SideStep, Inc.
(http://www.sidestep.com/), the traveler’s search engine, today announced
the launch of TravelFinds Spotlight, an email newsletter that promotes
thematic, seasonal and destination-based travel offers.
TravelFinds Spotlight builds on the success of SideStep’s TravelFinds
Specials newsletter, which delivers time-sensitive flight, hotel, rental
car, cruise and vacation offers to more than 1.3 million active travelers
every week. With Spotlight, advertisers now have the opportunity to reach
frequent travelers in newsletters focused on specific topics, such as ski
vacations, fall getaways and Las Vegas escapes.

TravelFinds Spotlight will be offered as a bonus to existing subscribers
to the Specials newsletter. As a result, Spotlight advertisers will
benefit from both focus and reach.

Spotlight ad units are clickable text links, making it fast and easy for
advertisers to create and test their messages. Spotlight’s text ads drive
consumers directly to advertisers’ sites, immediately engaging buyers with
featured brands. SideStep also provides Spotlight advertisers with regular
reporting and works closely with them to maximize campaign ROI.

Charter Spotlight advertisers include travel leaders such as Marriott
International, Kimpton Hotels Group, Aeromexico, The Venetian Resort Hotel
Casino and Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts. “TravelFinds Spotlight will reach
a large audience of active, adventurous travelers—and that makes it a
good match for Kimpton,” said Jimmy Suh, Kimpton’s vice president of
Revenue Management and Distribution. “Whether consumers are looking for
urban escapes to San Francisco or New York, a hiking trip to Aspen, or a
ski vacation in Whistler, we offer stylish, distinctive hotel choices to
suit a range of travel interests,” Suh continued. “TravelFinds Spotlight
gives us the opportunity to promote the right Kimpton properties to
SideStep users intrigued by specific themes.”

“The TravelFinds Spotlight newsletter represents a valuable addition to
the set of marketing solutions we offer our travel partners,” said Brent
Stewart, SideStep’s Director of Advertising Sales. “Spotlight provides
advertisers with the ability to zero in on prospects with specific
interests. The ROI for Spotlight advertisers promises to be excellent, and
we are confident that demand for this new product will be strong.”

For more information on advertising opportunities with SideStep, including
screen shots, pricing, and creative specifications, see SideStep’s online
media kit at http://www.sidestep.com/mediakit .

SideStep was named Silicon Valley’s third fastest growing private company
in October, 2003, by PricewaterhouseCoopers and The Silicon Valley/San
Jose Business Journal.

Winner of the Forbes “Best of the Web” Award, the SideStep travel search
toolbar is available at http://www.sidestep.com/. SideStep’s new Web-based
hotel and rental car search offerings are also available through
http://www.sidestep.com/, along with TravelFinds Specials(TM), the
company’s popular email newsletter. These SideStep services are all free
to consumers.

SideStep is actively hiring to support its growth. For job listings, see
http://www.sidestep.com/jobs.
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