CHICAGO— Orbitz.com inked a memorandum of understanding with Hotwire.com to create links connecting the two sites in an effort to provide consumers with a wider array of discounted and negotiated airfares and hotel rates. Within the next two months, links will be displayed on the homepages and search results pages of both websites, allowing consumers to directly access Hotwires inventory via the Orbitz website, and vice versa. “The sites will be linked together, they will not be integrated,” said John Hommeyer, chief marketing officer/Hotwire, adding that the two sites will continue to operate independently of one another. After about a year of negotiations, Orbitz chose Hotwire for the co-marketing agreement because of the sites “quality products and customer service. We dont make consumers bid,” said Hommeyer. “It gives us a chance to provide travelers with the best of both worlds. Orbitz offers the largest selection of rates out there, and Hotwire features distressed inventory, or excess rooms, for non brand loyal travelers,” he said. And since the two websites have “different consumer bases,” Hommeyer is not concerned about leading Hotwire users to the competition. “In the travel space, I guess anyone is a competitor. But Orbitz is targeting business travelers, and brand loyal leisure travelers. Hotwire is different. We want to offer the best deals to travelers that are willing to be flexible,” Hommeyer stated. He added that the co-marketing deal might also help brand distinction between the two travel distributors. “Consumers will start to realize that Orbitz is focused on one segment and that Hotwire is focused on another,” he said. The link-share agreement will only apply to the air and hotel components of Hotwires inventory, not its car rental products, said Hommeyer.
