Expedia.com Unveils Inaugural Ranking of the World's Best Hotels

BELLEVUE, Wash., Expedia.com(R), the world's leading online travel company, today unveiled the Expedia(R) Insiders' Select(TM) list of the world's best hotels (). The list ranks hotel properties based on several factors, the most significant of which is Expedia.com Traveler Opinions(R), the largest collection of qualified traveler reviews on the Web. Now, the millions of travelers who visit Expedia.com every month to shop for travel can easily identify the hotels in their destination that have received high marks from fellow travelers for the value and experience they deliver.

"Expedia.com is committed to delivering the tools and information that help people book their trip and travel with confidence, knowing they've selected the best hotel for their trip," said Paul Brown, President, Expedia, Inc. Partner Services Group and Expedia North America. "The Expedia Insiders' Select gives our customers another powerful way to find the perfect hotel by harnessing the trusted insight of millions of travelers, and the destination expertise Expedia enjoys by having hundreds of employees in local markets across the globe."

The Insiders' Select list formally recognizes the hotels that consistently deliver excellent service, a great overall experience and a notable value. The hotels on the Insiders' Select list represent the top one percent of the more than 70,000 hotels Expedia.com offers. The list showcases the world's rich diversity of travel destinations, as well as the variety of accommodations Expedia travelers can choose from, ranging from the 4-star colonial-style Cozumel Palace All Inclusive in Mexico (#1) to Budapest's all-suite Starlight Suiten Hotel (#13).

Methodology

To compile the Expedia Insiders' Select list, Expedia developed a mathematical formula weighing several components, the largest of which is Expedia.com's collection of more than 300,000 Traveler Opinions, created by Expedia.com travelers who have recently completed a hotel stay. Expedia combined the Traveler Opinions data with insight from hundreds of employees in destinations throughout the world.

1. Traveler Opinions(R): Expedia.com's Traveler Opinions program delivers the insight of Expedia.com travelers who have the opportunity to review properties they book on Expedia after their stay. To ensure authenticity, Expedia verifies each Traveler Opinion by confirming that the reviewer has stayed at the property within the past six months. Hotels on the Insiders' Select list must receive a cumulative average rating of 4.0 or higher.
   
   
2. Destination Expertise: Expedia has nearly 300 market managers on the ground in local destinations worldwide who provided their local market insight and first-hand knowledge of the best hotels within their market. In providing their input for the list, these employees were asked to identify those hotels they would recommend to friends or family traveling to their destination, bringing a personal touch to the science behind the Insiders' Select list.
   
   
3. Value: Expedia compared hotels and resorts to others within the samecategory and location to determine which provided the best value forthe money. This measure helps ensure the Insiders' Select list includeshotels that deliver not only great overall experience but also anotable value.

Travelers shopping for the top ranked hotels in their destination can visit for the full list and to search the Insiders' Select list by location and star-rating, or look for the Expedia Insiders' Select symbol next to the hotel property name while searching hotels on Expedia.com.

About Expedia.com | Expedia.com(R) is the world's leading online travel provider, helping millions of travelers per month easily plan and book travel. Expedia.com (/) aims to provide personalized service, the latest technology and the widest selection of vacation packages, flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises and in-destination activities, attractions, and services. With the Expedia(R) Best Price Guarantee, Expedia.com promises to offer to its customers the best rates available online for all types of travel, making it the most comprehensive customer guarantee in online travel. Expedia.com is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) .

Expedia, Expedia.com, Insiders' Select and Traveler Opinions are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Classic Vacations is either a trademark or registered trademark of Classic Vacations, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. hotels.com is either a trademark or registered trademark of hotels.com, L.P., a subsidiary of hotels.com in the U.S. and/or other countries. Hotwire is either a trademark or registered trademark of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. TripAdvisor is either a trademark or registered trademark of TripAdvisor, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.