Voices

Out of Nest, TripAdvisor Soars Past Expedia

Children often outgrow their parents by their teens. TripAdvisor Inc. did it in less than 20 months.

Stayful Wants to Be a Boutique Hotel’s Alternative to Daily Deals and Flash-Sales

A new entry into the crowded hotel-bookings space.

Coalition of Google Rivals Complains to Europe Over Android Bundling

A group that includes Microsoft, Nokia, Oracle and TripAdvisor says Google is engaging in deceptive practices in its dealings with Android and mobile search.

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.

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.

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.

Best Buy’s New E-Commerce Head Aims to Unify Bricks and Clicks

Scott Durchslag is joining the electronics retailer at a tough time, but he sees an opportunity to create a unified shopping experience online and off.

Voices

Best Buy Hires E-Commerce President

Best Buy Co. named former Expedia President Scott Durchslag as president of its online and global e-commerce business, a move the consumer-electronics chain said will boost its online transformation.

HotelTonight Makes an Acquisition as Others Launch Last-Minute Booking Apps

For its first acquisition, HotelTonight has purchased PrimaTable, a company that developed last-minute pricing tools for the restaurant industry.

News Byte

TripAdvisor Acquires Wanderfly for Its Expertise in Social Travel

TripAdvisor, which spun off from Expedia last year to become a publicly held company, has acquired Brooklyn-based Wanderfly. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Wanderfly follows the premise that “everyone travels differently, so we all need different recommendations.” Said Steve Kaufer, TripAdvisor’s CEO: “The Wanderfly team understands the value in social travel planning. They’re a great asset as we continue our developments in this area.”