Skift Take
Don't believe Amazon's statements about its minimalist intentions in the hotel sphere. This is just the beginning. The next phase will be to really scale up the service with inventory partners.
Amazon pulled the trigger and has quietly launched its much-awaited new hotel product and brand, Amazon Destinations.
Skift broke the story in November that Amazon would launch a new hotel service and, as reported at the time, the revamped hotel product emphasizes weekend getaways within driving distance from major metropolitan areas and includes published rate hotels, and not merely the steep discounts that Amazon has been offering through Amazon Local for several years.
In that way, Amazon Local for travel transitions from primarily a hotel deals site into Amazon Destinations, which works with hoteliers directly and on an ongoing basis.
Amazon's new homepage for travel -- which is currently part of Amazon Local
