Hotels.com
Hotels.com, L.P. is a website for booking hotel rooms owned by Expedia Group. Hotels.com was established in 1991 as the Hotel Reservations Network (HRN) and in 2002 changed its name to Hotels.com.
 | |
| Formerly | Hotel Reservations Network |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Hotel booking service |
| Founded | 1991 in Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Founder | David Litman Robert Diener |
| Parent | Expedia Group |
| Website | hotels.com |
Hotels.com, L.P.[1] is a website for booking hotel rooms owned by Expedia Group. Hotels.com was established in 1991 as the Hotel Reservations Network (HRN) and in 2002 changed its name to Hotels.com.
History
[edit].png){kind=logo}
,_VP-BVK,_Bombardier_CRJ-100ER_(35756857182).jpg)
Hotels.com was established in 1991 by David Litman and Robert Diener as the Hotel Reservations Network (HRN), providing hotel booking via a toll-free phone number in the United States.[2] In 2001, the company was acquired by USA Networks Inc (USAI) which also acquired a controlling interest in Expedia, an online travel booking company.
After buying the domain name for approximately US$11 million,[3] HRN changed its name in 2002 to Hotels.com and launched the offline brand 1-800-2-Hotels as well as allowing hotel bookings on line. There followed a period of rapid international expansion with 29 sites added over the next two years. In 2003, USAI was renamed InterActiveCorp (IAC). In 2005 IAC separated its travel business under the name Expedia Inc. Hotels.com then became an operating company of Expedia Inc.[4]
In 2006, Hotels.com experienced a data breach when a laptop containing personal information of approximately 243,000 customers was stolen. The compromised data included names, addresses, and credit card information. There was no evidence of fraudulent activity.[5] In 2007, a class action lawsuit was filed by two wheelchair users for the inability to make a reservation that guaranteed wheelchair accessible rooms arguing that it violates California's Unruh Civil Rights Act.[6] As a part of settlement,Hotels.com agreed to make changes to facilitate booking accessible rooms.[7]
On December 1, 2016, Hotels.com took over Venere.com (another Expedia owned company).[8]
In 2019, it was reported that the Hotels.com mobile app used session-replay technology from Israeli firm Glassbox, which recorded user activity and sent data to Expedia servers without explicit user consent.[9][10]
Loyalty program
[edit]The first loyalty program for Hotels.com was called "Hotels.com Rewards" and rolled out across multiple countries from 2008 to 2011.[11] In 2023, Expedia Group launched One Key, a loyalty program for Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, allowing members to earn OneKeyCash redeemable across the three brands.[12]
Hotels.com also offers member-only discounts for customers enrolled in the membership program, as well as price alerts and "VIP Access" properties offering additional rewards.[13][14]
Earning rates under the OneKey program, which went into effect on July 2023 with a reward earning rate of 2% is described as " significantly less value" than the previous Hotels.com's one free night with ten nights of stay.[15][16]
Advertising
[edit]Ed Helms voiced the character "Smart" in Hotels.com advertisements.[17] In 2012, the character was changed from clay animation to CGI.[18] The company's advertising slogan was originally "Smart. So Smart"[19] before being changed to "Be Smart. Book Smart".[20]
In 2014, Smart was eventually replaced by "Captain Obvious" who is portrayed by actor Brandon Moynihan. Captain Obvious makes self-evident comments with the aim of communicating that Hotels.com is the obvious choice.[21] The campaign was devised by the ad firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky.[22] Moynihan said in an interview "Hotels.com has a great self awareness and they're not afraid to push the envelope with the crazy stuff I get to do as Captain Obvious".[23] Notable advertisements include one where he runs for president,[24] a La La Land inspired ad[25] and an ad where Captain Obvious meets his future self.[26] In 2018, Captain Obvious featured in Channel 4's ad blocking campaign.[27] In 2019, Captain Obvious appeared as a DJ in an episode of Four Weddings and a Funeral.[28]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Hotels.com profile". Bloomberg.
- ^ "Cornell University". David S. Litman ’82 and Robert B. Diener ’82. Cornell Law School. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ "I bought Hotels.com name for $11m". BBC News. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ "Hotels.com Backgrounder". Hotels.com. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
- ^ "Hotels.com Data Breach". Wired. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ^ "Hotels.com faces suit over accessibility / Plaintiffs say site won't guarantee wheelchairs can get into rooms". SFGate. May 23, 2007. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
- ^ Lee, Henry K. (January 27, 2009). "Hotels.com to improve access for the disabled". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Expedia Buying European Hotels Site Venere - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. July 15, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ Whittaker, Zack (February 6, 2019). "Many popular iPhone apps secretly record your screen without asking". TechCrunch. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ Clover, Juli. "Some Popular iPhone Apps Secretly Record Your Screen for Analytics Purposes". MacRumors. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ "Hotels.com Rewards". Hotels.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ Chang, Rachel (July 18, 2023). "You Can Win $60K to Spend on Travel Thanks to Expedia's New Rewards Program — Here's How". Travel + Leisure. ISSN 0041-2007. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
- ^ Schrodt, Paul (October 19, 2017). "7 Tips for Getting Better Hotel Rooms for Cheap". Money. ISSN 0149-4953.
Websites like Hotels.com, Priceline.com, and Kayak allow you to sign up for alerts when prices on hotels drop... If you sign up for Hotels.com's membership program, you get access to Secret Prices for hotel rooms, which offer steep discounts. Basically, these are rooms that hotels are trying to fill during slower times. The listings, which aren't publicly searchable, are then offered to the site's regular users for cheap.
- ^ Dhanjal, Oojal (June 9, 2025). "How to find the best luxury hotel deals". MoneyWeek. Future plc.
One way to do this is by staying at Hotels.com's VIP Access properties. It's a collection of some of the best hotels on the website, and you can enjoy exclusive perks and earn extra rewards from staying in one of them.
- ^ Kiesnoski, Kenneth (October 3, 2021). "Expedia Group to merge loyalty programs across travel brands, expand member benefits". CNBC. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ^ "Bummer: Hotels.com Officially Ends 'Stay 10 Nights, Get 1 Free' Program". July 7, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
- ^ "Ed Helms Hotel.com ads". Officetally. June 11, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ "Hotels.com Gets a Makeover". Mom Central. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ "Hotels.com (Maybe Not So) Smart". Brandaide. October 23, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ "Hotels.com close to booking agency for social media brief". Prweek. February 6, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ Goldstein, Ian (May 31, 2021). "Who Plays Captain Obvious In The Hotels.com Commercials?". Looper. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ Gianatasio, David (February 27, 2014). "Hotels.com Recruits Captain Obvious, but Is One Gag Enough for a Campaign?". AdFreak. Adweek.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ McEvoy, Sophie (June 4, 2021). "Why Hotels.com's Captain Obvious Looks So Familiar". The List. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ "Captain Obvious runs for president". Fox Business on YouTube. March 11, 2016. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ Stuart, Rebecca (May 13, 2017). "Ad of the Day: Hotels.com mascot Captain Obvious stars in La La Land-style musical". The Drum. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ Taylor, Heather (November 17, 2020). "Here's What Happens When Captain Obvious Meets Future Captain Obvious". Pop Icon. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ Tan, Emily (March 7, 2018). "Hotels.com's Captain Obvious to 'block' ads on All 4". Campaign. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ "HOTELS.COM: A FREE HONEYMOON? THERE'S JUST ONE LITTLE CONDITION". The Stable. August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
