“Don’t you get the best price booking at one of those travel sites?” It’s the myth that the travel industry has attempted to shatter for years, & Hilton may have just done so through its latest ad.
The brand followed Aussie entrepreneur Dick Smith this week by dropping a major truth bomb via well-known actress and singer Anna Kendrick that practically shattered misconceptions about booking accommodation.
In the short 30-second clip published to Youtube, Kendrick tells her friend (potentially stylist) that while online booking engines say they’re the cheapest place to book, they’re not.
She continued, explaining Hilton’s ‘best match guarantee’, whereby the brand will meet cheaper rates found anywhere online AND give an extra 25 percent off to travellers who book directly with the brand online.
Suppose that’s how Hilton works around those strict online booking site contracts, which according to Aussie entrepreneur Dick Smith, prevent hoteliers from offering lowers rates online than those available through booking engines.
Taking one last stab at OTAs, Hilton through Kendrick disregarded any potential retaliation by saying “that’s not my problem, it’s your problem”.
“Aca-scuse me”, is what we imagine Expedia, Hotels.com and every other online booking engine said after seeing the ad.
Check it out yourself below:
KARRYON has contacted Hilton Hotels for further comment and requested information on whether the brand plans to also encourage travellers to book with traditional Agents.
- READ: Dick Smith slams online travel booking sites
- READ: Dick Smith prompts ACCC to invest online travel contracts
- READ: ACCC accuses online travel site Trivago of misleading ads