Starwood Hotels & Resorts and TripAdvisor have partnered to make Starwood’s global hotel portfolio accessible on the TripAdvisor instant booking platform. It appears the service is being marketed to both business and leisure markets for the purpose of short-notice work trips or weekend getaways.
An official Starwood release states the partnership will start in the first half of this year.
“We are excited about an enhanced relationship with TripAdvisor as it allows us to deepen our touch-points with TripAdvisor’s global community of travelers while maintaining a consistent connection with guests before, during, and after their stay at a Starwood hotel,” said Julie Atkinson, senior vice president of global digital for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “We appreciate the work TripAdvisor has done to expand upon the existing distribution models and the partnership will provide a clear benefit.”
With TripAdvisor instant booking, users simply click on a “Book Now” button to initiate a reservation. Travelers are reminded throughout the booking process that their reservation is powered by Starwood and are provided links and phone numbers to contact the hotel’s customer service associates directly. Meanwhile, all support inquiries will be handled by Starwood’s customer care team.
