Groople In the News

Groople Appoints Michael Stacy as CEO

DENVER, CO - November 30, 2005- Groople, the leading online group travel booking resource, announces the appointment of Michael Stacy as Chief Executive Officer. David Loy will maintain his role as President and Founder of Groople, working alongside Stacy on day-to-day operations as they spearhead the company’s next phase of growth in the online group travel market.

Stacy brings fifteen years of executive level experience to his new post at Groople, including successfully growing some of the leading brands in online travel. He most recently served as President of Cendant’s Cheap Tickets, where he led the site to profitability for the first time, making it the fastest growing online travel site in 2004. Also at Cendant, Stacy served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Product Development for the company’s Retail Travel Services group. He led the successful integration of Cheap Tickets into the Orbitz organization following Cendant’s acquisition of Orbitz. Stacy also spent five years at then-startup Travelocity, including four years as Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing. Having built the Travelocity brand in U.S. and led its European launch, along with managing numerous site improvements to enhance Travelocity’s customer experience, Travel Agent magazine twice named him a Rising Star.

“Mike Stacy’s broad experience and proven successes in the online travel industry make him an invaluable asset in leading Groople into our next stage of development,” said Groople President and Founder David Loy. “Mike has helped build some of the industry’s largest brands, including our partner Travelocity, and we are excited for him to bring his vision and knowledge to Groople’s team of travel executives.”

“Groople has impressed me with the caliber of their product as well as their team, and I look forward to applying my experience to enhance the company’s presence in the marketplace and to encourage further fruitful partnerships with additional travel providers,” said Groople CEO Michael Stacy.

In addition to more than 60,000 hotels and six top cruise lines, Groople offers group bookings for air, car, bus and rail. In February, Groople partnered with Travelocity, allowing broader distribution of Groople’s group rates and inventory on Travelocity.com when users select more than 5 hotel rooms. The past year has also brought partnerships with Choice Hotels International, Cendant Hotels, Best Western and La Quinta Hotels, increasing Groople’s inventory and thus providing even more hotel options for groups booking through the Groople website and call center.

About Groople
Groople is the leader in online group travel, offering one-stop group booking on hotel, cruise, air, bus, and rail, and is backed by partnerships with the largest travel suppliers worldwide. Groople is group travel made easy, with more than 60,000 hotel choices worldwide and six top cruise lines brought together in an online group booking website. Groople offers discounted rates, individual payment options and creates a single point of contact for the group travel consumer. Groople’s customer sales center provides personal attention and offers group travel experts to advise leisure group travelers on weddings, family reunions, religious groups, sports teams, and more. Created by twenty travel industry veterans, Groople pioneered the online group travel space and continues to lead the group travel industry in technology, inventory and convenience.

Contact:
Pamela Johnston - pamela@pjinc.net
Sedona Fitzgerald – sedona@pjinc.net
212.629.8445