Wotif.com

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wotif.com
The current Wotif.com logo.
The Wotif.com home page on 16 November 2007
The Wotif.com homepage on 16 November 2007.
URL http://www.wotif.com/
Slogan 28 days of great deals!
Commercial? Yes
Type of site Hotel reservation service
Registration No
Available language(s) English
Owner Graeme Wood
Created by Graeme Wood
Launched March 2000
Current status Public limited company

Wotif.com is a website that provides a reservation service for hotels in Australia, as well as some international hotels. It was created in March 2000 by Graeme Wood, and was originally based in Brisbane, Australia. It has since established offices in Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.[1] Wotif.com has been listed on the Australian Stock Exchange since 2 June 2006.[2]

Wotif.com has been ranked by Alexa one of the top 15,000 trafficked websites on the internet.[3]

Unlike many other travel websites, Wotif.com does not provide limitless lists of hotel details. Instead, the website provides information for the next 28 days, the reason being that "as a date gets closer, hotels can often drop their rates". Originally, the website only provided details seven days in advance, this was expanded to 14 days in February 2001, and to 28 in September 2005, around the time it first sought a listing on the ASX.[4]

On 22 October 2007, Robbie Cooke became CEO of Wotif.com, taking over from founder Graeme Wood, who moved to the position of executive director.[5] Cooke did not receive a seat in the board of directors, however.[6]

In October 2007, Wotif.com placed a $57 million bid for Australian travel website Travel.com.au. This bid defeated Webjet's, causing the company to sell its share in the site.[7][8] The takeover bid also gave Wotif.com a share in websites dealing in "online flight, car, cruise and holiday bookings", previously unchartered territory for the company. Wotif.com's CEO, Robbie Cooke, said of the takeover bid that "those brands give us an ability to push into the flights area in particular but we can also improve those brands' hotel offerings".[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ About us. Wotif.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  2. ^ Wotif.com Holdings Limited (WTF). ASX. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  3. ^ Traffic details for Wotif.com. Alexa. Retrieved on 2008-02-07.
  4. ^ Our history. Wotif.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  5. ^ a b Georgina Robinson (October 23, 2007). Robbie takes the reins at Wotif. Brisbane Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  6. ^ About our directors. Wotif.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  7. ^ Teresa Ooi (November 15, 2007). Webjet results ready to take off. Australian IT. News.com.au. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  8. ^ Webjet backs down as Wotif.com stands to secure travel.com.au. e-Travel Blackboard (October 17, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-15.