Hoteliers should think of Expedia as a full distribution platform through which to access various channels, Stu Udy, director retail distribution at Expedia TAAP told attendees at the group’s partner event in Park Hyatt Auckland.

Auckland hoteliers and other industry representatives were given a positive outlook for the medium term future, but reminded that average daily rate (ADR) is still an area of focus at the Expedia Group partner event in the Park Hyatt Auckland this week.

Expedia TAAP is continuing to develop its new trade-focused website and agents can expect to see the gradual migration to the new platform over the next quarter.

Expedia Group has a number of new features available to members of the Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP) including an improved accommodation quote process and the recently revealed extension of Expedia’s Live Agent Chat to agents.

‘As part of our commitment to help travel agents deliver for the travellers they serve, Expedia Group is further innovating our TAAP solutions to put the most useful tools at their disposal,’ saysTAAP retail distribution director ANZ Stuart Udy.

Expedia TAAP is expecting to see a full return to business by the end of this year ‘at the latest’ says Stu Udy, director travel agent distribution.

However, he does add a caveat – the recovery could be constrained by airline capacity.

Features such as the new TAAP Quotation tool have proved a hit with New Zealand agents, says Expedia TAAP’s director travel agent distribution, Stuart Udy. This tool enables a TAAP agent to create a quote in seconds.

‘NZ agents have embraced the feature in just a few weeks and are among the top adopters worldwide,’ says Udy.

The Expedia TAAP Travel Agent Toolkit was launched in Australia and New Zealand this week.

Stu Udy who looks after TAAP here, says agents have been asking for help with marketing themselves to their local and broader community.

Expedia Group is opening package travel rates to all of its travel agency community customers. Director retail distribution Stuart Udy, says this move recognises the impact of the Covid pandemic on agents.

Previously only silver and above level members had access to the discounts (around 20%) on products booked via the Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP). Now all tiers will be included in the scheme, while those partners who had silver or above membership in 2020 will retain that level thorughout 2021.

Expedia TAAP is reporting increased optimism as the travel industry heads into 2021 and has extended agents’ commission tier status to support its trade partners.

Stu Udy, director retail distribution, says agents will retain the agency tier they started with in 2020, extended to the end of 2021, unless they have reached the threshold to earn a better one.

Udy says there are also reasons to feel better about trading conditions in the months ahead.

 Expedia remains confident that its Travel Agent Affiliation Progamme (Expedia TAAP) will make a strong comeback as consumers return to both leisure and corporate travel.

St Udy, Expedia’s director travel agent distribution, says consumers more than ever will want advice and confidence in where they are travelling and who they are travelling with in terms of suppliers.