By registering their interest at visa.bidroom.com, Visa members will be able to pick and choose a deal from more than 120,000 hotels and apartments across the globe. The platform offers a 0% commission private booking channel with direct reservations, in turn, Bidroom asks hotels to guarantee members discounts ranging from 5%-25% discount — compared to major hotel booking platforms.
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The six month free access essentially acts as an extension to Bidroom’s current one month free trial period, which is available to all. Once the try-out period is over, Bidroom charges a standard annual subscription fee of €59.00. But, and this is where the value of the deal really kicks in — Visa cardholders can sign up for just €29.50 — 50% off!
“We’re proud that Visa is determined to support worldwide travellers by inviting them to leverage our platform. It’s yet another win for the tourism industry. Our strategy of removing booking fees not only makes travel more affordable but also increases revenue for hoteliers, who in turn can refocus on providing customer satisfaction,” said Michael Ros, CEO of Bidroom.com.
The discount provides amazing value, pretty much paying for itself after only one booking. And it shows Visa understand what they are doing, with EU data showing 49% of European internet users booking holiday travel and accommodation online. Whereas in the UK, according to a report from ABTA, this figure reaches 83%.
“As the appetite for global travel continues to grow we’re always looking for new ways to make travelling easier and more rewarding for our cardholders. Whether it’s for business, a holiday or visiting friends and family, we’re excited to offer all European Visa cardholders access to this alternative hotel booking platform” said Mike Lemberger, senior vice president of products and solutions for Visa in Europe.
With the potential of reaching Visa’s vast haul of 522.6 million European debit, credit and commercial cards the deal is a significant boon to the Dutch start-up founded in 2014. And follows another notable achievement for the company following the substantial, though undisclosed, investment from Orascom Development Group in September 2017.
Speaking at the time of the Orascom deal Ros said: “We are excited that the Orascom Development Group sees our potential and wants to help us take our service to a much wider audience. We look forward to seeing Bidroom move to its next stage of development. This is great news not just for Bidroom’s employees but also for our clients – the hotels and frequent travellers.”
