SideStep Launches Web Version of the Traveler's Search Engine

SideStep Launches Web Version of the Traveler's Search Engine

Travel Search Leader Extends Reach With Introduction of SideStep.com

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- SideStep, Inc. (www.sidestep.com), the traveler's search engine, today announced the launch of SideStep.com, the Web-based version of its award-winning travel search offering. More than 7.7 million people have downloaded the SideStep toolbar to help them search for flight, hotel and rental car values. With the introduction of SideStep.com, consumers can now search for travel immediately -- no download required.

SideStep.com is based on the innovative search technology that also powers the popular SideStep toolbar. The search engine checks the sites of travel suppliers, online agencies and consolidators to find the best options from more than 585 airlines, 60,000 hotels and 30,000 rental car locations. The new SideStep.com makes it even easier for travelers to find precisely what they're looking for. SideStep SmartSort(SM), for example, enables SideStep.com users to instantly filter results by price, number of stops, hotel star rating, neighborhood, and other important attributes. Travelers can then use SideStep ClearView(SM) to see several options right alongside one another, allowing consumers to choose based on the characteristics that matter most to them, such as hotel amenities or flight duration.

"Extending our reach to the Web allows us to bring SideStep's benefits to a wider audience," said SideStep CEO Brian Barth. "Consumers who want a simple yet powerful travel search experience will turn to our Web offerings, available both via SideStep.com and through select distribution partners. Those who value the confidence that comes from comparison shopping will download the SideStep toolbar. And spontaneous travelers will turn to our email newsletters. We have ambitious plans for 2005, and SideStep.com will be a key driver of our growth."

"The online travel industry is undergoing a major change," said Safa Rashtchy, managing director, Piper Jaffray. "Consumers are looking for an easier way to find the best travel values, and travel search, pioneered by SideStep, is quickly becoming their most effective tool. SideStep's innovative technology and market leadership puts it in a uniquely advantageous position to potentially dominate this fast-growing new market, which we see as Online Travel 2.0."

Winner of the Forbes "Best of the Web" Award, SideStep helps consumers to find outstanding travel values through SideStep.com and the SideStep toolbar, as well as through TravelFinds Specials and TravelFinds Spotlight, the company's popular email newsletters.

SideStep is actively hiring to support its growth. For job listings, see www.sidestep.com/jobs.

About SideStep

SideStep -- the traveler's search engine -- brings compelling offers from numerous travel providers to more than three million consumers each month. The company has forged alliances with leading travel marketers such as JetBlue Airways, Continental Airlines, Hyatt Corporation, Orbitz, Best Western and Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group. SideStep is privately held and has raised more than $17M in funding from Trident Capital and individual investors. For more information, visit www.sidestep.com.


Source: SideStep, Inc.

CONTACT: David Cumpston, Senior Account Executive of Manning Selvage &
Lee, +1-415-364-3846, or david.cumpston@mslpr.com, for SideStep; or Phil
Carpenter, Vice President, Corporate Marketing of SideStep, Inc.,
+1-408-235-1700 ext. 102, or phil.carpenter@sidestep.com

Web site: http://www.sidestep.com/


-------
Profile: intent