Amazon's Travel Service Destinations Has Been Shutdown

In late April of this year, Amazon introduced "Destinations", a hotel booking site that had been rumored for several months before its launch. The site's arrival came about without much fanfare, and apparently it hasn't seen the sort of attention Amazon was aiming for. Yesterday, Amazon made the surprise announcement that it has shut down the service, the reasons for which weren't stated.

Those who visited Amazon's "travel.amazon.com" address yesterday (and henceforth) were greeted with the curt message: "Effective October 13, 2015, Amazon Destinations stopped selling hotel reservations." Reservations can no longer be made through the Amazon Local app, as well. Those who already have a reservation in place needn't worry, though.

Amazon says that customers will have their current reservations remain valid and will have them honored at the hotel. Nothing needs to be done to ensure that happens, it's business as usual. If you have a reservation, you can get to it by clicking "Your Reservation" on Destinations and selecting the valid reservations that are listed.

In a statement to The Seattle Times, Amazon merely said, "We have learned a lot and have decided to discontinue Amazon Destinations." Whether it plans to roll out a different travel service is unclear. Amazon Destinations was only available in several large cities, including its home, Seattle.

SOURCE: The Seattle Times