The importance of Rome-based Venere to the wider Expedia Inc empire is becoming more apparent by the month following its acquisition of the brand in July 2008. The streamlining of the Expedia businesses late last year indicated a need by chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi wanted to position its myriad of brands in a more efficient way, with accommodation-based services such as hotels.com and Venere falling under the auspices of David Roche, who became a president of the business.... Read More

Expedia appears to be seeing the benefit of partnering with as many third parties as possible through its Affiliate Network. After stating earlier this summer that there is “no technical limit” to the number of organisations it can sign content deals with, Expedia’s roster of partners keeps growing – probably faster than any other part of its business (apart from TripAdvisor).... Read More

UK-based travel technology outfit Comtec took a reasonably brave step in 2008 when it committed itself to expanding into the North American marketplace. An injection of capital a few months before as a result of a management buyout led by chief executive Simon Powell gave the company a warchest of sorts to open an office in Alexandria, Virginia, led by ex-Sabre hand Denise Womble.... Read More

Alt-meta search shop Zoombu has managed to attract a fair amount of positive vibes in recent months, despite not throwing open its front door to the wider consumer web community. The Oxford, UK-based start-up won the EyeForTravel Get Funded Show in London in May 2009 ahead of the widely acclaimed Joobili, niche content site Tourdust and brochure distribution service Travelwhere. But co-founder Rachel Armitage admits the fledgling company is now reaching a pivotal point in its short history – and the next few months are critical.... Read More