This is the monthly newsletter for the Expedia.com TM travel service, highlighting the latest site information and trends in online travel. Expedia.com includes many third-party offers; some restrictions apply. More information on these offers is available at http://expedia.com/ .
What’s New
Expedia.com Introduces Hotel Price Matcher
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Expedia.com is the first full-service travel site allowing customers to specify their own price for hotel rooms. Using Hotel Price Matcher, customers state the price they are willing to pay for hotel rooms, along with their dates of stay, class of hotel, destination and desired neighborhood. Within moments they are notified of whether their request has been matched. To launch the new service, through Oct. 6, 1999, Expedia.com is offering a special promotion giving Hotel Price Matcher customers a $25 credit card reward if their offer is matched.
Expedia Radio Is Planned to Expand to More Than 50 Commercial Stations Nationwide
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Beginning Saturday, Sept. 11, Expedia® Radio is planned to be heard in more than
50 markets nationwide after joining the impressive array of shows on Talk Radio Network. Hosted by Seattle radio veterans John Fisher and Mike West, Expedia Radio is a one-hour, weekly travel radio program designed as an audio companion to the Expedia.com travel service, the Internet’s leading online travel site. Listeners can book trips they heard about during the program, which includes Travel News, Best Places and Deals segments, as well as content provided by expert travel correspondents and guest celebrities. Features offer timely and entertaining information on all aspects of travel, from exotic destinations to practical advice for weekend travelers. A complete listing of anticipated stations and air times for Expedia Radio, along with the previous week’s show, is available at http://expedia.com/daily/radio/ .
Fall Colors on Expedia.com
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September and October mark the time millions of travelers across the nation journey to the East and Midwest for the brilliant autumn foliage and festivals. Visitors can get motivated to plan a trip to relish the season by reading an article on outdoor adventure in Boston beginning Sept. 15. Then they can use the many resources on Expedia.com, including the Family Travel section, updated weather forecasts and chat forums, to plan and book a fall colors trip.
Expedia.com Is the Most Visited Online Travel Site for Fourth Consecutive Month
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With its lead solidified by several new initiatives including its recent upgrade, the launch of Expedia Radio and addition of the Family Travel section, Expedia.com remains the most visited online travel site with 4.2 million visitors in July alone, according to Media Metrix Inc. Expedia.com also posted the largest sales of any online travel site with sales of $183 million during the second quarter of 1999.
Community Forums Moving
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Starting Sept. 15, exchanging advice and ideas with fellow travelers will be even easier on Expedia.com bulletin boards. Users will no longer be required to use a news reader; only Web access and an MSN TM Passport will be needed.
New Travel Companies
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Expedia.com continues to diversify its product and service offerings with the addition of Backroads, Dive Tropical, African Safari Co., eBags Inc., Atlantic Luggage and Audio Book Club Inc. to the Sports & Adventure and Travel Merchandise areas.
Expedia.com Great E-Mail Escape Continues
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The Great E-Mail Escape will continue on Expedia.com through the end of 1999. Each week, one lucky subscriber to the Expedia.com weekly Fare Tracker e-mail notification service will win a trip to one of his or her three chosen destinations. For a chance to win, customers must subscribe to Fare Tracker, select their city pairs and check their e-mail once a week.
Top 10 Millennium Destinations Booked Online With Expedia.com
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Planning a story on millennium travel or curious where your readers are planning to be on Dec. 31, 1999? The results may surprise you. Below are the top destinations booked to date through Expedia.com for travel between Dec. 15 and Jan. 15:
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Florida
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Las Vegas
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San Juan, Puerto Rico
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Los Angeles
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Denver
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Phoenix
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Honolulu
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London
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New York
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San Francisco
Insider’s Advice
Travel Chat Highlights for September –
http://expedia.com/daily/community/
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Off-season travel with kids.
Join renowned family travel expert Eileen Ogintz to debate the pros and cons and learn about special offers when traveling off-season with kids.
Sept. 14, 7-8 p.m. PDT -
Great solo vacations.
Chat with Eleanor Berman, author of
“Traveling Solo,”
to find out her vacation ideas for solo travelers, including African safaris and cooking school in France. Sept. 16, 6-7 p.m. PDT
360-Degree Tour of Chicago – http://expedia.com/daily/360/chicago/
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Drink in the Windy City’s skyline and views of Lake Michigan from the overlook at the Museum Campus, site of three venerable Chicago institutions: the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium. The accompanying
“Plan this trip”
article covers prime Chicago sights, lodging, restaurants and shopping.
Best Places – http://expedia.com/daily/favplaces/
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Sydney 2000. When Sydney hosts the Olympics in 2000, the world-class athletes and sporting events won’t be the only attraction. Discover the wealth of sights and activities that make Sydney one of the top travel destinations in the world. Click on the
“Plan this trip”
link to book the trip, learn more about activities and link to local tourism Web sites.
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Boston outdoors. Beginning Sept. 15, travelers can find out more about enjoying the fall colors in the Boston area. From canoeing the Charles River to bicycling through Concord, discover the opportunities for viewing fall foliage. Click on the
“Plan this trip”
link to book the trip, learn more about activities and link to local tourism Web sites.
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Argentina: Patagonia. Traveler’s can sample Argentina’s finest attractions beginning
Sept. 28 by reading about a trip starting in the southern Andes Mountains. The article will virtually transport readers along the southern tip of South America at Tierra del Fuego and end in a fascinating wildlife preserve along the Atlantic coast. Click on the
“Plan this trip”
link to book the trip, learn more about activities and link to local tourism Web sites.
Top 10 Destinations Booked Online With Expedia.com
Where are travelers on the Internet going? Following is a list of the hottest destinations booked on Expedia.com from July 15 through Aug. 15, 1999:
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New York
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San Francisco
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Washington, D.C.
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Chicago
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Los Angeles
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Orlando, Fla.
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Las Vegas
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Seattle
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Boston
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Atlanta
About Expedia.com
Expedia.com ( http://expedia.com/ ) is the leading place to go on the Web to find the right trip at the right price. People can book air, car and hotel reservations as well as find vacations, cruises and other travel options. Along with booking travel, Expedia.com helps people plan their trips with in-depth destination information, travel news and mapping services.
Expedia.com leads the online travel industry in sales and customer traffic. Expedia.com was the most visited online travel site for the last four months, including each month of the second quarter of fiscal year 1999, according to Media Metrix, with 4.2 million visitors in July. Second-quarter sales surpassed $183 million, more than triple the sales for the same period in 1998.
Expedia.com has also been recognized as the top online travel site by such prestigious publications as PC Magazine, PC World, PC Computing, Macworld, Computerworld and Brill’s Content.
A credit card guarantee is offered on Expedia.com (U.S. and Canadian versions only) to protect credit cards used on the Internet from fraud. With this service, after customers use their credit cards on Expedia.com, the cards are protected from fraud liability – up to $50 (U.S.) – on any purchases made in the subsequent 12 months on or off the Internet. Expedia.com also offers exceptional customer service, with more than 250 travel representatives and travel agents available via a toll-free number and e-mail 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Expedia.com is also available under Travel on http://MSN.com/ .
Microsoft, Expedia.com, Expedia and MSN 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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