Expedia buys chunk of Hawaii wholesale biz

BELLEVUE, Wash. >> Expedia Inc., the second-biggest Internet travel agency, agreed buy a Classic Vacation Group Inc. unit for $82 million in cash, stock and assumed liabilities to add sales from traditional travel agencies, according to a Bloomberg News report.

Buying Classic Custom Vacations will expand Expedia's wholesale business and deepen its offerings in locations such as Hawaii and Mexico, Expedia Chief Financial Officer Gregory Stanger said.

Expedia will become one of the biggest wholesalers of hotel stays at four- and five-star sites in Hawaii. The company should become an important travel partner to the state as it is in Las Vegas, where the company puts "literally hundreds of people per night" into some lodgings, Stanger said.

Outrigger named Marketer of the Year

Outrigger Hotels & Resorts was named 2001 Marketer of the Year by the Honolulu chapter of the American Marketing Association. The company was picked for its business leadership through "innovative, aggressive and successful marketing programs," its support of the Hawaii marketplace as well as its own business interests and its sponsorship of community activities and contributions to philanthropic causes, the AMA said.

Outrigger employs more than 3,000 people in 41 hotels, resorts and vacation condominiums, totaling nearly 12,000 guest rooms. It is currently working on a $300 million redevelopment around Lewers Street, calling it the Waikiki Beach Walk project.

The company will receive its award at a luncheon April 3.