Global Hotel Card Powered by Expedia gift card image
“Due to COVID-19, people are traveling differently in the short-term and we’re pleased to meet the surge in consumer demand for alternative accommodations with the addition of private homes and vacation rentals,” said Peter Friend, founder and CEO of Global Hotel Card, Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB) December 01, 2020
Global Hotel Card, Inc., one of the first online travel agencies to offer a gift card for the incentive industry, loyalty programs, employee reward programs and for retail sale in third-party and online shopping centers, announced today that more than 150,000 private homes and vacation rentals were added to its existing prepaid gift card product. The Global Hotel Card powered by Expedia can now be used to book more than 500,000 accommodations worldwide, including all major hotel brands, resorts, bed & breakfasts, vacation rentals, private homes, alternate accommodations and more.
“Due to COVID-19, people are traveling differently in the short-term and we’re pleased to meet the surge in consumer demand for alternative accommodations with the addition of private homes and vacation rentals,” said Peter Friend, founder and CEO of Global Hotel Card, Inc. “For the past 15 years, our gift card has focused on hotel and resort-based redemption options. The timing was right to work with our supply partner, Expedia Partner Solutions, to incorporate their industry-leading range of alternative accommodations. We are seeing a gradual return to hotel stays, but the increase in non-hotel accommodations has been dramatic throughout the hospitality sector. We continue to appreciate the Expedia partnership, co-branding, and capabilities and are confident that this sector will continue to be popular post recovery as well,” concluded Friend.
With gift card distribution in more than 100 of the top business-to-business reward, loyalty, engagement and employee incentive programs worldwide, the addition of two new and very popular accommodation categories is an added benefit for businesses selecting the Global Hotel Card powered by Expedia for their program participants.
According to a recent Expedia Partner Solutions survey, vacation rentals have emerged as the most preferred lodging option with 31% of consumers seeking this type of accommodation, followed by 28% for chain hotels, and 15% for resorts. This demand comes from the so-called “flexcation” – mixing work, school and play all in one place, away from home.
The Global Hotel Card powered by Expedia website, translates into 15 languages and multiple currencies, providing real-time availability of lodging and accommodations along with competitive pricing, allowing consumers to redeem their Global Hotel gift card for a portion or all of the booking amount.
About Expedia Partner Solutions
Expedia® Partner Solutions (EPS) is a global B2B partnership brand within Expedia Group. EPS powers the business of leading airlines, top consumer brands, travel agencies and thousands of other partners through its versatile API, online template solutions and powerful agent tools.
About Global Hotel Card, Inc.
Global Hotel Card, Inc. was the first company to launch a Gift card to the incentives, loyalty, and employee engagement programs in 2005 exclusively with the Travelocity hotel gift card, now the Global Hotel Card Powered by Expedia. Over the past 15 years, the company has issued more than 500,000 gift cards in over 120 countries worldwide and managed over $75 million in hotel bookings.
The Global Hotel Card Powered by Expedia is available for bulk purchase by incentive, loyalty, engagement, reward and recognition programs along with direct-to-corporate purchases in 20 currencies worldwide. For more information, contact Todd Tomlin at todd (at) globaltravelcards.com
Media Contact
Peter Friend, Global Hotel Card
Email: peter (at) globaltravelcards.com