Octopus Travel behind eBay UK push

eBay and Octopus Travel have announced an alliance to expand the online auction company’s Travel category.

The deal will see Octopus provide 50,000 hotel listings through the UK online marketplace through a co-branded ‘store’.

Auction listings will start from 99p and there will also be “buy it now” full price deals, upgrades available and special offers.

The Octopus Travel store will be promoted through a combination of paid search and targeted advertising across the eBay network.

To mark the partnership, eBay is launching with a special charity auction in aid of youth charity, The Prince’s Trust.

Until the end of January visitors will be able to bid on over thirty Presidential Suites throughout the InterContinental Hotels and Resorts global hotel network with listings starting at just 99p.

Gareth Gaston, managing director of Octopus Travel, said: “eBay was the perfect choice in helping us reach consumers who are actively looking for hotel options.

“We’re delighted to be working with eBay to deliver choice, selection and value to eBay’s millions of users”.

Phillip Rinn, director of advertising partnerships for eBay in the UK added: “We see massive growth potential in the travel sector online, which is why we’re investing in our network to offer brands like Octopus Travel the opportunity to engage with e-buying consumers in a very targeted and relevant way.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Octopus Travel to deliver benefits to our users and we look forward to the further expansion of our travel category throughout 2010 and beyond”.

eBay claims to have 17 million unique users and 3.3 billion page views each month in the UK.