JacTravel, the tour operator best known for inbound travel services and hotels online, is making its inventory of over 6,000 directly-contracted city based hotels in more than 550 worldwide cities widely available to the UK travel trade for the first time.

In a series of new distribution agreements with three of the UK’s leading providers of hotel accommodation to the travel industry, Hotels4U, Advantage Travel and TravelTek, JacTravel will provide real time hotel rates and availability via xml feeds, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Hotels4U, a Thomas Cook group company, with significant UK trade distribution is now distributing the JAC travel portfolio. 

Advantage Travel is the UK’s largest independent travel consortium, with a network of over 800 outlets across the country with annual sales exceeding £3 billion and Traveltek is one of the leading travel technology companies, offering booking systems for hotels, flights and other travel services to the trade.  Depending on the distributor, JacTravel’s inventory is available on a net rate or commissionable basis.

Terry Williamson, JacTravel’s chief operating office, said: “JacTravel’s 35-year heritage is as an inbound operator and as such, it has focused on international markets for its distribution supported by an unequalled portfolio of UK City centre hotels.

“We have over the last few years developed our worldwide offering which with a recent drive to increase the number of hotels we contract, particularly in European and US cities, we now have a product range that is sufficiently strong to appeal to the UK market too.” 

Over the coming 12 months, JacTravel has plans to increase its portfolio to over 10,000 hotels.

To support its service to the trade, JacTravel has recruited three additional sales executives to work with UK-based travel agents. 

Doug Turner, head of Distribution at Hotels4U said:  “I am delighted to add a further 6,000 properties to enhance our city range.  What we particularly like about JacTravel is its depth in destinations, which ensures we receive an excellent range of product at good rates and availability to compliment our current city offering.”