Expedia®, the world’s largest full service online travel agency, today announced the launch of Expedia Add-On Advantage, a new product offering  for consumers to save time and money on hotel bookings. The Expedia Add-On Advantage allows customers to enjoy discounted bundled rates, even when they book their flights and hotels separately. The new feature will allow travellers to add on a hotel deal at any time after purchasing their flight up until the day of the trip. On average, Indian travellers can secure up to 44 percent off the cost of their hotel purchase.

Add-On Advantage solution is ideal for travelers who prefer to have more time and flexibility to book their hotel before their trip starts. With a package, the traveler pays the entire cost up-front, while with Add – On Advantage, consumers have the flexibility of availing a hotel deal on the same trip at a convenient time, until your day of departure.

Expedia’s research and testing indicates that some travelers prefer to book a flight and hotel separately and with Add-On Advantage they can do just that.  In a survey commissioned by Expedia this year, Indian travelers ranked number 3 as the most frequent flier, with an average of 7.6 flights taken in an year, compare to other countries in APAC region.* In an additional recent Expedia survey it also indicates that only 21.6% Indians would bundle their flight and hotel while the rest 78.4% book hotels post booking the flights in their convenient time, missing out on potential savings by not bundling them together. The Expedia Add-On Advantage offers travelers a unique and flexible proposition to bundle and save, which Expedia believes will attract savvy travelers requiring more time and flexibility to book their trip.

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 traveller 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

Additional Highlights of the report findings –

According to the study conducted by Expedia, 93% 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% 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.