{"id":22643,"date":"2020-04-10T18:31:57","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T18:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.xotels.com\/uncategorized\/opaque-sites\/"},"modified":"2024-12-23T09:21:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T09:21:18","slug":"opaque-sites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xotels.com\/en\/glossary\/opaque-sites","title":{"rendered":"Opaque Sites"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the meaning \/ definition of Opaque Sites, in the hospitality industry<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Opaque Sites are booking<\/a> channels<\/a> and OTA<\/a> websites where the supplier (in this case the hotel) remains hidden until after the purchase is complete.\u00a0The customer sees only the product category (destination, star rating of the hotel<\/a>) and the price but not the brand. After paying, the website will reveal the name of the hotel. Usually it doesn\u2019t accept refunds, changes or cancellations.<\/p>\n

It is basically a non-transparent discount offer. The sites are called \u2018opaque\u2019 because the supplier remains hidden during the booking<\/a> process.<\/p>\n

This segment is popular in the travel industry. It is used to sell unsold hotel rooms, airline seats etc. The pricing strategy<\/a> helps hotels to sell empty rooms without damaging their brand integrity and price positioning<\/a>. It allows the hotel to reach out to a price conscious audience in addition to their usual target group. An advantage is the guaranteed revenue the hotel has, as the reservation can\u2019t be modified after purchase.<\/p>\n

The best known Opaque Travel Websites are Priceline and Hotwire.<\/p>\n

Many OTAs have also introduced their own version of Opaque Pricing:<\/strong><\/p>\n