Priceline.com to Acquire KAYAK

handshakePriceline.com reports signing a definitive agreement for the Priceline Group to acquire KAYAK in a stock and cash transaction. The transaction values KAYAK at $1.8 billion with the Group paying approximately $500 million in cash and $1.3 billion in equity.

The Boards of Directors of the Priceline Group and KAYAK have unanimously approved the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including a vote of KAYAK's shareholders and regulatory approvals. The deal is expected to close by late in the first quarter 2013. KAYAK's current management team will continue to manage KAYAK's operations independently as part of the Priceline Group of companies.  

KAYAK is a travel research site that allows people to easily compare hundreds of travel sites at once when searching for flights, hotels, and rental cars, and gives travelers choices on where to book. The company processes over 100 million user queries each month through its global websites and  mobile applications. 

"KAYAK has built a strong brand in online travel research and their track record of profitable growth is demonstrative of their popularity with consumers and value to advertisers," said Priceline Group President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffery H. Boyd.  "KAYAK also has world class technology and a tradition of innovation in building great user interfaces across multiple platforms and devices. We believe we can be helpful with KAYAK's plans to build a global online travel brand."

The Priceline Group is a  global online hotel reservations company, with over 270,000 participating hotels worldwide. The Group is composed of four primary brands - Booking.com, priceline.com, Agoda.com and Rentalcars.com - and several ancillary brands. The Priceline Group provides online travel services in over 180 countries in Europe, North America, South America, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa.

Visit www.Priceline.com