Online travel company TRIP.com Tuesday bought THOR Inc., owner of the 24-hour online reservations service and its parent firm, Travel Industries Inc.
TRIP.com will operate THOR as an independent wholly owned subsidiary. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
John Baker, THOR’s founder and chief executive officer, said the partnership will offer the added convenience of technology without sacrificing personal service.
“The vast majority of travel arrangements today are still made with the help of a traditional travel agent, and we do not foresee a time when that will not be the case,” said John Baker, founder and CEO of THOR, Inc.
TRIP.com also recently launched travel search engine intelliTRIP, which it claims is the first such service on the Web.
THOR, Inc., boasts the largest number of hotel room sales in North America, and lists a roster of 16,000 travel distribution companies in North America, Latin America and Europe.