Showbiz International partners with Expedia to launch a new era of event & accommodation packaging for the Australian market

SYDNEY - Showbiz International, Australia’s leading ticket and packaging company, has joined forces with the Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN) - a division of the Expedia group, one of the world’s leading online travel companies - to create one of Australia’s most dynamic and flexible online ticket and accommodation packaging service.
Showbiz Stay & See has relaunched with an all new ticket and packaging service in Australia that delivers Showbiz’s national range of real-time, live theatre and event  tickets, combined with best in-market hotel rates across a full range of hotel products and shows, up to the week of performance.
With the new Showbiz Stay& See online experience, customers will have access to close to  2500 hotels within the EAN system, with hotels pre-matched to the venue location and complemented by TripAdvisor ratings. Customers have the option of re-sorting based on price, popularity, hotel class, or can perform their own individual search.
Showbiz Stay and See bookings can also be combined with Showbiz’s many partner restaurants near to the hotel or venue to ensure a complete, great value, short-break experience - all via one easy transaction on Showbiz.com.au.
The partnership with EAN will ensure that Showbiz can offer customers the best online hotel rates, which will be backed up by the new SHOWBIZ STAY & SEE PRICE GUARANTEE. Under the guarantee, Showbiz will commit to refunding the difference if customers finds a lower comparable online hotel room rate, and will include a $50 Showbiz Ticket Cash voucher towards their next purchase.
Says Craig McMaster, CEO of Showbiz International: “Showbiz has always led the way in Australasia with ticket and event packaging for our show and hotel partners, but in recent times we’ve seen the biggest change in our 30 years of operations, with customers booking with much shorter lead times. For instance, previously, someone wanting to travel to Melbourne to see an amazing live experience like King Kong, would most likely have booked many months in advance. Today, it could be as short as just a few weeks, or even days, and Expedia’s dynamic booking system will provide the ultimate in flexibility.”
Expedia Affiliate Network’s Christopher J. Williams, VP and MD, Asia Pacific said: “This is a very exciting time for Showbiz and we are proud to be able to be an integral part of their new Stay&See program.”
The partnership and the launch of the new enhanced website, coincides with the announcement of the blockbuster Baz Lurhmann’s  Strictly Ballroom The Musical, which will be staged at the Sydney Lyric Theatre from early 2014. Like the Melbourne-only King Kong, the Sydney season of Strictly Ballroom is expected to generate a vast amount of interstate and international interest that will require significant accommodation inventory.

Sourced: TravelDaliyNews