PlanetOut, Inc. and Expedia.com Join Forces in Travel Partnership
PlanetOut offers lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community the best of online travel through exclusive integration with Expedia
SAN FRANCISCO, April 3, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Expedia.com®, the world's leading online travel provider, has partnered with PlanetOut Inc. (NASDAQ: LGBT), the leading media company exclusively serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, to be the exclusive travel booking provider for PlanetOut Web sites, including PlanetOut.com (http://www.planetout.com/travel), Gay.com (http://www.gay.com/travel) and OutTraveler.com (http://www.outtraveler.com/).
Through this partnership, PlanetOut will leverage the full offering of Expedia® travel content and booking capabilities as well as integrating merchandising features directly into its network of Web sites. PlanetOut's audience of sophisticated travelers will benefit from the breadth of Expedia content and services, enabling them to research, plan and purchase their ideal vacations with confidence to destinations worldwide. This partnership marks the first marketing efforts to the LGBT community by Expedia.
“It's a wonderful opportunity to partner with the LGBT community and its trend-setting travelers,” said Sarah Pynchon, vice president of brand marketing for Expedia. “Working hand-in-hand with PlanetOut will pair Expedia's extensive wealth of content, booking tools and travel expertise with their passionate audience, creating a more tailored travel planning experience.”
In addition to providing booking capabilites for PlanetOut sites, Expedia will participate in online and offline advertising throughout the PlanetOut media network as well as sponsorship of select PlanetOut events.
“PlanetOut is proud to combine our award-winning content with a leading brand such as Expedia.com,” said Kevyn Lloyd Aiken, vice president of marketing, media sales for PlanetOut. “We know from our proprietary research that Expedia.com is already a preferred travel booking mechanism for the LGBT community and look forward to partnering with Expedia to further their market share in a community that spends more than twice what the average American does on travel.”
About PlanetOut Inc.
PlanetOut Inc. is the leading media company exclusively serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. PlanetOut's brands include Gay.com, PlanetOut.com, The Advocate (http://www.advocate.com/), Out (http://www.out.com/), and The Out Traveler (http://www.outtraveler.com/), as well as other publishing, direct marketing and e-commerce properties. PlanetOut, based in San Francisco with additional offices in New York and Los Angeles, offers FORTUNE 1000 and Global 500 advertisers access to what it believes to be the most extensive network of gay and lesbian people in the world. For more information, please visit http://www.planetoutinc.com/.
About Expedia.com
Expedia.com® is the world's leading online travel provider, helping millions of travelers per month easily plan and book travel. Expedia.com (http://www.expedia.com/) aims to provide personalized service, the latest technology and the widest selection of vacation packages, flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises and in-destination activities, attractions, and services. With the Expedia® Best Price Guarantee, Expedia.com promises to offer to its customers the best rates available online for all types of travel, making it the most comprehensive customer guarantee in online travel. Expedia.com is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE).
Expedia and Expedia.com are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. 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.
© 2008 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST: 2029030-40
SOURCE: PlanetOut, Inc.; Expedia, Inc.
CONTACT: Kevyn Lloyd Aiken of PlanetOut Inc., +1-212-209-5300,
kevyn.aiken@planetoutinc.com; or Katrina Thomas of Expedia.com,
+1-425-679-4317, press@expedia.com
Web site: http://www.expedia.com/
http://www.planetoutinc.com/
http://www.advocate.com/
http://www.outtraveler.com/
http://www.out.com/