Tripadvisor has launched a membership program for travelers that aims to help hotels and bed-and-breakfasts expand their visibility and reach to a high-spend traveler audience.
Hotels participating in the Tripadvisor Plus program receive special badging and increased visibility on the Tripadvisor platform. The program is free for hotels to join, with no upfront costs and zero commission rates.
For travelers, Tripadvisor Plus offers the ability to access insider savings, personal service, benefits and perks (such as a free bottle of wine upon check-in, room upgrades when available or spa credits), for an annual membership fee of $99.
How it Works
By offering these savings and perks to Tripadvisor Plus subscribers, hotels increase their visibility on the travel platform, among both subscribers and non-subscribers alike. Tripadvisor Plus accommodations receive special badging and enhanced placement within the Best Value sort order reflective of the strength of their offering to travelers.
Discounted room rates available via Tripadvisor Plus can only be viewed by Tripadvisor members and can only be booked by Tripadvisor Plus subscribers, ensuring those rates are not widely available on the open internet, thereby preserving a hotel's rate integrity.
Furthermore, by participating directly in the program, Tripadvisor Plus hotels get full access to all of the customer information from each reservation.
"Tripadvisor Plus is a game changer for both travelers and hoteliers," said Kanika Soni, chief commercial officer, Tripadvisor. "Travelers get to enjoy a memorable experience thanks to special perks and discounts—and hotels have a brand new way to attract valuable guests while avoiding hefty third-party commissions."
With no annual commitments and no last room availability requirements, participating hotels can opt in and out of discounting at any time as occupancy levels change.
Tripadvisor Plus launched in beta in December 2020 to a small slice of Tripadvisor's traffic in the United States, and will soon become available to all U.S. travelers with additional markets to follow later.