BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Expedia signed a definitive agreement to acquire
the assets of Newtrade Technologies, a move that Expedia hopes will
enhance its merchant hotel product.
Terms of the deal, which is expected to close this month, were
not disclosed.
Based in Montreal, Newtrade, a software company and distributor,
will use open standards technology to connect the reservation
systems of Expedia's merchant hotel partners to the online
agency.
This enhanced connectivity, according to Expedia, gives "hotels
unprecedented flexibility and control over their information
distribution and inventory management."
Expedia expects to deploy Newtrade's solutions to Expedia's
merchant hotel partners early next year.
Newtrade has distribution agreements with Sabre, Worldspan and
Galileo.