Washington, D.C. – Monday, August 10, 2015 – Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) today applauded Congressman Hank Johnson’s support against Expedia’s proposed acquisition of Orbitz. Congressman Johnson (GA-04) submitted this letter to the Department of Justice today. The letter follows several others to the Department of Justice expressing serious concerns with the proposed deal including letters by Senators Mike Lee and Amy Klobuchar who are Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights; another by several dozen hotel associations, small and independent properties and additional lodging-related industry groups; and consumer advocacy group, Consumer Watchdog, who also submitted a letter today.

“When this proposed acquisition was first announced, we expressed our concerns about this transaction running counter to the goal of creating more consumer choice,” said AH&LA president and CEO Katherine Lugar. “As Congressman Johnson points out in his letter to the Justice Department, ‘further consolidation in the online travel agency market will have three primary negative impacts: restricting choice and increasing costs for consumers... confusing consumers about affiliate websites of online travel agencies... and endangering innovation and competition by new entrants.’

“We are encouraged by the multitude of groups and members of Congress adding their voices and sharing their serious concerns about Expedia’s proposed acquisition of Orbitz. We continue to watch this development closely as the proposed transaction moves through the regulatory process.”