Expedia has appointed Cyril Ranque to vice president, Expedia,
Inc. Partner Services Group (PSG), Asia Pacific. This move signals the
growing presence of Expedia(R) in the Asia Pacific Region (APAC) and builds
on the company’s recent regional momentum.
  Based in the Expedia Hong Kong office, Ranque will oversee
relationships with airlines, hotels, tour operators and destination
services in APAC on behalf of all Expedia, Inc. points of sale globally.
Ranque started with Expedia in 2006 and played a key role in developing
partnerships with the leading international hotel chains for EMEA and APAC.
  “We continue to expand our presence in the Asia Pacific region through
strategic investments in people, technology and partnerships,” said Paul
Brown, president of Expedia(R) Partner Services Group. “Our continued
efforts in the region extend our ability to deliver local suppliers and
customers traveling to and within the Asia Pacific region access to the
world’s largest, most intelligent travel marketplace.”
  Ranque’s new role is the latest in a series of significant commitments
Expedia has made in the fast-growing Asia travel market. The company first
invested in the Asia travel market in July 2004 through its investment in
eLong(TM) (http://www.elong.net), the second largest online travel company
in China. Expedia subsequently launched its Australian Web site,
Expedia.com.au(TM) in December 2005, closely followed by the launch of
Expedia Japan (http://www.expedia.co.jp). In addition, Expedia, Inc.
operates 11 hotels.com(R) sites throughout the region and has announced
future plans to introduce other points of sale, such as Expedia.co.nz in
New Zealand and Expedia.in in India.
  “Expedia is uniquely positioned to address the diverse needs of
travelers in the Asia Pacific region,” explained Henrik Kjellberg,
president of Expedia APAC. “Our investments in building our supply
relationships in the region are key to the consumer value we deliver
there.”
  Expedia, Inc. momentum in APAC includes newly signed partnerships with
all Banyan Tree properties across Asia on Expedia, Rihga Hotels in Japan
and Marco Polo Hotels in Hong Kong. Additionally, recent portfolio renewals
and augmentations include a Jin Jiang Hotels expansion to include
additional properties throughout China; a renewed partnership with
Shangri-la to an expanded portfolio moving on direct connectivity at the
end of the year; and Taj Hotels, featuring 24 new properties made available
to Expedia travelers worldwide and 100 percent direct connectivity to their
CRS properties since early October.
  Other recent regional successes include the partnership Expedia Japan
announced last month with JAL, Asia’s largest airline by passengers carried
and the premier online booking site in Japan. Under the agreement, Expedia
is providing its hotel listings and booking capabilities for more than
34,000 hotels in thousands of cities on JAL’s Web site.
  Expedia(R) PSG APAC, headquartered in Hong Kong, serves Asia-based
supply partners with streamlined access to the Expedia portfolio of brands
and global points of sale. The growing Expedia supply teams serving hotel,
air and destination services partners have already established local
offices in Sydney, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Delhi and Mumbai, with plans
for expansion into Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul to strengthen the dedicated
local support offered to its partners.
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