Huazhu Signs Expanded Distribution Agreement with Sabre

(01 Nov 2021) Huazhu, China’s second-largest hotel group by number of rooms, has signed a new and expanded distribution agreement with Sabre.

Under the deal, the fast-growing, multi-brand company, will add more properties to Sabre’s SynXis Platform, connecting them to all major Global Distribution Systems (GDS) - including Sabre’s own - and benefiting from Sabre’s reach to hundreds of thousands of travel agents and nearly 700 online channels across the globe, including hundreds of OTAs, TMCs and metasearch engines.

Huazhu recently established a new private label chain code which will help it to secure a more powerful brand presence across the GDS.

Sabre and Huazhu will also work together to streamline the traditionally manual tour operations process by introducing SynXis Tour Manager.

“As we move through the pandemic, Huazhu remains deeply focused on ensuring we are making the technological advancements needed to support our large-scale expansion plans in this competitive landscape,” said Mr. Xu Hui, VP of Sales and Marketing, Global High-end Brands, Huazhu. “Therefore, it is imperative we are working with the right technology partner with advanced, robust, reliable solutions to enable us to optimize our global distribution strategy, reach new leisure and corporate travellers across the world and support us as we aim to grow future occupancy rates and increase RevPAR beyond pre-pandemic levels to allow more guests to appreciate the experience of contemporary Chinese hotel brands.”

Huazhu already operates 7,000+ hotels in 17 countries across a portfolio of more than 20 distinct hotel brands and plans to open hundreds more properties within the coming months.

In particular, Huazhu Group will be leveraging the Sabre SynXis platform to distribute its luxury and upscale brands, including Joya and Blossom House, to international business and high-end leisure travellers globally.

“We’re delighted Huazhu have put their trust in Sabre’s advanced hospitality solutions to reach new market segments and achieve their next stage of growth at this exciting time for the group,” said Frank Trampert, SVP, Global Managing Director, Sabre Hospitality Solutions. “It is vital hoteliers take this time to ensure they are well positioned for the post-pandemic travel market; making certain they have robust, agile and easily scalable distribution strategies in place to significantly grow their geographic footprint while giving travel agents access to a more diverse range of hotel products and ancillaries.”

GDS users can now locate Huazhu’s properties through the dedicated chain code: HW.