Expedia Partners With Top African Hotel Company Protea Hospitality Group

World’s largest online travel company to offer Protea Hotels and African Pride hotels to travelers worldwide

Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), the world’s largest online travel company, today announced it has signed a global partnership agreement with Protea Hospitality Group, a South Africa-based hotel management company operating nearly 130 properties in eight countries throughout Africa under the Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels brands.   Under the agreement, Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels properties will be available for travelers to book on the more than 90 Expedia- and Hotels.com® online travel sites worldwide.  The Protea Hospitality Group is Africa’s largest and leading hotel company.

This is the first global agreement for Expedia with an Africa-based hotel company. While individual Protea properties have been available on Expedia and Hotels.com sites in the past, expanding to a global partnership was the next logical step for Protea, said Danny Bryer, Protea Hotels’ Director of Sales, Marketing and Revenue,  

“We look forward to a successful partnership that will give our entire portfolio of hotels the opportunity to offer dynamic pricing, and to showcase our extensive selection of lodging options to Expedia’s vast global audience of travelers,” said Bryer.

Every month, nearly 60 million shoppers visit Expedia’s websites offered in more than 60 countries and 33 different languages worldwide.  Hotels that partner with Expedia can display their property on all of its global sites. In addition, Expedia hotel partners have access to strategic insights from local Expedia market managers, who can help hotels create efficient online distribution strategies and advise them on merchandising and promotional opportunities.

“Protea’s footprint in Africa, coupled with their leadership position in the local hospitality industry, makes them a highly desirable partner for Expedia,” said Christopher Michau, global lodging strategic accounts director for Expedia.  “We’re pleased for the opportunity to continue developing our relationship with Protea, and to establish Expedia’s reputation as an important marketing partner for hotels throughout Africa and worldwide.”  

About Expedia, Inc. 

Expedia, Inc. is the largest online travel company in the world, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes more than 90 localized Expedia.com®- and Hotels.com®-branded sites; leading U.S. discount travel site Hotwire®; leading agency hotel company Venere.com™; Egencia®, the world's fifth largest corporate travel management company; the world's largest travel community TripAdvisor® Media Network; destination activities provider ExpediaLocalExpert®; luxury travel specialist Classic Vacations®; and China's second largest booking site eLong™. The company delivers consumers value in leisure and business travel, drives incremental demand and direct bookings to travel suppliers, and provides advertisers vast opportunity to reach the most valuable audience of in-market travel consumers anywhere through TripAdvisor Media Network and Expedia Media Solutions. Expedia also powers bookings for some of the world’s leading airlines and hotels, top consumer brands, high traffic websites, and thousands of active affiliates through Expedia® Affiliate Network.  (NASDAQ: EXPE)

About Expedia Partner Services Group

Expedia Partner Services Group (PSG) is the central point of contact for travel suppliers to access the global Expedia marketplace of leading travel brands comprising more than 90 points of sale worldwide.  With hundreds of employees in local markets throughout the world, Expedia® PSG makes it easy for suppliers to meet their global distribution objectives, and delivers a portfolio of innovative connectivity solutions, rate and inventory management tools, business intelligence reports, and online marketing expertise.

Expedia and Expedia Affiliate Network are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.  hotels.com is either a trademark or registered trademark of hotels.com, L.P., a subsidiary of hotels.com in the U.S. and/or other countries.  Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners. © 2010 Expedia, Inc.  All rights reserved.  CST: 2029030-50

Expedia Contact:        

Katie Deines Fourcin, media

(425) 679-7991

press@expedia.com

About Protea Hotels

Protea Hotels is Africa’s largest and leading hotel group and has a footprint of approximately 130 properties throughout South Africa and several other African countries, including Nigeria, Namibia and Kenya.  Each hotel is unique in character and the collection ranges from chic urban accommodations to country retreats, all in 3 and 4-star markets.  Protea Hotels is the winner of two World Travel Awards for Best Hotel Group in Africa, winner of three Sunday Times Markinor Top Hotel Brand Awards and the winner of the Coolest Hotel Group category in the Sunday Times Generation Next 2009 awards.  The hotel group became a wholly owned South African company again in April 2009 after a consortium comprising Protea Hotels management, its BEE shareholders and Investec Private Equity bought back the 74 percent stake the hotel group sold to Australian-based Stella Hospitality Group three years ago. 

Follow us on Twitter @ProteaHotels.  For more information, please visit www.proteahotels.com

About African Pride Hotels, Lodges and Country Houses

Protea Hotels’ superior luxury collection, African Pride Hotels, offers the highest international standards of service excellence, luxury accommodation and superior facilities, ensuring that GUESTS experience the best of South Africa, as well as the proud spirit of the continent, as the name implies.

African Pride's 18 hotels, safari lodges and country houses have a presence in popular tourist destinations, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Hermanus, Cape Winelands and the Garden Route

For more information, please visit www.africanpridehotels.com. The African Pride deluxe hotels, lodges and country houses include:

1. African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel
2. African Pride Andros Boutique Hotel
3. African Pride Makaranga Garden Lodge
4. African Pride Tribe (Nairobi, Kenya)
5. African Pride 15 On Orange Hotel – Winner of the House & Leisure Best Hotel in SA 2010
6. African Pride Endless Horizons Boutique Hotel
7. African Pride Mount Grace Country House & Spa
8. African Pride Pumba Private Game Reserve
9. African Pride Rosenhof Country House
10. African Pride The Sands at St Francis
11. African Pride Hacklewood Hill Country House
12. African Pride Audacia Manor
13. African Pride The Burning Shore (Namibia)
14. African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa
15. African Pride Rijk’s Country House
16. African Pride Mosselberg on Grotto
17. African Pride Rosenhof Country House
18. African Pride Irene Country Lodge