HBX & Dida sign seven-year AI-led travel partnership

HBX Group has signed a seven-year preferred strategic partnership with Dida Holdings, making HBX a preferred global supply partner within Dida's travel distribution ecosystem.

The agreement links HBX's accommodation supply and travel technology services with Dida's distribution platform, which has a strong footprint in China and across Asia Pacific. Both companies described it as a long-term alignment on how international travel demand is sourced and managed, with an emphasis on more automated distribution.

Dida's position in China's digital travel market gives HBX access to demand channels that are increasingly mobile-led and shaped by automated recommendations. For Dida, the deal expands access to HBX's global portfolio of properties, including premium hotels and inventory that can be difficult to secure at scale.

The partnership is expected to deepen integration between HBX inventory and Dida's distribution channels. It also reflects broader shifts in travel retailing, where search, pricing and fulfilment increasingly rely on automated decision-making and near real-time optimisation.

Distribution focus

Dida operates multiple business lines, including Dida Hotels, Dida Flights, Dida Go and Dida Experiences. It connects hotels, airlines and other travel sellers with a broad network of travel agencies, travel management companies, tour operators, online travel agencies and wholesalers.

HBX owns Hotelbeds, Bedsonline, The Luxurist, Roiback and The Civitfun. It operates as a B2B marketplace and technology provider across accommodation and related travel services, working in more than 170 countries with over 3,500 staff.

The agreement positions HBX as a preferred supply partner within Dida's distribution ecosystem. In practice, this can influence how inventory is selected, packaged and prioritised across Dida's channels, although no commercial terms or performance targets were disclosed.

Technology alignment

Both companies linked the partnership to a wider industry shift towards machine-to-machine travel distribution, where software systems take on work that was traditionally manual, including content selection, pricing decisions and booking flows.

Dida said HBX's portfolio includes content and property attributes that can support recommendation systems. HBX pointed to Dida's demand-side technology and its reach across China and Asia.

"As travel distribution enters an AI-led, machine-to-machine era, long-term alignment matters more than breadth," said Daryl Lee, CEO of Dida Holdings.

"This partnership reflects deliberate choices about how we build at an infrastructure level - not just the products we transact with. Together with HBX, we are laying down a foundation designed for the next decade of global travel."

HBX described the partnership as a way to align its supply strategy with how travel demand is expected to form and convert in China and across Asia.

"Dida represents a unique convergence of China leadership, AI-ready distribution, and global reach," said David Amsellem, HBX Group's chief distribution officer.

"By formalising this long-term partnership, we are positioning our supply to perform where travel demand is heading, not where it has been," Amsellem said.

Payments work

The partners also plan to collaborate beyond hotel distribution, including in fintech and payment services. They cited cross-border payment requirements tied to China's digital ecosystem and said the aim is to improve transaction efficiency and the traveller experience.

Payments have become a renewed focus in travel distribution in recent years, as operators seek faster settlement, less friction at checkout, and stronger controls around fraud and chargebacks. Cross-border travel also adds currency and regulatory considerations. No details were provided on payment methods, schemes or partners.

Localisation and cross-market development is another area of joint work, with HBX supporting localisation for China and Asia Pacific and Dida contributing expertise in automation and AI-related technology to help scale more broadly.

The partnership also includes plans to jointly develop distribution models geared to agent-based booking and real-time optimisation. The work is expected to expand automated decision-making across distribution workflows over the seven-year term.