Business View Caribbean | December 2020

14 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN DECEMBER 2020 of global travel providers. Multiple partners including Highgate and Club Quarters have signed on to-date. • Simplified Onboarding Process: For property managers in vacation rentals, Expedia Group developed the “Add a Property” tool, which makes adding more properties quick and easy within Expedia Group Partner Central and dramatically simplifies the onboarding processes. • Value Add for Cruise Suppliers: Expedia Group delivered on its omnichannel strategy to improve the traveler, partner, and distribution channel experience for cruise. This streamlines the booking process to deliver more travelers to cruise partners. By consolidating to a single platform and developing new agent technology, franchise and consultant websites now receive access to a broad inventory of cruise and non- cruise product, among other benefits. Meeting traveler expectations on flexibility, health, and cleanliness Booking flexibility and health and safety are expected to remain important factors to travelers now and in the future. Expedia Group has added new features to clearly communicate new protocols that increase traveler confidence while minimizing post-booking complications. • Booking Flexibility: Travelers looking for flexibility in their bookings want to quickly understand which airlines and properties are offering the ability to change bookings at no extra charge. Expedia Group added in a prominent “no change fees” badge on flights and a “free cancellation” filter for lodging bookings. • Touchless Technology in Car Rentals: COVID-19 has disrupted the way people travel, while accelerating digitization and automation across the industry. Expedia Group launched “Online Check-in” and “Skip the Counter,” new features to improve the car experience for travelers while adhering to social distancing protocols. The “Online Check-in” feature is live with six supply partners including Alamo, Avis, Budget, and Sixt. • Elevating Safety Measures: Expedia Group increased transparency around health and safety protocols, making it easier for partners across all segments to communicate their health and safety practices to travelers via their listings.​For airline travelers, engagement with cleanliness and safety information is on par with the “non-stop” filter, the most used air filter on Expedia Group sites. Furthermore, listings with clearly labeled health and safety information saw in increase in interest from travelers. Delivering on the traveler experience Expedia Group technology and simple processes helps increase the efficiencies of travel providers, giving them time to focus on creating amazing experiences that restore traveler confidence. • Streamlined Shopping Experience: Expedia Group’s cruise division consolidated every point of purchase across the company into one single platform, allowing travelers to shop for an array of cruise offers on their own or with the help of an agent. Additionally, travelers can also purchase Expedia Group’s extensive supply of flights, lodging, transfers, and activities to fulfill the needs of their entire travel itinerary. • Upsell Options for Airline Partners: While upsell options are traditionally displayed after a traveler selects flights, Expedia Group tested airfare selection in the search results to help travelers easily compare prices and select the fare that is best suited for their travel needs. These capabilities are popular with travelers, with upsell gross bookings increasing 237 percent year-over-year (based on 2019 Expedia Group upsell transactions). • Increased Activities Visibility: Expedia Group increased the visibility of activities to travelers, which increased distribution across Expedia Group brands. With a large global travel ecosystem, Expedia Group focused on connecting travelers with relevant activities partners, making it seamless for travelers to book and redeem all components of their entire trip, including activities. Viewing explore ’20 on-demand On-demand recordings from explore ’20 will be available at www.exploreexpediagroup.com starting the week of December 14 until the end of 2020.