Wotif

Last updated

Wotif
Company type Subsidiary
ASX: WTF
Industry Hotel reservation service
FoundedMarch 2003;21 years ago (2003-03)
Founder Graeme Wood
Headquarters Brisbane, Australia
Key people
Daniel Finch (CEO)
Parent Expedia
Website www.wotif.com

Wotif is a website that provides a reservation service for hotels in Australia and international destinations across the globe. It was set up in March 2000 by Graeme Wood in Brisbane, Australia. It has since established offices in Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. [1] Wotif.com was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange on 2 June 2006, but unlisted when it was acquired by Expedia. [2]

Contents

Wotif provides information for the coming three months. Originally details were provided seven days in advance, expanded to 14 days in February 2001, to 28 in September 2005 (around the time it first sought a listing on the Australian Securities Exchange), and later to 3 months. [3]

In October 2007, Robbie Cooke became CEO, taking over from founder Graeme Wood, who moved to the position of executive director. [4]

In October 2007, Wotif acquired Australian travel website Travel.com.au for $57 million. [5] [6]

In July 2014, Expedia agreed to buy Wotif for about US$657 million ($AU703 million); [7] [8] this was approved by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission on 1 October 2014. [9]

Awards

In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, Wotif was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as an iconic "innovation and invention". [10]

Related Research Articles

Travelocity.com is an online travel agency owned by Expedia Group. It has 12.4 million monthly unique visitors, making it the third most popular website owned by Expedia Group, after Expedia.com and Hotels.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank of Queensland</span> Australian financial institution

The Bank of Queensland (BOQ), formerly known as the Brisbane Permanent Benefit Building and Investment Society (BPBBIS) between 1874–1970, is an Australian retail bank with headquarters in Brisbane, Queensland. The bank is one of the oldest financial institutions in Queensland, having begun as a building society. It now has 111 owner-managed branches throughout Australia, including thirty-six corporate branches and third-party intermediaries. They also have over 2,300 ATMs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orbitz</span> Web-based travel fare aggregator service

Orbitz.com is a travel fare aggregator website and travel metasearch engine. The website is owned by Orbitz Worldwide, Inc., a subsidiary of Expedia Group. It is headquartered in the Citigroup Center, Chicago, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1982 Commonwealth Games</span> Multi-sport event in Brisbane, Australia

The 1982 Commonwealth Games was held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium, in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the athletics and archery events venue. Other events were held at the purpose-built Sleeman Sports Complex in Chandler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castlemaine Perkins</span> Brewery in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Castlemaine Perkins is a brewery at 185 Milton Road, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is a wholly owned entity of the Japanese-controlled Lion company. Operations began in 1878 and continue today. Castlemaine Perkins is the home of the XXXX beer brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lang Park</span> Multi-purpose stadium in Milton, Queensland, Australia

Lang Park, nicknamed "The Cauldron", also known as Brisbane Stadium and by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility comprises a three-tiered rectangular sporting stadium with a capacity of 52,500 people. The traditional home of rugby league in Brisbane, the modern stadium is also now used for rugby union and soccer and has a rectangular playing field of 136 by 82 metres. The stadium's major tenants are the Brisbane Broncos, the Dolphins (NRL), the Queensland Reds and the Queensland Maroons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expedia Group</span> US online travel shopping company

Expedia Group, Inc. is an American travel technology company that owns and operates travel fare aggregators and travel metasearch engines, including Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, Travelocity, Hotwire.com, Orbitz, Ebookers, CheapTickets, CarRentals.com, Expedia Cruises, Wotif, and Trivago. Over 3 million lodging facilities and flights on over 500 airlines are bookable on the company's websites. It has 16,500 employees, and its headquarters are located in Seattle, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame</span> Hall of fame in Queensland, Australia

The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame is a museum located in Longreach, Queensland, Australia, which pays tribute to pioneers of the Australian outback. The centre is also dedicated to Australian stockmen who have shown bravery and courage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billabong (clothing)</span> Australian clothing brand

Billabong International Limited is an Australian company focused on surfing, primarily a clothing retailer that also produces accessories, such as watches and backpacks, and skateboard and snowboard products under other brand names. Founded in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant, the company first traded on the Australian Securities Exchange in August 2000. The name "billabong" is derived from the Wiradjuri word bilabaŋ that refers to a "creek that runs only during the rainy season". As of September 2013, Von Zipper and Element were two of the prominent brands that Billabong owns. Honolua Surf Company, Kustom, Palmers Surf, Xcel, Tigerlily, Sector 9, and RVCA were the company's other brands. In 2018, Billabong International Limited was acquired by Boardriders, Inc, owner of rival brand Quiksilver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilt Train</span>

Tilt Train is the name for two similar high-speed tilting train services, one electric and the other diesel, operated by Queensland Rail. They run on the North Coast line from Brisbane to Rockhampton (electric) and Cairns (diesel). Services commenced in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regatta Hotel</span> Historically significant hotel in Brisbane, Australia

Regatta Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel at 543 Coronation Drive on the corner of Sylvan Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It faces the Toowong Reach of the Brisbane River and was named after the rowing regattas held there. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built in 1886 by George Gazzard. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Aurizon Holdings Limited is a freight rail transport company in Australia, formerly named QR National Limited and branded QR National. In 2015, it was the world's largest rail transporter of coal from mine to port. Formerly a Queensland Government-owned company, it was privatised and floated on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in November 2010. The company was originally established in 2004–05 when the coal, bulk, and container transport divisions from Queensland Rail were brought under one banner as QR National.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robbie Kruse</span> Australian footballer (born 1988)

Robbie Thomas Kruse is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played his junior football with Albany Creek in the Pine Rivers district to the near north of Brisbane and began his professional career with A-League side Brisbane Roar and later Melbourne Victory before moving to Germany in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Webjet</span> Australian travel agency

Webjet Limited is a global digital travel business operating and trading in both consumer (B2C) and wholesale (B2B) markets. Webjet Limited's Registered Office is located in Melbourne, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glass House Mountains</span> Mountain range in Queensland, Australia

The Glass House Mountains are a cluster of thirteen hills that rise abruptly from the coastal plain on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. The highest hill is Mount Beerwah at 556 metres above sea level, but the most identifiable of all the hills is Mount Tibrogargan which from certain angles bears a resemblance to a gorilla facing east towards the ocean. The Glass House Mountains are located near Beerburrum State Forest and Steve Irwin Way. From Brisbane, the mountains can be reached by following the Bruce Highway north and taking the Glass House Mountains tourist drive turn-off onto Steve Irwin Way. The trip is about one hour from Brisbane. The Volcanic peaks of the Glass House Mountains rise dramatically from the surrounding Sunshine Coast landscape. They were formed by intrusive plugs, remnants of volcanic activity that occurred 26–27 million years ago. Molten rock filled small vents or intruded as bodies beneath the surface and solidified into land rocks. Millions of years of erosion have removed the surrounding exteriors of volcanic cores and softer sandstone rock.

Graeme Thomas Wood is an Australian digital entrepreneur, philanthropist and environmentalist. He founded the websites Wotif.com and The Global Mail. Wood has also invested in The Guardian Australia.

Trivago N.V., marketed with lowercase styling as trivago, is a German technology company specializing in internet-related services and products in the hotel, lodging and metasearch fields. The company is headquartered in Düsseldorf. The American online travel company Expedia Group owns a majority of the company's stock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Q150</span> 150th anniversary of Queensland, Australia as an independent colony and state

Q150 was the sesquicentenary of the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859. Separation established the Colony of Queensland which became the State of Queensland in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia. Q150 was celebrated in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yatala Pie Shop</span> Pie shop in Queensland, Australia

The Yatala Pie Shop is an iconic pie shop in Yatala, City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Yatala Pie Shop was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "location".

Robert Andrew Creeth Brice is an Australian businessman and philanthropist.

References

  1. "About us". Wotif.com. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  2. Wotif.com Holdings Limited Commencement of Official Quotation Australian Stock Exchange 31 May 2006
  3. "Our history". Wotif.com. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  4. Georgina Robinson (23 October 2007). "Robbie takes the reins at Wotif". Brisbane Times . Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  5. Teresa Ooi (15 November 2007). "Webjet results ready to take off". Australian IT. News.com.au . Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  6. "Webjet backs down as Wotif.com stands to secure travel.com.au". e-Travel Blackboard. 17 October 2007. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  7. Matthew Rocco (7 July 2014). "Expedia Scores $657M Deal for Australia's Wotif". Fox Business . Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  8. "US online travel giant Expedia to buy Wotif". ABC News. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  9. ACCC will not oppose Expedia's proposed acquisition of Wotif Australian Competition & Consumer Commission 2 October 2014
  10. Bligh, Anna (10 June 2009). "Premier Unvels Queensland's 150 Icons". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.