Online travel giant TripAdvisor has acquired holidaylettings.co.uk as the company seeks to continue its expansion into the vacation rental marketplace.

TripAdvisor – which is in turn owned by Expedia – purchased the site from property specialist Rightmove for an undisclosed sum.

The deal follows the launch of vacation rentals on TripAdvisor in 2009 and the purchase of a majority stake in United States-based FlipKey.com in 2008.

[stock]EXPE|1m|right|Expedia up following acquisition[/stock]

“Our acquisition of Holiday Lettings significantly enhances the choice of fantastic vacation rentals available to the TripAdvisor community, particularly within Europe,” said TripAdvisor founder Steve Kaufer.

“It will also enable travellers to benefit from a wealth of destination information from fellow travellers to help them plan their perfect trip.”

TripAdvisor confirmed holidaylettings.co.uk will continue to be operated as an independent site. The company was established in 1999 and the co-founders and management will continue to lead the business as an independent brand from its offices in Oxford.

“TripAdvisor for Business, a new division of TripAdvisor, is a pioneer offering hospitality businesses the opportunity to target the world’s largest travel community with best-in-class marketing services,” explained Christine Petersen, president of TripAdvisor for Business.

“This exciting acquisition will expand our services for home owners and property management companies in the vibrant European marketplace and build on the strength that FlipKey has established in the U.S. market.”