Top Expedia competitors and alternatives for hosts

Expedia and its competitors

Expedia competitors are on the rise. While Expedia is still one of the largest hotel booking sites in the world, and is particularly popular on its North American home turf, it is constantly being challenged by new and disruptive Expedia alternatives.

Expedia and Booking.com have long been the biggest names in the online travel game – between them they account for around 60% of travel bookings in the US and Europe.

Both were pioneers in the early days of the internet, and both have maintained their relative dominance through a combination of innovation and acquisition: Expedia Group now owns a wealth of other travel brands, including Hotels.com, Vrbo, Travelocity, Hotwire.com, Orbitz, Ebookers, CheapTickets, CarRentals.com, Expedia Cruises, Wotif and Trivago.

While this means that many of the alternatives to Expedia are actually owned by Expedia, this often doesn’t matter for hoteliers who are simply looking for more booking channel options.

Reasons to leverage Expedia competitors

Why bother with other sites similar to Expedia, if you’re already using Expedia itself? There are a number of reasons that it might be worth exploring Expedia competitors, including:

• Access to more potential guests: The more online listings you have, the more eyes you’re able to reach. Partnering with competitors of Expedia grants you access to a new customer base.
• Access to a different type of guest: Their size means travel sites like Expedia must cater to the masses. But there are a wealth of other, more specialised booking sites that grant you access to a more niche and more targeted type of guest.
• Different pricing structures: Competing against a giant, many of Expedia’s competitors know that they need to offer a compelling differentiator to hoteliers. There’s no greater incentive than money, so many will offer alluring pricing structures to attract more hotels.
• Greater control: There may be a few things about Expedia that you don’t particularly like – it may not always allow you to do what you want to do, so a more functional option may exist.

Top examples of websites like Expedia

Which sites might a small, independent hotelier consider partnering with? The Expedia competitors list below may well feature your new favourite booking channel.

Global Expedia competitors

1. Booking.com: If you’re looking for websites like Expedia, Booking.com is the most obvious and like-for-like. The biggest booking site in the world, it works in much the same way as Expedia.
2. Airbnb: Airbnb is a great option for independent hoteliers, as the platform shuns the large hotel chains. It’s quite different to Expedia, and is a more community-oriented platform.
3. Priceline: Catering more to the discount market, Priceline is a Booking.com subsidiary, so Booking.com hotels can easily list on the site.
4. Hotels.com: An Expedia subsidiary that offers a range of hotel deals and discounts, it’s easy to list on Hotels.com if you are already listed on Expedia.com.
5. TripAdvisor: While it has historically been more of a review and metasearch site, TripAdvisor has more recently offered an instant booking feature that many hoteliers are now taking advantage of.

Regional Expedia competitors

6. Trip.com Group: China’s largest travel site, Trip.com also offers hotel bookings, transport, corporate travel management and packaged tours. It also gives you a presence in a market with more than a billion potential customers.
7. Flight Centre Travel Group: A traditional travel agent turned digital, Flight Centre has a significant online and high street presence in Australia.
8. Vrbo: Perhaps Airbnb’s most direct competitor, this Expedia subsidiary is still largely concentrated in the US.
9. Hurb: Founded in Brazil, Hurb is South America’s most popular travel metasearch engine, and offers a fantastic way for hotels to tap into the massive Latin market.
10. Traveloka: Servicing Southeast Asia, Traveloka is the region’s leading travel platform.

Niche Expedia competitors

11. CWT: The global leader in business travel, a partnership with CWT can prove a huge windfall for a hotel, though it can be difficult to establish a relationship.
12. American Express Global Business Travel: Another business focused on corporate travel, American Express GBT has a presence in over 140 countries.
13. HomeToGo: An Airbnb competitor focusing on vacation rentals, Germany-based HomeToGo has been making big waves since it was founded in 2014.
14. Direct Travel: A company that focuses on more high-end clientele, partnering with Direct Travel may grant you access to guests with bigger wallets.
15. Hostelworld: A longtime leader in shared and budget accommodation, Hostelworld is the go-to booking site for backpackers.

Key factors to consider when using Expedia alternatives

As a small, independent hotelier you’ll have a lot on your plate, so you should be strategic when selecting which Expedia group competitors to list and partner with, as each listing demands upkeep. Consider these key factors when comparing your options:

• Differentiation: Does the booking channel offer something your current channels do not?
• Reach: How many guests does the booking channel attract?
• Alignment: Does the booking channel attract the sort of guests you’re looking for?
• Functionality: Does the booking channel offer the functionality and control you’re looking for?
• Commissions/fees: Does the booking channel offer a competitive price for its services?