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US: Hotel industry comes out against merger of Expedia & Orbitz

By  |  August 6, 2015

The hotel industry is objecting the proposed combination of travel booking sites Expedia and Orbitz, saying that the deal would mean higher prices for vacationers and larger fees for hotel owners.

“We believe this transaction and the resulting consolidation of the online travel marketplace will result in significant negative consequences, particularly for consumers, but also for the large number of our members who are small business owners and franchised properties,” Katherine Lugar, CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, said in a statement Thursday.

The hotel trade group said the deal would “severely reduce consumer choice.” It also noted that Expedia charges hotels, on average, 11 percent higher commissions than Orbitz.

Full content: The Wall Street Journal

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