Take Amazon Destinations, for example. Launched by the company six months ago to help customers find hotels for short getaways close to home, the service has failed to win over users, or become too difficult to operate, leading to its closure this week.
Destinations opened for business in April for locations around New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Early moves by Amazon suggested the service was catching the attention of short-stay travelers when in July the e-commerce giant rolled it out to additional cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Houston, and San Francisco.
But the venture has evidently fallen short of expectations, leading Amazon’s top team to pull the plug on it this week.
Anyone visiting the Destinations help page is now met with the message: “Effective October 13, Amazon Destinations stopped selling reservations on travel.amazon.com and the Amazon Local app.”
And what if you’ve already made a reservation through the site but are yet to travel? You’ve nothing to worry about, as the company promises all reservations remain valid and will be honored by any hotel that’s taken a booking. “No action is required on your part,” Amazon adds.
The Seattle-based company is maintaining an interest in the travel sector via its Local service, which offers discounts on various kinds of tours and experiences, among a wide range of other offerings.
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