Google to buy Frommer’s in a bid to expand travel services
Google has acquired the Frommer’s brand, including its guides and website.
Google has acquired Frommer's travel guides from John Wiley Publishing for an undisclosed price, in an attempt to expand its travel services.
Google hasn't decided whether it will continue to publish the popular travel guidebooks in print or move the Frommer's brand entirely online, the Wall Street Journal reported.
There are also rumors that the Frommer's brand could be melded into the Zagat restaurant review brand, which Google bought about a year ago, CNN Money reported.
"The Frommer's team and the quality and scope of their content will be a great addition to the Zagat team," a Google spokesperson told CNET in an e-mail statement. "We can't wait to start working with them on our goal to provide a review for every relevant place in the world."
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Wiley Published announced back in March that it was looking to sell Frommer's, which includes everything from travel guides to hotel ratings, but there were no potential buyers at the time, CNET reported.
Google is moving towards a model of providing its own content to its users by adding information on hotels and restaurants around the world, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.
“The new mantra is, ‘We want you to stay on Google and make this your destination, not just your gateway,’" Sameet Sinha, an analyst at B. Riley & Co, told Bloomberg. “They need their own content for that.”
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