Law. It was agreed that the company would provide suitable accessibility information about hotels sold on its website. Privacy concerns In February 2019, TechCrunch reported that the Hotels.com mobile app in the iOS App Store was using session-replay functionality from Israeli firm Glassbox, to record users' activities and send the data to Expedia servers without users' informed consent, compromising users' privacy and contravening the rules of the iOS App Store. Loyalty program Like its competitors (such as Agoda), Hotels.com has a loyalty program. This allows customers to claim discounts on most, but not all, hotels, regardless of hotel chain or type. The program is called "Hotels.com Rewards" (formerly "Welcome Rewards") and launched in the US, Canada and much of Latin America in 2008. It then extended to the UK and Australia in 2010, and to more than 40 additional countries in 2011. Hotel Price Index Starting 2004, the site has published a twice-yearly review of international hotel room price trends called the Hotels.com Hotel Price Index based on the prices paid per room by its customers using a weighted average based on the number of rooms sold in each of the markets in which it operates. Information includes notable price changes and comparisons between destinations, hotel types, and other price-related analyses for the previous six months. The Hotel Price Index is published both digitally and in print, and is aimed at journalists, the media, and hoteliers as part of its public relations. Advertising Ed Helms voiced the character "Smart" in Hotels.com advertisements. In 2012, the character was changed from clay animation to CGI. The company's advertising slogan was originally "Smart. So Smart" before being changed to "Be Smart. Book Smart". In 2014, the site introduced the character "Captain Obvious" who is portrayed by actor Brandon Moynihan. Captain Obvious makes self-evident comments with the aim of communicating that Hotels.com is the obvious choice. The campaign was devised by the ad firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Moynihan said in an interview "Hotels.com has a great self awareness and they're not afraid to push the envelope with the crazy stuff I get to do as Captain Obvious". Notable advertisements include one where he runs for president, a La La Land inspired ad and an ad where Captain Obvious meets his future self. In 2018, Captain Obvious featured in Channel 4's ad blocking campaign. In 2019, Captain Obvious appeared as a DJ in an