 international brands and 57 international countries.The ILTM Asia Pacific conference is the perfect platform for building new partnerships, reconnecting with old contacts, or simply staying on top of what's happening in the sector!If you’re a luxury travel experience provider, ILTM is the perfect chance to showcase your destination, experiences or products to an exclusive audience of distributors representing HNW travellers based in Asia Pacific.&nbsp;Digital Travel Summit USWhen? 28th – 29th September 2026Where? Orlando, FloridaIf your business focuses on the customer experience, then the annual Digital Travel Summit is the perfect event for you to capitalise on.Recognised as the premier event in the travel industry for executives from hotels, online travel agents (OTAs), airlines, and transportation providers, attendees come together to share valuable insights on improving the personalized customer journey experience.Why attend?The previous speakers have included industry experts from notable companies such as American Airlines, Expedia Group, Virgin Voyages, Universal Parks &amp; Resorts, Legoland, and IHG Hotels &amp; Resorts. This upcoming two-day conference promises an exceptional learning opportunity that no travel professional should overlook.&nbsp;ITB AsiaWhen? 21st – 23rd October 2026Where? Marina Bay Sands, SingaporeAnother valuable event to mark on your calendar is ITB Asia, known as Asia's Leading Travel Trade Show. This prestigious B2B trade show and convention for the travel industry is held annually, showcasing thousands of exhibiting companies from regions across Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.With a history of over 1,300 exhibitors at previous shows, ITB Asia offers a platform for 100% pre-scheduled appointments and representation from 132 countries and territories.Why attend?ITB Asia stands as the premier travel trade show in Asia, boasting over 13,000 show attendees from various sectors including MICE, Corporate, and Leisure. The event provides a unique opportunity to connect with travel professionals across all segments of the industry - from destinations to airlines, hotels to attractions, cruise lines to venues, and more.For the sheer wealth of opportunity available to attendees, and the quantity of new connections that can be made at ITB Asia, it’s not an event to miss for travel professionals looking to expand their horizons.&nbsp;World Travel Market (WTM) LondonWhen? 3rd – 5th November 2026Where? ExCeL, London, United KingdomWorld Travel Market (WTM) is widely recognised as one of the most influential and well-attended travel industry events. This three-day conference brings together the international leisure and business travel sectors, making it one of the largest gatherings of international travel professionals in the world. With over 40,000 professionals from 180+ countries attending each year, WTM plays a significant role in shaping the future of the travel industry.Filled to the brim with industry-leading insights, thought-provoking roundtables and panel discussions, inspiring keynotes, and advantageous networking opportunities and 1-2-1 meeting areas, WTM is the perfect industry event for B2B professionals looking to connect with and learn from the best.Why attend?The panel discussions held throughout the entire three-day event provide valuable insights into the constantly changing travel industry.&nbsp;Covering a wide range of topics from social, environmental, and industry perspectives, these discussions address ever-present and topical issues such as sustainability, diversity, and innovation in travel technology to cater to the needs of present and future travellers. WTM has been held for over four decades, and it’s considered by its partners one of the most reliable sources of new business contacts in the travel industry.&nbsp;Sign up today to join an increasing network of global travel distributors and take your business even further with opportunities and events like our flagship MarketHub events.&nbsp;

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13 Top Travel Trade Shows for Travel Distributors 2026

What travel trends are shaping 2026 – and how will this impact global travel distribution?The verdict seems to be in: 2026 all about personal maximalism.&nbsp;While the trends of years past leaned into ‘revenge travel’, wellness, and respite from the demands of daily life, travellers of 2026 and beyond are diving headfirst into what makes them, and their interests, unique. Their travel habits are surely following.&nbsp;Think hotels emerging as destinations in their own right; pop culture tourism and fan pilgrimages across continents; consumer culture influencing ‘resortcore’; travellers funnelling their budgets into exclusive merch in collectible tourism; or seeking a journey as the experience itself.&nbsp;Keeping up with the diverse demands of the modern traveller is a constant challenge, especially as these become ever more personal.&nbsp;But our travel trend predictions aim to equip you with the insights and opportunities to stay ahead, capitalise on emerging shifts in the industry, and create memorable journeys that resonate with today’s experience-driven travellers.What’s inside our Travel Trend Report?7 key travel trends for 2026: global trends shaping demand, redefining travel inspiration and booking behaviours.Clear, actionable opportunities: for travel distributors to innovate, expand key partnerships, and grow in this dynamic landscape.Notable factors shaping travel: from emerging markets and the influence of social media, to the explosion of artificial intelligence.Enduring trends: insights into which demands remain the 'new normal' in travel booking, and therefore key opportunities for international distributors.Ready to lead the future of travel?Download your free, comprehensive 2026 travel trends report now and unlock the awaiting opportunities.&nbsp;