Wotif is a website that provides a reservation service for hotels in Australia and international destinations across the globe. It was set up in March 2000 by
Graeme Wood in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
, Australia. It has since established offices in Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
Wotif.com was listed on the
Australian Stock Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange Ltd or ASX, is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as, ...
on 2 June 2006, but unlisted when it was acquired by
Expedia
Expedia Inc. is an online travel agency owned by Expedia Group, an American online travel shopping company based in Seattle. The website and mobile app can be used to book airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruise ships, and vacat ...
.
Wotif provides information for the coming three months. Originally details were provided seven days in advance, expanded to 14 days in February 2001, to 28 in September 2005 (around the time it first sought a listing on the
Australian Securities Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange Ltd or ASX, is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as ...
), and later to 3 months.
In October 2007, Robbie Cooke became CEO, taking over from founder Graeme Wood, who moved to the position of executive director.
In October 2007, Wotif acquired Australian travel website Travel.com.au for
$57 million.
In July 2014,
Expedia
Expedia Inc. is an online travel agency owned by Expedia Group, an American online travel shopping company based in Seattle. The website and mobile app can be used to book airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruise ships, and vacat ...
agreed to buy Wotif for about US$657 million ($AU703 million); this was approved by the
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Tra ...
on 1 October 2014.
Awards
In 2009 as part of the
Q150
Q150 was the sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859. Separation established the Colony of Queensland which became the State of Queensland in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia. Q15 ...
celebrations, Wotif was announced as one of the
Q150 Icons
The Queensland's Q150 Icons list of cultural icons was compiled as part of Q150 celebrations in 2009 by the Government of Queensland, Australia. It represented the people, places and events that were significant to Queensland's first 150 years. ...
of Queensland for its role as an iconic "innovation and invention".
References
External links
Official Website
{{Expedia, Inc.
Expedia Group
Australian travel websites
Australian companies established in 2000
Hospitality companies established in 2000
Internet properties established in 2000
2006 initial public offerings
2014 mergers and acquisitions
Online travel agencies
Companies based in Brisbane
Companies formerly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange