WASHINGTON—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) has entered into a new partnership with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to educate and protect consumers against online hotel booking scams, which have increasingly become more prevalent and are affecting millions of consumers who book hotels online. Last year alone, 55 million bookings were made through websites travelers thought were the actual hotel’s website, only to find out later they were a rogue third-party operator, resulting in nearly $4 billion in misleading bookings, according to the association.
The partnership will include a dedicated tips page on the BBB website, social media campaigns, a podcast, infographic materials and blog posts all aimed to help consumers “search smarter” when booking travel online. Further, AHLA provides consumers with extensive information on the types of scams consumers can avoid on its website.
“We are very excited to partner with the Better Business Bureau to provide travelers with the information and tools they need to avoid falling prey to these harmful practices,” said Katherine Lugar, president and CEO, AHLA. “As the ease of online booking facilitates more travel, consumers need to know how to spot rogue sites and make informed decisions to avoid bad bookings. It’s always safest to book directly with the hotel to ensure consumers get what they want and need out of their vacation or business travel experience.”
Other elements of the partnership will be rolled out later in 2017 and the beginning of 2018.