SAP Concur is shuttering Hipmunk, the travel metasearch
engine it acquired in 2016.
SAP Concur says it is “retiring” both the consumer-facing
Hipmunk product as well as travel and expense product Concur Hipmunk and will
stop supporting the brand on Jan. 23.
The company said it notified employees of the decision on Jan.
14 before communicating the news to customers and partners; SAP Concur says
there will not be layoffs. “Employees who are currently working on Hipmunk will
be moving to similar roles based on their skill set, level and job profile,”
SAP Concur said.
With the folding of Hipmunk -- in particular Concur Hipmunk,
which was designed for the small and midsize-businesses -- SAP Concur will
focus its efforts on its other products, including itinerary manager TripIt Pro
and Concur TripLink, which offers direct, managed business travel bookings.
“As our approach to providing integrated travel and expense
management evolves, we have made the decision to retire Hipmunk and
Concur Hipmunk. Concur TripLink with TripIt Pro is the preferred solution for
customers who aren’t a fit for Concur Travel, an online booking tool,” the
company said in a statement.
When asked if there were efforts to salvage Hipmunk in any
iteration, the company said: “We carefully considered all potential avenues for
Hipmunk and Concur Hipmunk, and determined that it was in the best interests of
our travelers and customers, our people and SAP Concur to terminate the service
and retain all of the intellectual property.”
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Source: PhocusWire