News Byte

Yahoo Snaps Up Two More Small Mobile Companies — MileWise and GoPollGo — In Ongoing “Acqhires” Effort

In its ongoing quest to snap up every small mobile startup around, Yahoo said today that it had bought travel rewards app MileWise and GoPollGo, a social polling app. Both services will be shut down, and staff will be integrated into the Silicon Valley Internet giant’s burgeoning New York mobile team. In recent months, Yahoo has acquired Stamped, Summly, Astrid and more, as part of its efforts to build out its mobile offerings.

News Byte

Hotel Tonight Wants You to Snap Photos of Your Hotel Room (Selfies Not Encouraged)

Hotel Tonight, the iOS and Android app for booking last-minute hotel rooms, is adding an Instagram-like photo-sharing service — minus the filters — for hotel guests to snap pictures of their stays. Prior to this, Hotel Tonight only allowed “reviews” of hotels through a ratings system. The company will introduce photo scavenger hunts, assigning users to snap a group of photos from a partner hotel to redeem five dollars off their next HotelTonight booking. The app, which is currently available in North America and Europe, has been downloaded five million times, though the company hasn’t said how many bookings it has done.

Former Groupon President and COO Solomon Joins Accel Partners

Every time a bell rings, a VC gets its wings.
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Can Travel Reviews Be Sexy? Triptease Thinks So.

Triptease makes your reviews look like they’re straight out of a travel magazine. But the lack of negative reviews might be its biggest negative.
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Expedia Invests in Room 77’s Big $30 Million Round

The three-year-old hotel search company just raised $30.3 million from a number of high-profile investors who know a thing or two about travel.
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Expedia Buys Majority Stake in German Travel Company for $632M

A 62 percent stake in Trivago will cost $632 million, but it will help Expedia expand internationally, which is what investors have been looking for.
Expedia buys German-based trivago.

As Yahoo Sales Reorg Proceeds, Former Interclick CEO Katz Departs

The well-known ad exec’s exit from the Silicon Valley Internet giant was less than amicable.
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HomeAway’s Director Susan Wojcicki Resigns to Spend More Time at Google

Wojcicki joined HomeAway’s board in April 2011, right before the company went public, and is leaving to concentrate on her responsibilities at Google.
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News Byte

SquareTrade Hires Former Expedia Exec Michael Adler as CFO

San Francisco-based SquareTrade, which offers protection plans on consumer electronics, has added two new executives to its management team. Michael Adler has joined the company as CFO, having previously held the same role at Expedia for almost six years until leaving late last year. Dina Furash will become SVP of strategic partnerships, having most recently worked as the SVP of sales and general manager of Green Dot, the prepaid debit card company.

Travora Launches “The CNET of Travel”