Daily deals site has acquired the travel search specialist Uptake.com underlining the seriousness of its ambitions in the sector.
Groupon strengthens travel offering with Uptake buyout
Daily deals site has acquired the travel search specialist Uptake.com underlining the seriousness of its ambitions in the sector.
The buyout, reported by technology website AllThingsD.com, was said to be valued in the tens of millions of US dollars, although reports suggested it was more than this.
Uptake is a semantic search start-up that based in California that has raised $14 million in funding from Shasta Ventures and Trinity Ventures.
It was established in 2008 and most members of staff are said to be transferring to Groupon. UpTake will continue to operate although RealTravel, a rival bought in 2012, will close on March 12.
The role of Groupon in travel has been questioned of late by leading firms including BA and Tui Travel which accused it of “trashing brands”.
But UK managing director Roy Blanga has defended its model offers partners incremental sales. Groupon already is already active in the travel deals market through its Groupon Getaways tie-up with Expedia.
Uptake technology generates personalised, inspirational travel recommendations by exploiting the consumer data it collects.
