HomeAway / Vrbo
2015
Outcome
Rebranded as Vrbo, becoming a core pillar of Expedia Group with millions of whole-home vacation rentals across premier leisure destinations.
Expedia Group
Acquisitions
Expedia Group Acquisitions
3
Major Deals Covered
What are Expedia Group's biggest acquisitions?
This page covers 3 major deals, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.
- Major deals covered
- 3
- First deal
- 2015
- Most recent
- 2015
| Company | Year | Price | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomeAway / Vrbo | 2015 | Undisclosed | Acquired leading vacation rental marketplace to establish a dominant global alternative accommodation platform competing with Airbnb. |
| Orbitz Worldwide | 2015 | Undisclosed | Acquired major online travel agency competitor to consolidate North American consumer booking scale and loyalty membership. |
| Travelocity | 2015 | Undisclosed | Acquired iconic pioneer online travel brand from Sabre Corporation after operating its technology backend under partnership. |
- What companies has Expedia Group bought?
- Major acquisitions by Expedia Group documented here include HomeAway / Vrbo (2015), Orbitz Worldwide (2015) and Travelocity (2015).
- What is Expedia Group's most recent acquisition?
- The most recent Expedia Group acquisition documented here is HomeAway / Vrbo, in 2015.
Orbitz Worldwide
2015
Outcome
Integrated consumer booking volume and loyalty assets (Orbitz, CheapTickets), capturing substantial back-office operating synergies.
Travelocity
2015
Outcome
Fully integrated Travelocity into Expedia's marketing and booking platform, generating low-overhead consumer booking commissions.
Expedia Group's Growth & Acquisition Strategy
Expedia Group's forward growth strategy centers on three expansive pillars: scaling enterprise B2B travel technology partnerships, maximizing unified One Key loyalty customer retention, and integrating generative AI travel copilots. In B2B, Expedia is expanding its White Label Template (WLT) and Rapid API solutions, signing multi-year agreements with global retail banks and airlines to power their travel reward portals. In consumer loyalty, One Key is driving higher customer repeat booking rates by allowing travelers to use rewards earned on business hotel stays to book family vacation homes on Vrbo. In artificial intelligence, Expedia is partnering with OpenAI to embed conversational travel booking assistants directly into ChatGPT and the Expedia mobile app.
How Expedia Group Makes Money
Expedia Group generates revenue through merchant transactions, agency commissions, advertising, and B2B technology distribution fees. Merchant Revenue (approximately 60% of total revenue) is generated when Expedia facilitates travel transactions where it is the merchant of record (such as pre-paid hotel bookings and package vacations), capturing the spread between wholesale hotel rates and retail consumer pricing. Agency Revenue (roughly 30% of revenue) is earned through commission fees collected from airlines, car rental agencies, and pay-at-property hotels where the supplier processes the customer transaction. B2B Technology Fees are earned by licensing Expedia's travel API infrastructure and inventory to enterprise partners. Advertising Revenue is generated through sponsored hotel placement listings and media display advertising.
Expedia Group Acquisitions FAQ
Does Expedia Group acquire other companies?
Yes, Expedia Group executes targeted acquisitions to integrate complementary technologies, expand intellectual property, and enter new market verticals.
What is Expedia Group's acquisition strategy?
Expedia Group focuses on bolt-on acquisitions that can be rapidly integrated into its core technology architecture and commercial distribution channels.
How does Expedia Group fund its acquisitions?
Acquisitions are typically funded through cash from operations, revolving credit facilities, and strategic equity considerations.
What was one of Expedia Group's notable acquisitions?
Expedia Group has acquired specialized technology assets that enhance its core platform capabilities and expand its addressable customer base.
How does Expedia Group handle post-merger integration?
By migrating acquired codebases into its unified cloud infrastructure and retaining key engineering talent within specialized innovation pods.
Are acquisitions a primary or secondary growth driver?
Inorganic growth is secondary to robust organic product development, serving as a tactical accelerator for specific strategic capabilities.
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