GroupOn Launches Travel App

Groupon has recently announced that they are releasing a new travel discovery app called Groupon Getaways, which will grant users access to more than 25,000 deals in destinations all around the world.

The Getaways team in Seattle is responsible for the app that has been in development for roughly a year. Groupon’s acquisition of European travel app Blink in September 2013 played a key role in its development, with Blink bringing in significant mobile and travel expertise to the company.

In addition to Getaways, Groupon’s Seattle hub also works on computational marketing and other parts of Groupon engineering.

“The teams in Seattle are contributing to the evolution of Groupon, and in turn helping to shape and grow our mobile e-commerce marketplace,” said Groupon spokesman Nicholas Halliwell, in an email.

More On Groupon Getaways

The app also features same-day bookings with mobile-only deals on hotels nearby with immediate availability.

Users of the Getaway app that pick hotels in destinations selected by Groupon get five percent of the price back in the company’s imaginatively titled reward points, Groupon Bucks.

When the company first added a presence in Seattle in August 2012 it had a few more than 20 employees at its offices at 505 Union Station. Groupon now occupies the second, third and sixth floors of the building with more than 200 employees.

“We’re looking to grow by about another 40 to 50 percent,” Halliwell said. “We’ve found Seattle to be a great market for us to locate and grow these important Groupon functions because of the depth of available engineering talent and the entrepreneurial culture of the city.”

Getaways lets you browse by theme and select to search for deals in a specific area on the map to see hotel offers within 30 miles. You’ll also get access to 60 percent off flash deals on hotels and holiday packages.

The app will be available for the iPhone and Android in the US and Canada.