Google to Buy Frommer's Travel Brand

Google is acquiring the Frommer's travel brand from publicly traded John Wiley & Sons for an undisclosed price in order to bolster its offerings of local reviews around the world.

Google sees an opportunity to broaden its consumer offerings outside of restaurant reviews. That Frommer's provides information about hotels and destinations globally made the acquisition that much more attractive. The deal is expected to close shortly. Google hasn't yet decided whether the Frommer's guidebooks will continue to be published in print or whether they will eventually migrate entirely to online. It is also possible that the Frommer's brand could be melded into the Zagat brand. One publisher suggested it was unlikely that the Frommer's sale would generate significant antitrust concerns. "The travel book business is small potatoes even for the Justice Department," said Bill Newlin, publisher of Avalon Travel, an imprint of the Perseus Books Group that publishes travel expert Rick Steves and the Moon branded guides. Newlin isn't worried about Frommer's titles getting an unfair advantage in search, either. "There's only one way to spell Rick Steves," he said.

Frommer's dates back to 1957, when Arthur Frommer, founder of the Frommer's series, with a book that offered travel advice to Americans visiting Europe for those able to spend $5 a day. Wiley acquired the Frommer's brand in 2001.