Amadeus has announced that Marriott is the latest hotel chain to sign on to Amadeus’ guaranteed Best Available Rates program. Hotels offering their Best Available Rates through Amadeus GDS now account for 75.3 percent of Amadeus’ hotel bookings. Hotels which participate in Amadeus’ Best Available Rate program guarantee to supply Amadeus with public rates that are the same or lower than those available through other distribution systems, branded websites or the hotel's own call center.
More than 50,000 hotel properties guarantee Best Available Rates to Amadeus travel agencies. This includes 22,000 hotel properties in North America, 17,200 in Europe and 5,500 in Asia Pacific. Two out of every three hotel properties in Amadeus are covered by Best Available Rate agreements, the company says. The number of hotel brands offering Best Available Rates through Amadeus increased by 35 percent in 2008; 188 brands now included in the program.
Larraine Voll Morris, vice president of eDistribution for Marriott said, “Rate integrity is a guiding principle in Marriott’s pricing and distribution strategy. As part of our philosophy to sell the way the customer wants to buy, we consider travel agencies as valuable sales and distribution partners. As part of this, access to Marriott’s public Best Available Rates in real time is imperative to build consumer confidence and brand loyalty. We are very pleased to further strengthen our relationship with Amadeus by participating in the Amadeus BAR Program.”
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