Hotels.com launches Welcome Rewards

Hotels.com, the world’s leading hotel booking website, has launched its new Welcome Rewards, a new loyalty scheme offering customers one free night for every ten nights stayed.

The new loyalty programme, which allows customers to accumulate their ten nights across chain hotels, B&Bs, self catering and independent hotels, is the first of its kind in the UK. The launch follows the successful rollout of Welcome Rewards in the US over the past 18 months.

Unlike most rewards schemes, which are usually specific to one brand, Hotels.com allows customers to accumulate their ten qualifying nights across independent and chain hotels and to redeem their free night at any eligible hotel from Hotels.com's global network.

The redemption element of the programme is just as easy, as there are no blackout dates or complicated points systems; customers simply stay for ten nights and get the eleventh night free (taxes and fees apply to the free night).

Whether a customer is travelling for business or leisure, the ten night target is easily attainable and, with a free night available Welcome Rewards provides a great opportunity for Britons to make every weekend a long weekend.

Alison Couper, Global Communications Director of Hotels.com, commented: "Welcome Rewards is a simple, straightforward programme that can be used at any of more than 65,000 hotels globally, and is far more generous than the vast majority of hotel loyalty programmes. The launch of Welcome Rewards is a significant customer friendly innovation that will benefit leisure and corporate travellers alike."

Welcome Rewards is now available in the UK exclusively on Hotels.com. For full terms and conditions can be found on the Hotels.com website.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

Redeeming Welcome Rewards:
- Ten nights can be booked at once or separately and can be across multiple qualifying hotels
- Qualifying hotels are clearly marked on Hotels.com
- Free nights can be redeemed at any time of the year - there are no restrictions
- The free night is valued at the average rate of the ten stays - consumers have the option to use the free night for a higher rate room by paying the difference
- Each loyalty credit is valid for three years from the date it is earned. After three years from the date a loyalty credit is earned, the loyalty credit will expire.

About Hotels.com
As part of the Expedia group which operates in all major markets with dedicated staff, Hotels.com offers more than 120,000 quality hotels worldwide, with a wide choice of New York hotels and Boston hotels, through to hotels in Orlando and hotels in San Francisco.

If a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will match it. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry negotiating the best rates for its users, plus 1.8m user-contributed reviews of its properties.

For further media information please contact:
Kate Hopcraft
PR Manager
Expedia.com Ltd
42 Earlham Street
London
WC2H 9LA
020 7019 2165