Seattle is one of three destinations presently offered by Amazon Destinations

Amazon has launched a new online hotel bookings service called Amazon Destinations.

The new site is principally focused on the United States and will allow travellers to predominately book short breaks close to home.

In a statement, Amazon explained more than 40 per cent of all US holidays are short-term getaways, ranging from one to three nights.

“However, travellers often have a hard time planning local getaways.

“It’s difficult to know where to go, the process is labour-intensive, and people often miss out on finding great places to stay,” added a statement.

The site is launching with limited territory for three metro areas: Los Angeles, New York City and Seattle.

Amazon does already sell a range on heavily discounted deals to destinations through its Amazon Local brand.

The addition of an online travel service, Amazon Destinations, puts the e-commerce giant into competition with Travelocity, Expedia and Airbnb for both merchants and customers.

However, Amazon Destinations only offers hotel bookings, not complete packages, including flights for example.