HOTELMARKETING.COM

IHG and lastminute.com enter worldwide partnership

November 01, 2004 |

lastminute.com is the first major pan European partner to be certified as a third party distributor of IHG's more than 3,500 hotels worldwide.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announces today a new relationship with lastminute.com, Europe’s leading independent travel and leisure web site. lastminute.com is the first major pan European partner to be certified as a third party distributor of IHG’s more than 3,500 hotels worldwide. This agreement is an enhancement of the companies existing relationship and comes as part of IHG’s industry leading strategy of only working with online travel partners who conduct business under established customer care guidelines.

IHG announced in April that it would only work with certified third party distributors that do not engage in confusing and potentially unclear marketing practices, respect IHG’s trademarks, ensure reservations are guaranteed through an automated and common confirmation process and clearly present fees to consumers. Following this, IHG announced in August the certification of Travelocity and discontinued its relationship with Expedia and Hotels.com.

Peter Gowers, Executive Vice President, Global Brand Services for IHG, commented: “IHG has led the hotel industry from day one on the issue of customer care and protection for guests who book rooms online. We took a bold step in April stating that we will only work with third party distributors who share our same values and our commitment to protecting customers and hotel owners alike. lastminute.com share this view and are a fantastic partner to work with in Europe because of their broad product range which perfectly complements the hotel offering.”

Brent Hoberman, CEO, lastminute.com, commenting, said: “This deal further demonstrates how lastminute.com’s brand reach and pan-European presence provide an excellent distribution channel for suppliers such as IHG. As the world’s largest hotel group, IHG appreciates the added value lastminute.com can deliver with its online facility for customers to tailor their own packages of hotels with flights and entertainment - all this throughout Europe. This year lastminute.com expects to sell over 6 million room nights through its combined businesses.”

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