Groupon and Expedia Partner up for More Travel Deals

Forbes Magazine has called the online coupon service Groupon the fastest growing company ever. Today they grew a little bigger.

Groupon and online travel agency Expedia Inc have joined forces to create a website that offers consumers travel deals and lets travel suppliers expose their brands to shoppers.

In an interview at the D9: All Things Digital conference, Groupon chief executive Andrew Mason said the new service would allow people to book hotel rooms and airfare from Expedia at a steep discount.

We're excited to tap into Expedia's vast network of world-class travel providers, delivering unmatched exposure to them while offering a wonderful service to millions of our subscribers, Mason said in a statement.

Groupon Getaways will feature discounts from among the more than 135,000 hotels worldwide that already work with Expedia, the companies said on Wednesday.

Expedia and the privately held Groupon also plan to include package deals, airline tickets, car rentals, cruises and destination activities.

An Expedia spokesman remarked, Groupon is the clear leader in daily deals and brings the expertise that goes with that to the partnership. Expedia offers travel expertise, inventory and relationships with hoteliers and other suppliers.

It is unclear how the companies will split revenue.

Groupon Getaways will start services in late June in the United States and Canada and then expand to other countries. You can sign up now at www.groupon.com/ch/getaways