E-commerce giant Amazon has finally announced its entry into the travel business with Amazon Destinations.
The Amazon Destinations service focuses on ‘local getaways’ and so far has restricted its coverage to three regions – the Pacific Northwest, California and the Northeast.
The service features the tagline ‘Hit the road: Book local getaways.’
There are about 150 ‘handpicked’ hotels listed, mostly within driving distance of the Los Angeles, Seattle or New York metro areas.
Amazon Destinations will be separate from the existing Amazon Local brand, which has featured discounted accommodation deals for some time.
Amazon spokesman Tom Cook says the service hopes to focus on the short getaway market offering quality accommodation.
"These are all handpicked properties that have been visited by someone at Amazon to make sure they meet our quality," said Cook.
He declined to divulge how much commission Amazon would charge to hoteliers but said t would be ‘competitive’ compared to other online travel agents.
