eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis

This is applicable to all three blog topics......Bad news for "landing pages, doorways whatever you call them...
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "The world's largest hotel chain has been accused of misleading customers searching for hotels by setting up dozens of websites that look like independent travel agents but, in reality, direct customers to its own products. (5/4/2004)"

Telegraph | News | Top hotel 'is behind misleading internet sites': "Customers visiting the sites are invited to look for hotels in their city of choice. Those who do so might think that they are carrying out a comprehensive search of all available accommodation, as can be done on genuinely independent travel websites. In fact, all inquiries are directed to InterContinental's own named search facility and the only results given to the customer are hotels belonging to the group.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) said that its lawyers had looked at the sites, which InterContinental calls 'destination portals', and concluded that they were 'pretty misleading'.

A spokesman said: 'If you were a consumer you would think that it was a generic website. We would always advocate complete transparency which this does not appear to have. It does not say InterContinental anywhere on the top of the screen.'He suggested that the issue might be pursued by the Office of Fair Trading. Last night a spokesman for the OFT said that it would examine the sites."

Peter Gowers, the executive vice-president of global brand services for the hotelier, said: "I don't think it is misleading. I think it is very clear and we guard our reputation for trust and confidence as tightly as we can and we think these sites are absolutely in line with that reputation.

"We find that customers who are searching on the web do it in a number of ways. Some put in the name of the hotel, some the name and location and some just the destination. We have to find a way to reach people who just search by destination.

If you look you will see that not only does it have the usual source information at the bottom but right next to the search button it says 'powered by InterContinental Hotels'.

In fact, of the 10 sites viewed by The Sunday Telegraph, only one site, dealson-hotels.com, said "powered by InterContinental" next to the search button.

When this was pointed out to Mr Gowers he said: "It may be as the sites get rotated it hasn't come up on all of them. I'm not that familiar with all the sites. We take our reputation as the hotel company you can trust very seriously.


The competition for hotels to draw in customers on the internet has become fierce in recent months. The move by InterContinental is being seen within the industry as an attempt to circumvent the independent hotel search sites that buy cheap rooms from the hoteliers before selling them on to customers with a 20-30 per cent mark-up added on.

Last week the hotel chain threatened to stop offering its rooms through the sites unless they improved their operating terms. Its rival Hilton has, meanwhile, pledged to pay $50 (£28.20) to anyone able to book rooms cheaper at independent sites rather than through the company itself."