Expedia 2009 Annual Report Download - page 10

while suppliers create value from excess availability without diluting their core brand-loyal traveler base. Recent
product innovation allows air travelers to discover available discounts by altering details of their air travel plans
such as date of departure or destination airport. Hotwire.com works with many domestic and international
airlines, including U.S. full-service major network airlines, top hotels in hundreds of cities and resort destinations
in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean and major car rental companies in the United
States. In 2008, Hotwire acquired a controlling interest in CarRentals.com, an online car rental marketing and
retail firm offering a diverse selection of car rentals direct to consumers.
Venere. Our Venere-branded websites make approximately 30,000 hotel properties available to European
consumers, through the website www.venere.com, and provide hoteliers with geographically diverse sources of
demand. Venere has direct agency-based relationships with hotels around the world. In addition, Venere hotel
supply has been made available through certain of our Expedia-branded and hotels.com-branded websites.
The TripAdvisor Media Network. TripAdvisor, our comprehensive online travel search engine and
directory, aggregates traveler opinions and unbiased articles about cities, hotels, restaurants and activities in a
variety of destinations through www.tripadvisor.com and localized versions of the site in Brazil, Canada,
Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and
the United Kingdom. TripAdvisor also operates in China under the brand daodao.com. In addition to travel-
related information, TripAdvisor’s destination-specific search results provide links to the websites of
TripAdvisor’s travel partners (travel providers and marketers) through which travelers can make related travel
arrangements. TripAdvisor has also acquired and now operates a number of travel media content properties
within the TripAdvisor Media Network, including airfarewatchdog.comTM, bookingbuddy.comTM,
cruisecritic.comTM, flipkey.comTM, holidaywatchdog.comTM, independenttraveler.comTM, kuxun.cn,
onetime.comTM, seatguru.com®, smartertravel.comTM, travel-library.comTM, travelpod.comTM, and
virtualtourist.comTM, expanding the Network’s reach, product breadth and appeal to domestic and international
advertisers.
Expedia Affiliate Network. Our private label and co-brand programs make travel products and services
available to travelers through third-party company-branded websites. The products and services made available
through www.expediaaffiliate.com and www.wwte.com are substantially similar to those made available on
Expedia-branded and hotels.com-branded websites, respectively. We generally compensate participants in the
WWTE®and IANTM private label programs on a revenue-share basis. We also leverage our WWTE and IAN
platforms to make Expedia and hotels.com-branded sites available in various international points of sale.
Classic Vacations. Classic Vacations offers individually tailored vacations primarily through a national
network of third-party retail travel agents. We deliver a full line of premium vacation packages — air, hotels, car
rentals, activities and private transportation — to create customized luxury vacations in Hawaii, the Caribbean,
Mexico, Costa Rica, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tahiti. Travel agents and travelers can preview
our product offering through our websites, www.classicforagents.com and www.classicvacations.com.
Expedia Local Expert. Our network of travel desks located at hotels and resorts in Hawaii, Las Vegas,
Mexico, Orlando and San Francisco enables travelers to enjoy local tours, attractions and dining, as well as
purchase airport transfers and other travel-related services. Our network expanded through our acquisition of
Activity World and Activity Hut, destination service providers in Hawaii in 2004 and 2006, respectively, and our
2005 acquisition of Premier Getaways in Florida.
Expedia CruiseShipCenters. Majority-owned by Expedia, CruiseShipCenters is one of North America’s
leading sellers of cruise vacations. CruiseShipCenters has over 107 retail locations, a team of 2,000
professionally-trained cruise consultants and a searchable online database of more than 10,000 cruise vacations.
Egencia. Our full-service travel management company offers travel products and services available to
corporations and corporate travelers through points of sale in 15 countries across North America, Europe and
Asia Pacific. In December 2009, Egencia expanded its footprint to nine new countries through strategic
partnerships in EMEA and Asia. Egencia provides, among other things, centralized booking tools for employees
of our corporate customers, unique supply targeted at business travelers, and consolidated reporting for global,
large and “SME” (Small & Medium size Enterprise) business segments. Egencia charges its corporate clients
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