Booking.com parent Booking Holdings is to buy Australian hotel metasearch specialist HotelsCombined. The Sydney-based firm powers a number of other price comparison website’s hotel search services through affiliate deals. The acquisition by Booking Holdings sees further consolidation in the price … Continue reading
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Booking Holdings agrees deal to acquire HotelsCombined
Booking.com parent Booking Holdings is to buy Australian hotel metasearch specialist HotelsCombined.
The Sydney-based firm powers a number of other price comparison website’s hotel search services through affiliate deals.
The acquisition by Booking Holdings sees further consolidation in the price comparison sector following its buyout of Cheapflights parent Momondo Group last year.
HotelsCombined has a strong presence in the APAC region and will bolster’s presence in a key growth market. Like Momondo, it will report into Booking Holdings’ KAYAK brand.
The acquisition of HotelsCombined, which was founded in 2005, has been approved by HotelsCombined’s board of directors and stockholders and is expected to close later this year, subject to regulatory approval and satisfaction of closing conditions.
No further details of the deal were disclosed in the statement released by Booking Holdings in the US this afternoon (Monday, July 9).
Glenn Fogel, chief executive of Booking Holdings, said: “HotelsCombined has built a strong brand with loyal consumers across APAC, and we believe the team will be a great addition to KAYAK to further expand our worldwide metasearch strategy.
Steve Hafner, chief executive of KAYAK, added: “We’ve admired their execution for many years. I’m eager to work together to strengthen our capabilities and global network.”
Hichame Assi, chief executive of HotelsCombined, said: “We’ve always been inspired by the entrepreneurial culture of Booking Holdings brands and are excited to be joining the family.
“Operating under the KAYAK umbrella will strengthen our proposition to both customers and partners with greater scale, product breadth and innovation.”
