What is an Expedia listing?

An Expedia listing is an online profile that accommodation providers can post on Expedia.com to secure bookings from the users of the website. It is sometimes referred to as an ‘ad on Expedia’ within the small hotel community.

An Expedia property listing is one of the most popular and most important booking channels at a hotel’s disposal. As one of the world’s biggest online travel agencies (OTAs), commanding 30.1% of online hotel booking industry revenue, a huge proportion of the world’s travellers search for their next stay on Expedia.

The value of listing your property on Expedia

For independent hoteliers, a listing on Expedia can mean your property gets in front of millions of potential guests – which is incredible exposure – all of whom can book a room instantly.

But how to get listed on Expedia? And how do you manage and maximise your Expedia listing? This article will tell you all that and more.

How much does Expedia charge to list a property?

Like almost all booking channels, you won’t be charged by Expedia to list your property – no upfront fees apply to the creation of a listing. This means that you can get your hotel in front of Expedia’s huge audience of potential guests for free. However, Expedia does include other ongoing fees.

How much does Expedia make per booking?

Expedia makes its money by charging a 10%-30% commission on any bookings made through its site. Your specific rate will depend on a number of factors, but Expedia’s commission is most often within the range of 15%-20%.

There are also options to advertise and promote your hotel through Expedia, which also incur small charges, though this investment is often one that will pay itself back.

Should I list my property on Expedia?

The short answer is yes. Expedia’s sheer size as an OTA makes it hard to ignore. With almost a third of all online hotel booking revenue going through the site, those who don’t list on Expedia are missing out on a rather large slice of pie.

Indeed, the Expedia group is far larger than Expedia.com. It includes brands like Hotels.com, trivago, Wotif, Vrbo, Hotwire.com, Orbitz, Travelocity and CarRentals.com. When you create an Expedia profile, you’ll be listed on 200+ other booking sites.

This means that Expedia represents one of the biggest opportunities available to a hotelier. 

How to get listed on Expedia 

If you’re wondering “how do i add my hotel to expedia?”, then the process is relatively straightforward. In order to take bookings through Expedia you’ll first need to register with the platform.

The process for an Expedia hotel registration is quite simple, though it is rather thorough given the site deals in money, business and property. Expedia understandably needs to know that new listings are genuine, and that they won’t negatively affect the reputation of the site.

The process of registering your listing on Expedia plays out in four basic steps:

Expedia listing step 1: Describe your property

expedia listing example

Expedia does some basic vetting before allowing a user to go too far down the listing rabbit hole. When you navigate to the ‘List your property’ page Expedia will ask for:

  • The address of your property
  • The property type (hotel, apartment, vacation home, etc.)
  • The number of individual, bookable spaces at the property
  • Contact details for ongoing correspondence

Once Expedia has reviewed those details, they’ll invite you to sign up via an email link.

Expedia listing step 2: Sign up to create an account

example of expedia listing

The link Expedia sends will ask you to sign into the Expedia platform. Here you can review all the terms and conditions, including payment options and commission rates, to ensure they align with your needs.

If your region has any regulatory or tax requirements, you’ll be asked to enter them.

Expedia listing step 3: Set up your profile

Once you’ve approved Expedia’s terms and conditions and given the platform the information it needs, you’ll be ready to create your listing. Expedia guides you through this process to ensure you include all the details that potential guests will want to know. And if you don’t have certain info on hand, no sweat – you can always add it later!

Expedia will ask you for:

  • Room details: layout, beds, in-room amenities, etc.
  • Property amenities: Wi-Fi, swimming pools, restaurants, etc.
  • Room rates
  • Photos
  • Applicable fees, deposits and policies
  • Availability
image of expedia listing process

Generally this process takes around half an hour, though that depends on the size of your property.

Expedia listing step 4: Begin taking bookings

After Expedia has cast its eyes over your listing, you’ll go live, and guests will be able to book!

How to add and edit details on an Expedia hotel listing

While you are asked to fill out your property details during the sign-up phase, it’s wise to revisit your Expedia hotel listing once it is live, to ensure it puts your property in the best possible light, and that it is targeted at the right sort of guest.

Log into your Expedia account and carefully comb through each section:

  • Update your rates and availability.
  • Add, arrange, caption and tag photos of your property.
  • Review property facilities and room amenities.
  • Review your property description to ensure it is comprehensive, accurate and compelling.
  • Use the preview function to view your property page as it will appear on the site before you go live.

Tips for getting more bookings on your Expedia listing

Now that you’re all set up, it’s time to get Expedia working for you! Here are a few simple tips that can help to deliver you more bookings through the platform.

  1. Activate ‘instant book’: Expedia wants to offer its customers the best experience possible, and that means letting them book straight away. If you don’t enable the instant booking feature, and force guests to request to book, you’ll be pushed down the listings.
  2. Pay for professional photography: While modern phone cameras are incredible, they’re still no match for a professional with a DSLR. Put your property in the best possible light by investing in professional photography.
  3. Encourage and reply to reviews: Reviews are the lifeblood of OTAs, and your score will largely define your success on any given platform. On top of offering the finest guest experience possible, encourage reviews and reply to them, whether good or bad. See negative reviews as a chance to grow, and use your reply to show who you really are.
  4. Offer detailed info: Offer up all the information that a guest could possibly need. Show off your local knowledge by including fun things to do and see in your local area.
  5. Offer competitive rates: Keep an eye on your competitors’ pricing and make sure you’re offering a better rate. Consider offering special deals, discounts or packages to attract even more bookings, particularly in low season.
  6. Utilise data and analytics on Expedia: Within Expedia Partner Central – the dashboard that allows you to control all your Expedia hotel listings – you’ll find a Property Analytics feature that is designed to help you identify opportunities to improve your listing, such as tips on visibility, pricing and gaining more conversions.
  7. Utilise Expedia’s promotional tools: From building brand awareness to driving conversions, advertising on Expedia can be an efficient and effective way to earn more. You can promote your hotel through a combination of sponsored listings or display advertising.
  8. Build a strong online presence: Hotel success extends far beyond the four walls of Expedia.com. Brand awareness is key to earning bookings, as familiarity breeds trust, and ultimately more bookings from more loyal guests. Think past how to list on Expedia, and work to optimise your website, advertise across the internet, and build a social media following that will help you to reduce your reliance on third-party platforms.

How to manage your Expedia property listing

Managing your property is done through Expedia Partner Central, which offers plenty of information and tools to manage your listing and get more bookings. But as useful as Expedia Partner Central might be, there’s one major issue with the tool: most hoteliers don’t restrict themselves to Expedia.

If you have a listing on Expedia, it’s likely that you also take bookings through channels like Booking.com, Airbnb, Kayak, Agoda and more. If you update your listing through Expedia Partner Central, you’ll also have to individually update all your other listings through all your other channels – a painstaking, laborious process.

But it doesn’t have to be. All you need is the help of a channel manager.

What is a channel manager? Imagine a single portal through which you can manage every single one of your online listings, tweaking pricing across all channels in a click, and having availability automatically updated whenever a new booking is made. A channel manager allows you to do away with Expedia Partner Central and other channel-specific platforms, distilling them into a single, simple screen.

Whether you use three OTAs or thirty, a channel manager allows you to optimise your listings, get more bookings and make more money.

Maximise your listing on Expedia with Little Hotelier

Small, independent hoteliers face stiff competition in the large multinational chains that have entire departments managing their booking channels. But the right tech, you can compete.

The Little Hotelier Channel Manager helps independent hoteliers simplify their operations and get more bookings. 450+ channels can be integrated, from the biggest OTAs like Expedia and booking.com to the most niche of hotel platforms, with updates on pricing, availability and more able to be done in a matter of clicks.

  • A single portal for all your channels: With the ability to connect with a market-leading 450+ booking channels, Little Hotelier will seamlessly connect with every booking channel you use.
  • One login, one calendar: No more navigating from dashboard to dashboard – all the info you need is found in one calendar, accessed by one login.
  • Automatic updates: Say goodbye to double bookings – whenever a new booking is received, Little Hotelier will automatically update availability across all connected listings. All pricing can be updated in mere clicks too!

The results can be incredible: our channel manager can generate up to 46% more bookings and can achieve an ROI of 63x.

By removing a huge amount of admin from your shoulders, our channel manager grants you the opportunity to spend more time creating the sort of guest experience that will push you up the Expedia listings and have visitors coming back for.

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By Dean Elphick

Dean is the Senior Content Marketing Specialist of Little Hotelier, the all-in-one software solution purpose-built to make the lives of small accommodation providers easier. Dean has made writing and creating content his passion for the entirety of his professional life, which includes more than six years at Little Hotelier. Through content, Dean aims to provide education, inspiration, assistance, and, ultimately, value for small accommodation businesses looking to improve the way they run their operations (and live their life).