Paul J. Hennessy Named Chief Marketing Officer of Booking.com

NORWALK, Connecticut, November 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

The Priceline Group (Nasdaq: PCLN) today announced that Paul J. Hennessy, 47, currently Chief Distribution Officer of priceline.com, has been promoted to Chief Marketing Officer of Booking.com, effective immediately. Mr. Hennessy will be responsible for all aspects of the Booking.com marketing mix, including online marketing, brand management, website and user experience. Booking.com is part of The Priceline Group and is the number-one online hotel reservation service in the world, offering over 170,000 hotels in 41 languages.  Mr. Hennessy will report to Darren Huston, Booking.com's Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Hennessy, who was named Chief Distribution Officer of priceline.com in 2006, has been responsible for all aspects of online marketing, distribution and advertising sales for priceline.com in the United States.  After joining priceline.com in 2000, he served in a series of product leadership roles with increasing responsibility, including Vice President of Rental Cars. Prior to joining priceline.com, he was head of Consumer Marketing at the GSM wireless startup, Omnipoint Communications Inc. (now part of TMobile USA).  From 1996 to 1998, he served as General Manager of Marketing for PT Exelcomindo Pratama, a Verizon joint venture, in Jakarta, Indonesia.  Mr. Hennessy holds an MBA from Long Island University and a BS in Marketing Management from Dominican College.

"Paul Hennessy has done a terrific job building cost-effective online distribution for the Priceline Group's U.S. business and working with our international brands on global strategy," said Jeffery H. Boyd, priceline.com's President and Chief Executive Officer.  "Booking.com has done a great job building a highly effective marketing organization and Paul's deep experience and understanding of the Booking.com model make him an ideal choice for this important job."

"Booking.com is fortunate to have someone with Paul's international experience and extensive knowledge of the digital marketing landscape joining our team," said Darren Huston, Chief Executive Officer of Booking.com.  "Paul will lead one of the best marketing teams in the industry -- a team that works tirelessly to match our customers with great places to stay, no matter where in the world they choose to travel.  I look forward to working with Paul in his new role as part of the Booking.com team."

About The Priceline Group

The Priceline Group (Nasdaq: PCLN) is a leader in global online hotel reservations, with over 200,000 participating hotels worldwide.  The Group is composed of four primary brands - Booking.com, priceline.com, Agoda.com and TravelJigsaw - and several ancillary brands. The Priceline Group provides online travel services in over 140 countries in Europe, North America, South America, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa.

Booking.com is the number one online hotel reservation service in the world, offering over 170,000 hotels (as of November 7, 2011), and is available in 41 languages.  More recent hotel counts are available on the Booking.com website.  Priceline.com gives leisure travelers multiple ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises. In addition to getting compelling published prices, travelers can take advantage of priceline.com's famous Name Your Own Price® service, which can deliver the lowest prices available.  Agoda.com is an Asia-based online hotel reservation service that is available in 37 languages.  TravelJigsaw is a multinational car hire service, offering its reservation services in over 4,000 locations.  Customer support is provided in 29 languages.