Skift Take
Oyster began with grand ambitions and little understanding of how to create content without spending lots and lots of money. That content will now find a home at a brand that understands more sensible ways to do the same thing.
TripAdvisor has become the home of choice for failing travel startups, and now we have another almost dead startup ending up there. The reviews giant has acquired Oyster.com, a hotel review website site featuring expert reviews and photos covering about 150 cities. Oyster will continue to operate out of New York City and will be incorporated into Smarter Travel Media.
Terms were not disclosed, but it is likely pennies on the dollar, if not less. Not much is left of Oyster — funded with more than $18 million by backers such as Bain and the Travel Channel — after most of the staff got fired earlier this year and its assets were put up for sale. We first broke the story about Oyster putting itself up for sale in June this year.
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Tags: oyster, reviews, tripadvisor
Photo credit: The photos, part of the Oyster photo takeout series, contrasts Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana's pristine photo of its idyllic beach with a more realistic photo from Oyster.