NEW YORK, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- InterActiveCorp's
(Nasdaq: IACI) IAC Travel division today announced that Cheryl Rosner,
currently senior vice president of marketing at Hotels.com, will become
president of Hotels.com effective January 1, 2004.
Company co-founders Dave Litman, CEO of Hotels.com, and Bob Diener,
president, will remain in their current roles through the end of the year and
will transition to become advisers to Hotels.com and IAC Travel, focusing on
new growth opportunities for the company. Ms. Rosner will report to Erik
Blachford, president and CEO of IAC Travel.
"As senior vice president of marketing, Cheryl managed the extremely
successful launch of the company's web site, hotels.com, at a time when the
competitive environment made that seem somewhere between tough and
impossible," said Mr. Blachford. "In addition, her broad experience with many
aspects of the lodging business gives me confidence that she's the right
leader to take the reins as we work together to grow the Hotels.com business
under IAC Travel."
Ms. Rosner joined Hotels.com in 1999, working on hotel relationships and
contracting, and moved into positions in business development and marketing.
Since early 2002, she has led the highly successful effort to create the
hotels.com consumer brand, one of the best-known online travel brands and
most-visited travel transaction sites.
"Bob and Dave have built an incredible company and I'm honored to have the
opportunity to grow this business," said Ms. Rosner. "I have had the privilege
of working very closely with Bob and Dave, and I know not only what a
successful company they've built, but also the passion with which they built
it -- they inspired our team to achieve the success we've had and will
continue to have."
Hotels.com was founded by Bob Diener and Dave Litman in 1991 as a
toll-free telephone service offering consumers a one-stop source for
discounted accommodations in major cities. The founders developed the first
successful large-scale merchant hotel business on the Internet with the
development of their affiliate network beginning in 1996, and extended that
business to its branded hotels.com site in 2002. IAC purchased a majority
share of Hotels.com in 1999, and purchased the remaining public shares earlier
this year.
"Bob Diener and Dave Litman pioneered the development of the Internet as a
major distribution channel for hotel rooms, changing the way Americans plan
and buy travel," said Mr. Blachford. "Their success is a testament to what
the best entrepreneurs and innovators can create -- not only great companies,
but entirely new ways of doing business."
Mr. Diener said, "We have worked closely with Cheryl for more than four
years and have long seen her as our choice to take the helm of Hotels.com. We
have rarely seen executives with her passion, energy and dedication. She will
be a great asset to IAC Travel."
"Bob and I are excited about our new roles in working to find new areas of
growth for IAC Travel. We also look forward to working with Erik and Cheryl
in growing Hotels.com as the tidal wave of demand for online travel continues
to bring more and more consumers to our sites," stated Mr. Litman.
About Hotels.com
Hotels.com is the largest specialized provider of discount lodging
worldwide, providing service through its own websites (including
http://www.hotels.com and others), thousands of affiliated websites, and its
toll-free call centers (1-800-2-HOTELS). Hotels.com provides accommodations to
travelers at over 9,000 properties in more than 400 markets in North America,
Europe, the Caribbean and Asia. The company offers a one-stop shopping source
for hotel pricing, amenities and availability, and also specializes in
providing travelers with accommodations for sold-out periods. Hotels.com is an
operating business of IAC/InterActiveCorp.
About IAC/InterActiveCorp
IAC/InterActiveCorp, formerly USA Interactive, consists of IAC Travel, a
division of the company that encompasses Expedia, Inc., which oversees
Interval International, TV Travel Shop, Hotels.com, and Hotwire.com. The
other operating businesses of IAC are: HSN; Ticketmaster, which oversees
Evite and ReserveAmerica; Match.com, which oversees uDate.com; Entertainment
Publications; Citysearch; Precision Response Corporation; and Lending Tree.
The goal of IAC is to be the world's largest and most profitable interactive
commerce company by pursuing a multi-brand strategy.
SOURCE InterActiveCorp
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Related links:
http://www.hotels.com
CONTACT:
Andrea Riggs of Expedia, Inc.,
+1-425-748-3837, or +1-206-604-2965, or ariggs@expedia.com, for
InterActiveCorp
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