Expedia Group

What does Expedia Group own?
Expedia Group owns a portfolio of online travel brands including Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo (vacation rentals), Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, Wotif (Australia and New Zealand), and a majority stake in Trivago (hotel metasearch). The company also operates Expedia for Business, a B2B technology platform serving travel agencies and other businesses.

Is Expedia Group publicly traded?
Yes, Expedia Group, Inc. is listed on NASDAQ under ticker EXPE. Barry Diller retains significant voting control through a dual-class share structure. Major institutional shareholders include Vanguard Group and BlackRock. Ariane Gorin serves as President and CEO.

Who founded Expedia Group?
Expedia was founded in 1996 as a division of Microsoft by Rich Barton and Lloyd Frink. Microsoft spun off Expedia as an independent company in 1999. IAC/InterActiveCorp acquired a controlling stake in 2001 and built the company into a multi-brand online travel group. Expedia was spun off from IAC as an independent company in 2005.

Where is Expedia Group headquartered?
Expedia Group is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, USA. The company moved its headquarters from Bellevue, Washington to Seattle in 2019. Expedia operates globally with significant operations in the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

How many brands does Expedia Group own?
Expedia Group owns seven or more travel brands, including Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, and Wotif. The company also holds a majority stake in Trivago. Expedia Group's platforms collectively serve hundreds of millions of travelers annually.

Who owns Expedia Group?
Expedia Group, Inc. is publicly traded on NASDAQ. Barry Diller retains significant voting control through a dual-class share structure. Major institutional shareholders include Vanguard Group and BlackRock. Ariane Gorin serves as President and CEO.

Expedia was founded in 1996 as a division of Microsoft, created by Rich Barton and Lloyd Frink. The service was one of the first online travel booking platforms, allowing consumers to search and book flights and hotels directly through the internet. Microsoft spun off Expedia as an independent publicly listed company in November 1999.

IAC/InterActiveCorp acquired a controlling stake in Expedia in 2001. Barry Diller's IAC used Expedia as a platform to build a broader online travel portfolio, acquiring Hotels.com in 2004 for approximately $4.1 billion and Hotwire in 2003.

Expedia was spun off from IAC as an independent company in August 2005, listing on NASDAQ under ticker EXPE. The company continued its acquisition strategy, purchasing TripAdvisor in 2004 (later spun off in 2011), Trivago in 2012, Orbitz Worldwide in 2015 for approximately $1.6 billion, and HomeAway (now Vrbo) in 2015 for approximately $3.9 billion.

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 devastated the travel industry, causing Expedia's revenue to decline approximately 57% from 2019 to 2020. The company laid off approximately 3,000 employees and raised capital to weather the downturn. Travel demand recovered strongly in 2021 and 2022 as pandemic restrictions eased.

For full-year 2024, Expedia Group reported revenue of approximately $13.7 billion, reflecting continued recovery and growth in global travel demand.

Expedia Group has received recognition for travel industry leadership, technology innovation, and corporate achievement in the global online travel industry.

• Travel Technology Awards: Multiple awards for online travel platform innovation and booking technology development
• Customer Service Excellence: Recognition for customer service quality and support across multiple travel brands
• Digital Innovation Awards: Awards for mobile app development and digital travel experience innovation
• Workplace Excellence: Various awards for workplace culture, diversity, and employee satisfaction in the travel industry
• Brand Recognition Awards: Recognition for brand strength and customer loyalty across Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo
• Financial Performance Recognition: Awards for revenue growth and operational efficiency in the travel sector
• Sustainability Awards: Recognition for environmental initiatives and sustainable travel practices
• Industry Leadership Awards: Recognition for innovation in online travel and OTA market leadership
• Partnership Excellence Awards: Recognition for supplier relationships and travel industry collaboration
• Technology Leadership Recognition: Awards for artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in travel booking

The company has been consistently recognized for its role in revolutionizing online travel booking and creating innovative digital travel experiences for consumers worldwide.

Expedia Group has faced scrutiny from hotels and airlines regarding its pricing practices and the terms of its contracts with travel suppliers. Hotels have complained about rate parity clauses that prevented them from offering lower prices on their own websites, a practice that has been investigated by competition authorities in several countries.

The company has also faced criticism from vacation rental hosts and guests regarding Vrbo's fee structure and policies, particularly in comparison to Airbnb.