Expedia anticipates sales hike with capital site

The firm's Scottish office, its third in the UK, was established to meet growing demand from international tourists booking flights and hotels in Scotland through the firm's websites.

Irene Roberts, the Scottish marketing manager for Expedia, said the firm currently works with more than 600 Scottish hotels and B&Bs. "Modern Scotland, whether it is activity holidays in Perthshire, the Comedy Festival in Glasgow, the rugby in Edinburgh or whisky trails in the north, there is something different to see all year around.

"Now that we are based in Scotland, we can see our hotels more frequently and work with them quickly to generate more business and get more visitors from our 93 branded websites to come to Scotland."

She said Scotland was Expedia's third largest market in the UK and Ireland behind London and Dublin. The firm has websites targeting travellers in over 40 countries, with demand for Scottish destinations particularly strong in North America, Scandinavia, Germany and France.

Signing up for Expedia is free for hotels, while charges are made on the basis of commission or on sales through the firm's "net rate model". The Edinburgh-based office will also give Scottish hotels better access to the site to offer off-season deals or last minute discounts.

"Hotels that work with us, we translate their website into over 33 languages. We work with hotel managers to understand their booking patterns, where customers are coming from and help them put together promotions or to give them advice.

"Somebody in Japan may not have heard of a hotel in Edinburgh but they might like to stay if it is on an Expedia website. It is supplementing hotels business."

Expedia, which claims to be the world's largest online travel website, is based in Bellevue, in Washington State. It also owns travel websites TripAdvisor and Hotels.com, among others.