Expedia teams up with Thomas Cook

Expedia set to power Thomas Cook channels with market-leading technology and inventory

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Sep 14, 2017, 07:00 ET

BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) announced today a new strategic alliance with Thomas Cook, one of Europe's leading holiday companies. The agreement, made possible by Expedia Global Partner Solutions, the partnership arm of Brand Expedia, will over time provide Thomas Cook consumers with access to thousands more hotels for the company's city and domestic holiday businesses.

Also as part of the new alliance, Thomas Cook's primary websites, contact centers, stores and distribution to affiliated travel agents will eventually be powered by Expedia's market-leading platform for various types of travel bookings.

"We've always had profound respect for the Thomas Cook brand and we believe that our coming together will enhance our abilities to help more people to get out and see the world, while enhancing each of our competitive positions in the European market," said Aman Bhutani, President, Brand Expedia Group. "Expedia's Global Partner Solutions business brings to life the ability to leverage the strength of our technology and operations for our partners, powering leading brands with private label booking engines, agent tools, web services and operations for all travel products, including lodging, flights, packages, and car rentals. We are thrilled to add Thomas Cook to our roster of premier clients around the globe."

"The combination of Expedia's portfolio of hotels and best-in-class online technology will transform Thomas Cook's city breaks and hotel-only offer for customers while helping the business take an important step forward in delivering our strategy for profitable growth," said Peter Fankhauser, Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Cook. "Joining forces with a company that has the global reach and expertise of Expedia will allow Thomas Cook to further simplify our systems and processes, freeing us up to focus on holidays to our own brand and selected partner hotels where we know we can really make a difference to customers. I am confident this marks the first step in a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship with Expedia."

About Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. is the world's largest online travel company, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes leading online travel brands, such as:

Expedia.com®, a leading full-service online travel brand with localized sites in 33 countries
Hotels.com®, a leading global lodging expert operating 89 localized websites in 41 languages with its award winning Hotels.com® Rewards loyalty program
Expedia® Affiliate Network (EAN), a global B2B brand that powers the hotel business of hundreds of leading airlines, travel agencies, loyalty and corporate travel companies plus several top consumer brands through its API and template solutions
trivago®, a leading online hotel search platform with sites in 55 countries worldwide
HomeAway®, a global online marketplace for the vacation rental industry, which also includes the VRBO, VacationRentals.com and BedandBreakfast.com brands, among others
Egencia®, a leading corporate travel management company
Orbitz.com® and CheapTickets.com®, leading U.S. travel websites, as well as ebookers®, a full-service travel brand with websites in seven European countries
Travelocity®, a leading online travel brand in the U.S. and Canada delivering customer service when and where our customers need it with the Customer First Guarantee
Hotwire®, inspiring spontaneous travel through Hot Rate® deals
Wotif Group, a leading portfolio of travel brands including Wotif.com®, Wotif.co.nz, lastminute.com.au®, lastminute.co.nz and travel.com.au®
Expedia® Media Solutions, the advertising sales division of Expedia, Inc. that builds creative media partnerships and enables brand advertisers to target a highly-qualified audience of travel consumers
CarRentals.com^™, a premier online car rental booking company with localized sites in 13 countries
Classic Vacations®, a top luxury travel specialist
Expedia Local Expert®, a provider of online and in-market concierge services, activities, experiences and ground transportation in over a thousand destinations worldwide
Expedia® CruiseShipCenters®, a provider of exceptional value and expert advice for travelers booking cruises and vacations through its network of over 235 retail travel agency franchises across North America
SilverRail Technologies, Inc., a global rail retail and distribution platform connecting rail carriers and suppliers to both online and offline travel distributors