Tui UK has extended its accommodation-only booking platform to the UK and Ireland market, with more than 12,000 hotels for UK consumers.
Andrew Flintham, Tui UK and Ireland managing director, said the service is currently just for consumers but the plan is for the platform to be available for all agents to book in the future.
Asked about agency sales, he said they are “on our roadmap to be able to deliver”.
The service initially launched in Sweden seven months ago and is now available in other Nordic markets such as Finland, Norway and Denmark, offering customers the chance to book a hotel stay without needing to package with a Tui flight.
More: Tui unveils accommodation-only platform launched in Sweden
Flintham said: “At Tui, we know that our customers are looking for unparalleled flexibility and choice when booking their well-deserved summer holiday or weekend break away.
“This new booking platform is another important development for Tui as we know our customers want to book different holidays and experiences throughout the year.
“We understand that booking a holiday is no longer about booking seven or 14 nights away, it’s about making your holiday fit in with your lifestyle and available time off.
“Customers can book a hotel for a summer beach getaway or even a UK-based hotel for a few nights away.”
Flintham said the range will cater to existing customers and attract new clients to increase Tui’s overall market share – and further developments will offer other add-ons such as car hire, tours and experiences.
“We are hopeful that by giving customers an amazing range of hotels, along with amazing Tui customer service, that they will then stay with Tui to book flight options, in-destination experiences and car rental, further highlighting our shift from a traditional holiday tour operator to a global leisure company,” said Flintham.
Nicole Sohnrey, markets product director for accommodation-only, said the Nordics platform has increased from an initial 10,000 hotels to more than 30,000 properties in 62 countries.
The UK platform offers properties in 54 countries, with more options to be added over the coming weeks, bringing the total number of hotels available to UK and Ireland consumers to 50,000 by the end of this year, she explained.
Flintham added: “This is about giving customers the ultimate flexibility. Our existing customers tell us that they want options for different holidays.
“They want to have a package holiday for a main holiday and then they want to have lots of different variations…it is around broadening that ecosystem for our customer base.
“And we are the biggest travel website in the UK. So we have got a very big customer base. So we might be later then but we’re probably bigger than some in terms of the people that look at look at our products and services.”
Asked if a loyalty scheme was planned to encourage consumers to book with Tui instead of the likes of Expedia or Hotels.com, he added:“We are trying to build an ecosystem of products for customers.
“Along with that will be an ability to be rewarded for all the purchases you might make, be it a hotel in London, an experience in Paris or the package holiday in Majorca. All of those things will start to come together. So it’s definitely in our plans.”