Skift Take
Peter Kern stood by the decision about the split with Hopper, but he said other partners shouldn't worry — as long as they play by the rules.
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Expedia Group caused a stir this summer when it cut ties with the growing online travel app Hopper. Peter Kern, Expedia's CEO, stood by the decision onstage Wednesday at the Skift Global Forum during a session moderated by Skift executive editor Dennis Schaal. Expedia Group owns brands including Expedia.com, Vrbo, Hotels.com, Travelocity, and Orbitz.
“When we looked hard at the Hopper product, we felt like it was creating a bad consumer experience that was pushing customers to buy things they either didn't need or fully understand. And we didn't want our partners' products represented in their marketplace,” Kern said.
Expedia had been supplying Hopper with hotel and vacation rental inventory, part of the travel giant’s growing business-to-business service.
Hopper has set itself apart in the industry with paid InsurTech products for consumers, such as one that it says allows