Yup

TripAdvisor thriving at home

September 04, 2008 | Online Travel

When it was snapped up for $210 million in 2004, some feared out-of-state ownership would diminish TripAdvisor. Instead, TripAdvisor has become one of New England's largest Internet companies, buying nine other travel properties, writes The Boston Globe.

With its parent company, Expedia Inc., investing about $400 million over the past four years, TripAdvisor has boosted its payroll from fewer than 50 employees when it was acquired to 434, including more than 200 in the Boston area. The company recently moved its home office into a former Polaroid Corp. complex in Newton Highlands, rolled out applications for Facebook and other social networking sites, and is in the process of hiring another 50 engineers and sales people to expand the brand into Europe, India, and China.

"There's no limit to demand for information by people planning a trip," said Stephen Kaufer, TripAdvisor's co founder and chief executive, who estimated half the company's traffic now comes from abroad. "We expect to grow year by year in every dimension."

Get the full story at The Boston Globe