Priceline follows Expedia with local deals site

(http://localdeals.priceline.com/new-york-city)

Priceline is to follow Expedia into the daily deals business, according to reports.

The popular price comparison website, which offers hotel and flight search functionality, is working on local deals with deal provider Group Commerce, reported travel tech publication Tnooz June 27.

Priceline's move means consumers will be able to find deals sourced from local businesses by the brand, as well as the more traditional hotel and flight offerings that it has built a name around.

It follows a well-publicized tie-up between Priceline's competitor Expedia and daily deals giant Groupon, who said earlier this month that they would collaborate to provide "high quality travel offers" during limited-time bargains.

Priceline's offering appears to be broadly similar, with its current daily deals homepage for New York City showing sailing trips, restaurant vouchers and language classes available in the city at significant discounts for limited periods.

Although New York is currently the only destination available, a dropdown menu on the site suggests that locations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC are coming soon, potentially along with a US-wide site.

A spokesperson for Priceline told the site that it believed its "bargain-minded" customers would benefit from the deals.

With local deals looking ever more likely to shake up the way that consumers bargain-hunt, the take-up of such offers by big names such as Expedia and Priceline should be good news for consumers looking to save money when they reach their destination.

However, Orbitz confirmed June 28 that while flash sales, where deals are available for a limited time only but not necessarily locally, may have been forgotten, they still haven't gone.

The online travel agent said it was launching a members only flash-sale site, in the vein of popular sites such as Voyage Privé and Jetsetter, where members can find bargains of 50 percent or more on hotels.

Registered "Insider Steals" members will receive a Tuesday email with deals available on Orbitz for 72 hours, the company said, by signing up for free at the website.

Priceline's Local Deals Site: http://localdeals.priceline.com/

Sign up for Insider Steals (non members should register first): https://www.orbitz.com/Secure/PrepareMemberPreferences