No, Expedia and Tripadvisor are not the same company. However, they have a significant historical and corporate relationship.
Here’s a clear breakdown:
Key Difference: Core Business
- Expedia is primarily an Online Travel Agency (OTA). You use it to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and vacation packages directly.
- Tripadvisor is primarily a travel review and research platform. You use it to read reviews, compare prices, and see photos of hotels, restaurants, and attractions. While it has a “Book Now” button, it typically redirects you to OTAs (like Expedia) or the property’s own site to complete the transaction.
Historical & Corporate Relationship
For many years, they were part of the same corporate family, but that has changed.
- Common Origin: Both companies were founded by the same people. Expedia was originally founded by Microsoft in 1996. Tripadvisor was founded in 2000.
- Under One Umbrella (2004-2021): In 2004, InterActiveCorp (IAC) acquired both Expedia and Tripadvisor. Later, in 2011, IAC spun them off together as a single public company called Expedia Group, Inc..
- Expedia Group became the parent company of both the Expedia booking site and the Tripadvisor review platform, along with other brands like Vrbo, Hotels.com, and Orbitz.
- The Split (2021): In December 2021, Expedia Group completed the spin-off of Tripadvisor. They became two completely separate, independent, publicly traded companies.
- Expedia Group, Inc. (EXPE) now owns: Expedia.com, Vrbo, Hotels.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, and others.
- Tripadvisor, Inc. (TRIP) now owns: Tripadvisor.com, TheFork (restaurant bookings), and Viator (tour/activity bookings).
Current Status Summary
- They are separate companies. Since the end of 2021, they have no corporate ownership ties.
- They are competitors in some areas. Both want to be the starting point for your travel planning. Expedia pushes you toward its own booking engine, while Tripadvisor aggregates prices and offers from many sources, including Expedia