Expedia, Inc.

Bellevue, Wash. -- Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), the world's leading online travel company, today unveiled Expedia® Partner Central (), an online resource that simplifies the way hotels interact with Expedia, helping them get more value from Expedia’s global marketplace. Now hotels have a single website to access the revenue management, marketing and operational tools Expedia offers.

“We are focused on making it easy for hotels to work with Expedia and grow their businesses,” said Matthew Crummack, senior vice president of Lodging, Expedia. “Expedia Partner Central simplifies everything from adjusting rates to updating property information so our hotel partners can focus on growing their bottom line."

Hotels will use Expedia Partner Central to access the range of tools Expedia offers for managing rates and room availability, updating property information, and participating in marketing programs. Using Expedia Partner Central, hoteliers can accomplish tasks such as submitting annual rate sheet renewals, requesting changes to their hotel description, updating photos and responding to customer reviews.

Expedia Partner Central is the latest in a steady stream of tools and resources Expedia has unveiled to simplify the way it works with partners. In the Expedia marketplace, hotels have access to an industry-leading portfolio of tools that help them to strategically manage rates, room availability and revenue; increase their property’s exposure; and streamline tasks related to payment and operations. For example, Expedia recently introduced the Expedia® Virtual Card (EVC) payment tool, enabling hotels to receive payment for Expedia bookings immediately upon guest checkout. EVC reduces the time it takes for a property to receive payment for Expedia bookings, ultimately helping the hotel to improve cash flow.

Such developments contribute to how Expedia is helping its hotel partners achieve notable performance, even in a challenging economic climate. In Las Vegas, for example, where the number of visitors is down, some Expedia hotel partners have recently achieved record numbers of roomnights booked in a single day. Expedia also recently achieved an all time record number of roomnights booked in one week to hotels in the Americas.

About Expedia, Inc. and Expedia Partner Services Group

Expedia, Inc. is the world’s leading online travel company. With more than 60 global points of sale in more than 40 countries, its portfolio of brands includes: Expedia.com®, hotels.com®, Hotwire®, Egencia™ (formerly Expedia Corporate Travel), TripAdvisor®, Expedia Local Expert®, Classic Vacations® and eLong™. Expedia Partner Services Group (PSG) is the central point of contact for travel suppliers to access the global Expedia marketplace. With hundreds of employees in local markets throughout the world, Expedia® PSG makes it easy for suppliers to meet their global distribution objectives, and delivers a portfolio of innovative marketing opportunities, rate and availability management tools, business intelligence reports and connectivity solutions.

Expedia is a registered trademark of Expedia, Inc. 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. © 2009 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST# 2029030-40.

Jason Maier
206-268-2235
Expedia Group, Inc.