Groupon Acquires Blink App to Expand Last-Minute Travel Offerings

Groupon has acquired Blink Booking, the Madrid-based startup behind last-minute hotel booking app Blink, the deals service announced Monday. The terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.

Blink was founded in 2011, and raised $2.5 million in funding last year, which it used to expand operations. The app currently offers last-minute bookings for hotels in 184 cities across eight countries, according to its website. The app, which has been downloaded more than 600,000 times to date, may give Groupon more of a foothold in Europe

“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," Aaron Cooper, senior vice-president of Groupon Getaways, said in a statement. The Blink app will continue to operate separately, but will be renamed "Blink by Groupon." Read more...