Hotelbeds
Hotelbeds is a business-to-business (B2B) bed bank, described in 2016 as the largest independent one (Cinven and CPPIB reach agreement to acquire Hotelbeds Group). It belongs to HBX Group, an independent B2B travel technology marketplace that also owns Bedsonline, The Luxurist, Roiback and Civitfun (HBX Group FY2025 Results Press Release).
Last updated: October 2026
How Hotelbeds works
A bed bank is a B2B platform that contracts supply from hotels and makes it available to travel distributors; it is an online version of the traditional hotel wholesaler (What are Bed Banks? Hospitality Net). The full definition sits on our travel wholesaler (bed bank) page. The group's role is to link travel suppliers with B2C travel distributors, the companies that sell to travelers (HBX Group Prices its IPO at €11.50 per Share). Its partners include online marketplaces, tour operators, travel advisors, airlines, loyalty programs and destinations (HBX Group FY2025 Results Press Release).
Hotelbeds sells net rate inventory, and the buyer adds its own markup before selling on. Its contracted rates are typically lower than public OTA rates (Hotelbeds vs Expedia Rapid, Vervotech).
Joining starts with a negotiated contract, and Hotelbeds does not publish its fees or commission structure (How to Distribute Your Hotel Through Hotelbeds, roommaster). Once the contract is in place, a hotel connects through the Partner Portal extranet or a supported channel manager. On the channel manager route, the hotel gives its channel manager the Hotelbeds connectivity credentials, and the Partner Portal then shows the connection as LIVE. Content has its own rule: at least 12 hotel and room photos, each at least 800 px wide (Channel manager guidelines, Hotelbeds for hoteliers).
Why Hotelbeds matters for hotel distribution
A Hotelbeds contract puts a property's rooms in front of a large network of travel businesses, and that network has grown over the past decade. In April 2016 Hotelbeds had 75,000 hotels and more than 120 source markets (Cinven and CPPIB reach agreement to acquire Hotelbeds Group). By March 2022 it counted more than 180,000 hotels, sold to more than 60,000 B2B travel buyers in over 140 source markets. That same month, IHG Hotels & Resorts named Hotelbeds one of its preferred partners for distributing IHG wholesale rates to B2B buyers in Europe and Greater China (Hotelbeds named IHG Hotels & Resorts preferred provider of wholesale rates to B2B). When HBX Group listed in February 2025, its portfolio held more than 250,000 hotels in more than 170 countries (HBX Group Prices its IPO at €11.50 per Share).
Bed banks help hotels fight "rogue OTAs" that let discounted rates negotiated for non-public channels appear in the market, according to a 2019 Phocuswright report commissioned by Hotelbeds (Combatting 'rogue OTAs' highlighted as one advantage of bed banks, Travolution). Rate parity did not exist when the bed bank model was invented in the 1990s (Combatting 'rogue OTAs' highlighted as one advantage of bed banks, Travolution).
Hotelbeds compared with bed banks, Expedia Rapid and OTAs
| Channel | What it sells |
|---|---|
| Hotelbeds | Contracted net rates, typically lower than public OTA rates, sold to travel businesses for B2B markup |
| Bed banks in general | Supply contracted directly from hotels, made available to travel distributors (B2B) |
| Expedia Rapid | Inventory at OTA rates |
| OTAs | Public OTA rates |
Hotelbeds, Expedia Rapid and OTA rows: Hotelbeds vs Expedia Rapid, Vervotech. Bed banks row: What are Bed Banks? Hospitality Net. Expedia has its own page: what is Expedia.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Hotelbeds?
Is it part of Expedia?
What does Hotelbeds do?
Can a small property connect through a channel manager?
How much business goes through the group?
Related terms
See all termsWhere Jetstream fits
Hotelbeds is one more channel that needs the same rooms, rates and availability as every other place a property sells. Jetstream builds distribution technology that keeps that inventory accurate on each channel, managed from one place.