Travelport has signed a long-term agreement with Edwardian Hotels London, one of the UK’s leading luxury hotel and hospitality brands. The contract represents the largest hotel partnership of its kind managed by Travelport’s Digital Media Solutions team in Europe and will see Travelport deliver an expanded digital advertising programme for Edwardian Hotels London’s range of four- and five-star hotels. Support will include the launch of the group’s super boutique hotel, The Londoner, in 2020.
As part of the agreement, Edwardian Hotels London is set to become Travelport’s first and a prime Hotel Research and Development partner, giving the organisation access to Travelport’s business intelligence, data, mobile and hospitality teams. This status will enable both organisations to test and pilot new products and initiatives, and work is already underway to boost engagement with travellers via advanced data traveller insights and mobility platforms.
Jason Clarke, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Travel Partners at Travelport, said: “This new long-term agreement with Edwardian Hotels London is testament to the value that our travel partners place in the solutions we provide at Travelport. Our ability to communicate compelling messages that support travel agents at every stage of the booking process was central to our discussions about areas where our Digital Media Solutions team could add commercial value. Our new partnership is a sign of the confidence both Travelport and Edwardian Hotels London have that this value can be enhanced by utilising a broader set of our products, services and events.”
Beyond being a Research and Development partner, Edwardian Hotels London will also become an innovation and local marketing partner across its properties in London and Manchester and will take part in commercial conferences to raise awareness of its portfolio among Travelport’s international agency network. The company has agreed to sponsor Travelport events, including the flagship Travelport LIVE thought leadership event in Venice, in September. The event invites leaders from travel management companies, leisure agencies, online travel agencies, airlines and hotels from across the region to join a discussion about the experience economy and its impact on the travel industry.
Siraj Singh, Director of Marketing and E-commerce, Edwardian Hotels London, said: “Travelport provides us with access to a vast international agency network, the intelligence to understand what influences agent searches and bookings, and the tactics that can achieve quantifiable and notable results. We were delighted with the return on investment we received in our first campaign with the company. We look forward to continuing and expanding our partnership and reaping the many benefits that this will provide over the next decade.”
The Digital Media Solutions team at Travelport helps hotels, airlines, car rental companies and destinations boost bookings by raising awareness of their messages among a qualified and highly targeted international audience comprised of travel agents, and priorities its partners listing within online searches.
Travelport’s dedicated Edwardian Hotels London team will adopt an ‘always on’ approach to the new partnership, delivering bespoke curated messaging at the right time to the right audiences. This strategy has been implemented to secure healthy year-on-year growth across the hospitality group’s UK portfolio.
