Priceline buys travel site Kayak for $1.8 Bn: No, Shatner didn't negotiate !
Leading travel site Priceline is buying rival travel firm Kayak for $1.8 billion in cash and stock, the firms said today. Kayak shareholders will get $40 per share, $10 more then today's closing price in New York
William Shatner
Kayak.com , based in Norwalk, Connecticut, went public only four months ago and beat expectations in its first quarterly earnings report.
William Shatner, Captain Kirk of Star Trek, widely know as the Priceline "Negotiator" on TV , is not thought to have been involved in the talks .
Priceline CEO Jeffery Boyd,said, "Kayak has built a strong brand in online travel research and their track record of profitable growth demonstrates their popularity with consumers and value to advertisers.
"Kayak also has world-class technology and a tradition of innovation in building great user interfaces across multiple platforms and devices."
Kayak.com will continue as a separate brand and remain managed by its current team, say the companies.
Bearing in mind Shatner's role, Adweek wondered if Leonard Nimoy (Spock) might get beamed up for a Kayak role? "Consumer resistance might be futile, " said the mag.
Kayak's claim to fame is that it allows people to easily compare hundreds of travel sites at once when searching for flights, hotels, and rental cars, and gives travellers choices on where to book.
The company processes over 100 million user queries each month through its global websites and mobile applications.
Steve Hafner, CEO and cofounder of Kayak said, "Paul English and I started Kayak eight years ago to create the best place to plan and book travel. We're excited to join the world's premier online travel company. "