Wednesday, August 20, 2008

TripAdvisor adds FlipKey to Internet travel biz

By Mass High Tech Staff

TripAdvisor LLC reports that it has bought a majority stake in FlipKey Inc., the Boston-based operator of a website focused on vacation rental property reviews.

Financial terms of the deal were not be disclosed.

FlipKey was founded in 2006 by CEO T.J. Mahony, COO Jeremiah Gall and CTO Carl Query with $400,000 in seed funding from a syndicate of angel investors.

In March, the company launched its website that features 50,000 vacation homes, rental listings and consumer reviews of featured properties, company officials said.

FlipKey’s web-based software works similarly to TripAdvisor.com by creating profiles of the properties, authenticating them for potential vacationers. And, like TripAdvisor, it enables users to rate the properties after stays.

In connection with investment, FlipKey’s content is expected to be integrated with TripAdvisor, officials said.

Newton-based TripAdvisor, founded in 2000, was acquired by travel giant Expedia Inc. in 2004.

In April, Boston-based Smarter Travel Media LLC, which is part of the TripAdvisor Media Network, acquired for an undisclosed amount New York-based Airfarewatchdog.com LLC, operator of a website that searches airfare ticket prices.

Smarter Travel now operates travel websites SmarterTravel.com, BookingBuddy.com, BookingBuddy.co.uk, BookingBuddy.in, SeatGuru.com and Airfarewatchdog.com.

The TripAdvisor Media Network has acquired at least six travel-related websites during the last two years. In February, it acquired for an undisclosed amount British online travel company Holiday Watchdog, an operator of U.K.-based, user-generated travel sites.