Groupon acquires travel app Blink to offer last-minute European vacations, cheap

Groupon has acquired last-minute travel deals site Blink. Blink is based in Madrid, Spain, and offers deals at more than 2,000 hotels in eight European countries.

Looks like Groupon is ready for more European adventures.

Groupon expanded to Europe in 2010 with the purchase of CityDeal from clone kings the Samwer brothers. But it has not been a European vacation for the Chicago-based daily deals company, with losses in a poorly-managed European subsidiary causing significant challenges and losses, perhaps ultimately ending in founder and CEO Andrew Mason’s departure.

Groupon says the new acquisition will be added to Groupon Getaways, its vacation deals segment that offers flight, hotel, tours, and package discounts. Blink will add boutique hotels, boots-on-the-ground insight, and a smooth mobile app to Groupon’s existing offerings.

“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 VP of Groupon Getaways, said in a statement.

Blink will be rebranded as Blink by Groupon and will operate separately, the company said, until the team “develops an integrated experience.”

No terms of the acquisition were released, and it sounds like the Blink team will be staying intact.

“We are looking forward to building more relationships with top hotels around the world and helping customers find unbeatable deals, even when booking at the last minute,” Blink CEO and founder Rebecca Minguela said.