Expedia.com Launches 'You Name It Contest and Sweepstakes' on Facebook Offering a $10,000 Vacation

BELLEVUE, Wash., Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Expedia.com®, the world's leading online travel agency, today introduced the "You Name It Contest and Sweepstakes," a contest hosted on the Expedia® Facebook page that asks travelers to help Expedia come up with a better name for its Vacation Packages. The winner will receive a vacation worth up to $10,000, and other participants can win $500 or $250 Expedia travel credits.

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When travelers book their flight and hotel simultaneously on Expedia, the result is called a Vacation Package. The mere act of booking simultaneously can yield up to $450 in savings compared to what it would cost to book the same component separately. When flights and hotels are booked separately – even minutes apart – those savings are lost.  According to Expedia's estimates, travelers leave billions in potential savings on the table every year. Expedia believes that the name Vacation Package may be confusing to some travelers and tamps down interest. Thus, Expedia is harnessing the collective creative wisdom of the American traveler to rename its package booking offering.

Beginning today through February 3, Expedia travelers can visit www.facebook.com/expedia and suggest a new name for Vacation Packages.  Expedia will collect and analyze the entries and will choose ten finalists.  Expedia Facebook fans will then have the opportunity to vote for the winner from among the ten finalists.  The entry that receives the most votes as best characterizing the value of the package booking process will win the contest and earn a vacation worth up to $10,000. The second-place winner will win a $500 Expedia credit.  Voters also have the opportunity to win one of several $250 travel credits.

"Vacation Packages have been available on Expedia.com for years. Billions of dollars in free money goes unclaimed because consumers simply don't know, or don't believe, that when they book their flight and hotel together, they may save. So we're asking for their help in finding a name that will work better. Come up with a better name and win a trip of a lifetime," said Tim MacDonald, senior vice president and general manager, Expedia.com.

Travelers who book a flight and hotel together on Expedia can save up to $450. This is because airlines and hotels have empty seats and rooms that they need to fill. When travelers book them at the same time, Expedia can offer prices that airlines and hotels won't reveal separately.

Contest Rules

All entries must be submitted by February 3, 2011. Each customer is limited to a single entry of four words or less. Expedia's panel of judges will sort and select the ten finalists and post them on the Facebook contest page on February 8, 2011.  

Expedia will then ask its Facebook fans to select the winner. Voting for the winning selection will begin on February 8 and end on February 15. Participants can vote for their favorite entry once per day through February 15. The voters themselves may earn a prize. Each vote counts as a sweepstakes entry. Five prizes of $250 in Expedia credit will be awarded to randomly-selected voters.

Players can share their entry on their own Facebook pages and encourage their friends to support their entry or to participate themselves. The lucky traveler whose entry receives the most votes will win a trip worth up to $10,000.

For more details about the "You Name it Contest and Sweepstakes," including rules and regulations, visit www.facebook.com/expedia.

About Expedia.com

Expedia.com is the world's leading online travel site, helping millions of travelers per month easily plan and book travel. Expedia.com (http://www.expedia.com, 1-800-EXPEDIA) aims to provide personalized service, the latest technology and the widest selection of vacation packages, flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises and in-destination activities, attractions, and services. With the Expedia Best Price Guarantee, Expedia.com promises to offer to its customers the best rates available online for all types of travel. Expedia.com is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE).

Expedia, Expedia.com and the Airplane logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners. © 2011 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST: 2029030-50

Web site: http://www.expedia.com

SOURCE Expedia, Inc.