Groupon today announced the acquisition of last-minute travel app Blink, which acts as a platform for great deals on highly curated, same-day hotel bookings (Update – April 2023: The startup seems to be no longer in business under this website, and we therefore deactivated the original link). The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Madrid-based Blink was founded in 2011 and today works with more than 2,000 hotel partners in eight European countries. Blink’s easy-to-use mobile app caters to on-the-go travellers looking for unique hotels in travel hot spots across Europe, and seems to complement Groupon’s existing European travel offerings.
Aaron Cooper, Senior Vice President of Groupon Getaways, commented: “The combination of a fantastic mobile app, same-day inventory management for properties and a team that is obsessed with mobile and last-minute travel will help us further expand our travel business as the go-to destination for great deals on great places to stay.”
“Groupon’s commitment to expanding its travel business and its focus on delivering a first-rate experience for its customers make this a great fit for Blink,” said Blink CEO and founder Rebecca Minguela. “We are looking forward to building more relationships with top hotels around the world and helping customers find unbeatable deals, even when booking at the last minute.”
Since its founding, Blink has secured about $2.5 million in venture capital. With this acquisition, Blink app will be re-branded as “Blink by Groupon” and will operate separately as the team develops an integrated experience that takes advantage of the full breadth of Groupon Getaways’ global travel offers.
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