Expedia.com Wins Top Honors for Editorial Content and Ease of Use
REDMOND, Wash., May 14, 1998 — The Microsoft® Expedia
™
.com travel service from Microsoft Corp. has added two new honors to an ever-growing list of prestigious awards: The Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Foundation Gold Award in Electronic Media and the Communication Arts Magazine Interactive Design Annual 4 award as one of the best business Web sites recognize the high-quality editorial content and easy-to-navigate design of Expedia.com (http://expedia.com/) .
The Lowell Thomas Travel Competition is the most prestigious and widely recognized contest for travel journalists, and the SATW Foundation honored the Expedia.com team of professional travel writers and editors for their original content, including coverage of destinations, travel issues and daily travel news updates. Expedia.com was selected from a field of 22 category entries.
“Expedia.com is a truly comprehensive travel Web site. It practically overflows with good writing and good information about almost any travel topic,”
noted the judges of the competition.
Expedia.com also was honored as one of the top business Web sites in the Communication Arts Magazine Interactive Design Annual 4, the world’s largest design competition for interactive media. Criteria for the award included compelling content, ease of navigation and outstanding customer support. Expedia.com was one of 37 winning entries chosen from a field of more than 1,300.
“Expedia.com has brought together innovative design, content and technology to create a superior e-commerce experience,”
said Patrick Coyne, editor and designer, Communication Arts Magazine.
“We are committed to providing travelers with top-quality content and design that is both extremely helpful and easy to use,”
said Renee Russak, group manager of content and programming, travel business unit, Microsoft.
“These awards clearly reflect what our customers already know – Expedia.com is providing the best, most comprehensive travel planning and purchasing experience on the Web.”
The award-winning content on Expedia.com can be found in the site’s Magazine, Resources and Communicate sections. Special features within these sections include World Guide, the online equivalent of hundreds of guidebooks for domestic and international destinations; Full Circle, a collection of interactive 360-degree views of top travel destinations; Forums and Chats, featuring fellow travelers’ up-to-the-minute advice on where to go and what to do; and Travel News, highlighting current travel information.
Previous awards and recognition for Expedia.com include PC Magazine’s Top 100 Web Sites, the Codie Award for excellence in software development, and the Mobile Computing & Communications Award for best business Web site.
About Expedia.com
Microsoft Expedia.com is the place to go on the Web to plan travel, purchase tickets, and make hotel and car reservations. Expedia.com offers in-depth destination content and travel news as well as mapping, address finding and direction services. Since its inception in October 1996, Expedia.com has become one of the Web’s most successful electronic-commerce sites, with travel sales for January 1998 exceeding $12 million. A recent study by new-media audience-
measurement firm Media Metrix, The PC Meter Company ranked Expedia.com as the fastest-growing online travel service for 1997.
The Microsoft Expedia.com online travel planning service is part of the Microsoft Expedia family of travel and mapping products and services. These include the Microsoft Expedia Streets 98, Streets Deluxe 98 and Trip Planner 98 CD-ROMs and the Expedia Travel Network, a one-stop travel shopping mall offering vacation packages, cruises, resorts and travel merchandise from leading suppliers.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft and Expedia are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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