Flipkart launches Flipkart Hotels for domestic, international market

The year 2022 has been a great year for the hospitality industry, with a notable surge in demand both in the domestic and international accommodation market, according to e-commerce firm Flipkart.

New travel trends, such as exploring lesser-known destinations, workstations, extended stays, and vacation rentals are becoming mainstream. These developments are giving a boost to the travel industry. Given the 70 per cent growth in the last quarter, compared to a CAGR of 60 per cent, over the previous two years, the next festive quarter is likely to be even better for the overall travel industry, says Flipkart.

To tap this opportunity, the Walmart-owned e-commerce firm on Tuesday said that it has launched a new hotel-booking feature, Flipkart Hotels, on its platform to bolster its offerings in the travel sector. Flipkart Hotels will provide customers with the opportunity to book hotel rooms across 300,000 domestic and international hotels. Flipkart aims to offer its customers a host of benefits, including flexible travel and booking-related policies, easy EMI options etc to make travel affordable, and budget-friendly options.

“Flipkart Hotels will provide access to affordable hotel stays convenient for the customers. Flipkart Flight is on a steady path of growth in the travel industry since we entered this space,” said Adarsh Menon, senior vice president, Flipkart. “With Flipkart Hotels, we are strengthening our commitment to provide a better experience and superior service to our customers across metros and beyond tiers.”

Backed by Cleartrip’s API (application programming interface), Flipkart Hotels will benefit from Cleartrip’s deep understanding of travel customers and sectors. Available on the Flipkart app, the firm said this new offering provides a hassle-free booking experience, and timely communication through popular messaging apps. The platform further enables users to avail of third-party offers on the Flipkart platform.

“With our banking partner’s financial offerings, the customers will unlock great value in this segment and enhance Flipkart’s capabilities as a preferred one-stop shop for the travel booking needs of Indian customers,” said Menon.

Flipkart Hotels also aims to provide improved service to its customers. For the convenience of customers and to offer a good experience, a dedicated customer care centre has been set up to support customers with user-related queries.

Last year, Flipkart acquired Cleartrip to help the e-commerce firm strengthen its digital commerce offerings for customers. The move is enabling Flipkart to tap the travel and tourism market and compete with companies such as MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Booking.com, and EaseMyTrip. Flipkart expects a boom in travel and tourism as the economy recovers from the pandemic-induced slowdown.

Apart from air travel, Flipkart was also able to offer train bookings through Cleartrip, which has a partnership with IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation).

In 2018, Flipkart formed a strategic partnership with MakeMyTrip in the travel services segment. The aim was for MakeMyTrip’s multiple brands —including MakeMyTrip, Goibibo and redBus — to leverage Flipkart’s large customer base to drive online bookings in travel services.

In 2019, Flipkart strengthened its travel offering by introducing an enhanced native experience in partnership with Ixigo, a mobile travel platform. 

According to the reports, Travel is rebounding in the country with continued growth in occupancy rate owing to the increase in demand. Down South, cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai are among the top 10 business markets for hospitality network Oyo in India. Additionally, Kochi, Visakhapatnam and Pondicherry have emerged as prominent leisure markets in the country, among others.

Oyo is looking to significantly increase hotels and homes (storefronts) in South India on its platform. The company intends to add 35 hotels per week. It is operating 1,350 properties in the southern states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Puducherry. The firm aims to increase its storefronts by 500-700 in the region.