Expedia^®, the world’s largest full-service online travel agency, today announced the launch of Expedia Add-On Advantage, a new way for consumers to save time and money on hotel bookings. With the Expedia Add-On Advantage, travellers can now qualify for hotel discounts up to 44% off at any point before their trip by booking a flight or package on Expedia.co.in.

A study conducted by Expedia in India to understand planning process highlighted that almost 42% Indians spend 6-10 hrs, 23% spend 11-30 hrs and 20% spend more than 30 hrs researching for great deals on hotels, airlines, or combo offers while booking a week-long holiday. In fact, 14% of Indians have fought with their spouse for spending too much time researching before booking a holiday. Expedia’s Add-On Advantage will not only enable its customers to save money by unlocking great deals and discounts but also save time spent on researching deals.

The money saved by bagging a great deal will enable travellers to indulge in upgrading their flight seats (44%), getting pampered before the trip (34%), food and drinks while on holiday (26%), upgrade to a better hotel room (24%) excursions, activities or souvenirs while on holiday (21%), or even extend the vacation by 1-2 days (23%). The consumers will be able to use the time saved through Add-On Advantage before a holiday to do things that are important to them, like read (34%), work harder to avoid calls/working on holiday (29%), spend more time with friends and family or pursue their passion or favourite sport (19%), and lose weight/get fit (16%).

Mr. Manmeet Ahluwalia, Marketing Head, Brand Expedia in India says, “As a consumer today with multiple online options, it is natural to spend time researching in order to bag great deals on anything we purchase. Consumers booking online travel products end up spending over *14 hrs on an average to find great deals on a vacation. Understanding the Indian traveler psyche well, we wanted to empower our consumers with the option of selecting great deals without spending countless hours on research. Add-On Advantage allows just that - saving money and time - together.

In a fast paced city, this option will help our travellers spend time on things they love to do – be it to pursue individual passions or to spend time with loved ones, while indulging during the holiday through cost savings. We want to make booking a vacation a hassle-free, relaxed experience for our consumers.

How to save with the Add-On Advantage

• Travelers simply book a flight or package to any destination on an Expedia website
• Customers will be able to Add-On the hotel deal any time after purchasing their flight until the day the trip begins.
• The hotel stay needs to occur within the travel dates of the flight purchase

According to the study conducted by Expedia, 93% of Indian travellers book their hotel within a week of booking their flights tickets. And if they get a hotel discount, 27% will book immediately, while a total of over 90% will book within the offer period. The study also highlighted that 65% of Indians don’t take a risk to get great hotel deals. Out of the 35% willing to take a risk to get good hotel deals – 17% waited till the last day to make their bookings, 9% booked hotel before approval on their leaves, 6% booked hotel before flight and 4% changed their destination last minute.

For more details on Expedia Add-On Advantage, visit- https://bit.ly/2voygLU

*weighted mean of all values as per the study
 
Study Methodology

The study was conducted on behalf of Expedia by Access Media International, a globally integrated strategic insights consulting firm. This survey was conducted online from 30^th May to 25^th June 2018 across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Pune. The study was conducted among 600 employed adults aged 18 years of age and older.