Hotels.com is a website through which customers can book hotel rooms online and over the phone. Customers can choose from many different types of accommodation, including Bed & Breakfasts, hotels, and other commercial lodgings.

History

Hotels.com was launched as the Hotels Reservation Network (HRN) in 1991, by David Litman and Robert Diener. It provided hotel bookings through a toll-free phone number to customers in the Unites States. In 2002, HRN changed its name to Hotels.com, allowing hotel bookings online. After this, the company rapidly expanded by adding 29 sites over two years. In 2005, Hotels.com became an operating company of Expedia Inc.

Since 2002, Hotels.com has launched websites for Europe, America, Australia, Japan, China, the Middle East, and South Africa. Customers across the globe can now book online or using one of Hotels.com’s call centers. Hotels.com also launched an app for both Android and Apple devices.

The service

As Hotels.com is part of the Expedia group, you can list your hotel by applying through Expedia PartnerCentral (EPC). This will allow you to list your hotel on all 200+ Expedia booking sites, including Hotels.com. Not only will this increase your online exposure, but it will also allow you to reach customers using many different channels, such as mobile phone, tablets and PCs, in order to make bookings.

After signing up with EPC, you’ll be given a tailored offer by a sales expert who will collect your details. Details will include pictures of your hotel and your rates. In just a few days, your hotel will be featured on Hotels.com, as well as on the other Expedia group websites. It will come up in user search results, giving you significantly increased visibility.

Expedia gives hotel owners the chance to manage their property online. You can adjust arrivals, rates, availability, and inventory whenever you wish. What’s more, the built-in marketing tools on the EPC website will give you insights on to how to increase your profits and market your hotel successfully.

The EPC mobile app ensures you can respond to guest reviews immediately and see any online reviews that are written. With the popularity of social media, many people are turning to website reviews when looking to book a hotel. By responding to reviews you can display your excellent customer service and increase your popularity.

The app also gives real-time reservation confirmations and marketing insights in the palm of your hand as well as giving you the ability to create and extend targeted promotions with ease.

The services provided by EPC are an unparalleled opportunity to maximize your hotel bookings throughout the year.

Hotels.com statistics (as part of Expedia Inc.)

• 60 million unique visitors per month
• 260,000+ bookable properties
• 400+ affiliated airlines
• 90 localized websites in 41 languages
• 39.4 billion dollars gross bookings (2013)
• 25M+ verified guest reviews

Partnership perks

Listing your hotel with Hotels.com gives you the chance to be seen by a huge global audience of more than 53 million global travelers. As part of the Expedia group, your listing will be featured across all Expedia sites including Hotels.com, Orbitz.com, Expedia.com, and Travelocity.

Other booking engines

Interested in reading about more booking engines? See our posts on Travelocity, Kayak, and Booking.com.