EPS Giving Partners New Insights
Expedia Partner Solutions (EPS) is it giving Expedia partners access to tens of millions of traveller reviews and ratings to boost consumer confidence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the first time, EPS partners, including online travel agents, business travel and retail brands can access over 75 million traveller ratings and 58 million textual reviews from across Expedia Group and share them with travelers.
Ian Knox, vice president of product and marketing, EPS, said that: “User-generated content is hugely influential in booking decisions, especially at this time. A full 70% of travellers read online reviews before they book. And, with the pandemic, today’s travellers want to fully understand a property’s check-in procedures and practices before booking.”
Expedia Group research shows that access to transparent health and safety content is leading to more bookings, with properties seeing 10% more net room nights when traveller reviews show how the property deals with Coronavirus mitigation. The reviews now being shared with partners include detailed breakdowns of how guests score each property on categories such as cleanliness, service, and comfort.
Recent guest experiences can be used to inform new bookers on what to expect on arrival, social distancing measures, and what cleanliness and hygiene practices are in place. Through access to these detailed traveller reviews and ratings, EPS is supporting partners as they help reassure travellers and provide up-to-date guidance on the best places to stay.
Traveler Ratings and reviews are available through the latest version of the EPS Rapid application programming interface (API). The development was introduced to meet partners’ business needs and address a significant gap in the market, at a time when high quality review content is highly sought after.
Obdulia De Pedro García, Head of Integrations at Grupo CDV, a partner of EPS’ Rapid API, said: “We believe that traveller ratings and reviews will help convert shoppers worried about safety into travellers ready for their trips.”
Since March 2020, 1.7 million new traveller reviews have been added to the platform globally, including those shared by customers from Expedia.com and Hotels.com.
Combined with access to competitive rates and availability at over 700,000 properties in 25,000+ destinations worldwide, EPS is committed to providing its partners with access to tools and information to help their travel business return to growth during challenging times.
