Following a strong quarter for Expedia Group’s B2B segment where it delivered 55% in revenue growth compared to 2022, the company announced new partnerships and tech features aimed at expanding its partner network, at Expedia Group’s EXPLORE 23: Connect conference, held for the first time at its Seattle campus.
“Our growth in B2B is largely due to the pace at which our tech has been adopted by businesses of all sizes who want to either break into travel or expand their current travel offerings. The demand for this business continues to be strong as evidenced by our new partnerships with Mastercard, SoFi, and some of our biggest hotel partners,” said Peter Kern, Vice Chairman and CEO, Expedia Group.
“The work we’ve done in building a widespread B2B network that provides travel to millions around the world through leading names in banking, travel and more, will grow as we continue to establish our tech as the primary operating system for the travel industry.”
New partnerships include:
Expedia Group’s template technology and Mastercard’s digital redemption capability will now power a complete loyalty points redemption program for participating issuers that allows cardholders to redeem credit card loyalty points for travel bookings. Cardholders will access Expedia’s global supply, including more than 700,000 properties, 500 airlines, 100+ car rental companies and thousands of activities around the world.
Expedia Group’s template technology powers SoFi Travel, which will soon allow SoFi members to book flights, hotels, cars, packages, activities and vacation rentals through SoFi. In addition to quality supply and customer service, the collaboration enables SoFi to benefit from Expedia Group’s vast amount of data and technology, and to take advantage of new features and functionality updates that are integrated automatically.
“Over the last decade, our B2B segment has grown phenomenally as we power online and offline travel programs. We combine the technology assets that power our own travel brands, with our deep B2B expertise, all backed by the strength of our artificial intelligence and machine learning, so our solutions get smarter every day. We enable businesses of all sizes to succeed in the world of travel, and in an industry that is nearly $2 trillion, there is plenty of room to grow,” added Ariane Gorin, President Expedia for Business, Expedia Group.
Other news announced at EXPLORE 23: