UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form 10-Q

 

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2017

OR

For the transition period from                      to                      

Commission file number: 001-35362

 

TRIPADVISOR, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

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400 1^st Avenue

Needham, MA 02494

(Address of principal executive office) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

(781) 800-5000

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

 

 

 

 

 

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TripAdvisor, Inc.

Form 10-Q

For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2017

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

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PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

TRIPADVISOR, INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in millions, except per share amounts)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

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TRIPADVISOR, INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(in millions)

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

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TRIPADVISOR, INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in millions, except number of shares and per share amounts)

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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TRIPADVISOR, INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2017

(in millions, except number of shares)

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

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TRIPADVISOR, INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in millions)

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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TRIPADVISOR, INC.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTE 1: BUSINESS DESCRIPTION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

We refer to TripAdvisor, Inc. and our wholly-owned subsidiaries as “TripAdvisor,” “the Company,” “us,” “we” and “our” in these notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Description of Business

TripAdvisor is an online travel company, empowering users to plan and book the perfect trip. TripAdvisor’s travel platform aggregates reviews and opinions of members about destinations, accommodations, activities and attractions, and restaurants throughout the world so that our users have access to trusted advice wherever their trips take them. Our platform helps users plan their trips with our unique user-generated content and enables users to compare real-time pricing and availability so that they can book hotels, flights, cruises, vacation rentals, activities and attractions, and restaurant reservations.

Our flagship brand is TripAdvisor.  TripAdvisor-branded websites include tripadvisor.com in the United States and localized versions of the website in 48 markets and 28 languages worldwide. In addition to the flagship TripAdvisor brand, we manage and operate the following 23 other travel media brands, connected by the common goal of providing users the most comprehensive travel-planning and trip-taking resources in the travel industry: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.citymaps.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, and www.viator.com.

We have two reportable segments: Hotel and Non-Hotel. We derive the substantial portion of our revenue from our Hotel segment, through the sale of advertising, primarily through click-based advertising and commission-based transactions via our instant booking feature and, to a lesser extent, display-based advertising, subscription-based hotel advertising, hotel room reservations sold through our websites, and from content licensing. Our Non-Hotel segment consists of our Vacation Rentals, Restaurants and Attractions businesses. We derive revenue from our Non-Hotel segment from subscription and commission-based transaction offerings from our Vacation Rental business; destination activities primarily sold through Viator; and online restaurant reservations booked primarily through thefork.com. For further information on our segments see “Note 12: Segment Information,” in these notes to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.  

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements present our results of operations, financial position and cash flows on a consolidated basis. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include TripAdvisor, our wholly-owned subsidiaries, and entities we control, or in which we have a variable interest and are the primary beneficiary of expected cash profits or losses. All inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

One of our subsidiaries that operates in China has a variable interest in an affiliated entity in China in order to comply with Chinese laws and regulations, which restrict foreign investment in Internet content provision businesses. Although we do not own the capital stock of this Chinese affiliate, we consolidate its results as we are the primary beneficiary of the cash losses or profits of this variable interest affiliate and have the power to direct the activity of this affiliate. Our variable interest entity is not material for all periods presented.

We have prepared the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the results of the interim period have been included. These adjustments consist of normal recurring items. We prepared the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements following the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for interim reporting. As permitted under those rules, we have condensed or omitted certain footnotes or other financial information that are normally required by GAAP for annual financial statements. Our interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the full year. These interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, previously filed with the SEC.  The unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 included herein was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of that date, but does not include all disclosures including notes required by GAAP.

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Accounting Estimates

We use estimates and assumptions in the preparation of our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. Our estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. These estimates and assumptions also affect the reported amount of net income or loss during any period. Our actual financial results could differ significantly from these estimates. The significant estimates underlying our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include: (i) recognition and recoverability of goodwill, intangible and other long-lived assets; (ii) accounting for income taxes; and (iii) stock-based compensation.

Seasonality

Traveler expenditures in the global travel market tend to follow a seasonal pattern. As such, expenditures by travel advertisers to market to potential travelers and, therefore, our financial performance, or revenue and profits, tend to be seasonal as well. As a result, our financial performance tends to be seasonally highest in the third quarter of a year, as it is a key period for travel research and trip-taking, compared to the first and fourth quarters which represent seasonal low points. Further significant shifts in our business mix or adverse economic conditions could result in future seasonal patterns that are different from historical trends.

 

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

New Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

 

In March 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued new accounting guidance which shortens the amortization period for the premium paid on certain purchased callable debt securities to the earliest call date instead of the bond’s maturity. The amendments do not require an accounting change for securities held at a discount; instead, the discount continues to be amortized to maturity. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018, and will be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. If an entity early adopts the amendments in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of adopting this new guidance on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures as well as the date we will adopt this new guidance.

 

In January 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance  to clarify the definition of a business and provide additional guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as asset acquisitions (or asset disposals) or business combinations (or disposals of a business). Under this new guidance, an entity first determines whether substantially all of the fair value of the assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets. If this criterion is met, the transaction should be accounted for as an asset acquisition as opposed to a business combination. This distinction is important because the accounting for an asset acquisition significantly differs from the accounting for a business combination. This new guidance eliminates the requirement to evaluate whether a market participant could replace missing elements (e.g. inputs or processes), narrows the definition of outputs and requires that a business include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create outputs.  This new guidance will be effective for us in the first quarter of 2018, with early adoption permitted including for interim or annual periods in which the financial statements have not been issued or made available for issuance. The new guidance will be applied prospectively to any transactions occurring within the period of adoption. We are currently considering our timing of adoption. Upon adoption, the new guidance will impact how we assess acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses and do not expect it will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

 

In January 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance to simplify the accounting for goodwill impairment. The new guidance removes Step two of the goodwill impairment test, which measures a goodwill impairment loss by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill, which requires a hypothetical purchase price allocation, with the carrying amount of that reporting unit’s goodwill. Under this new guidance, an entity should perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. All other goodwill impairment guidance will remain largely unchanged. Entities will continue to have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary.  The new guidance is effective for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019.  Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests occurring after January 1, 2017. The new guidance will be applied prospectively. We are currently evaluating the date we will adopt this guidance and what the impact upon adoption will be, if any.

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In November 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on the classification and presentation of restricted cash in the statement of cash flows to address the diversity in practice. This new guidance requires entities to show changes in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash on a combined basis in the statement of cash flows. In addition, this accounting guidance requires a reconciliation of the total cash, cash equivalent and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows to the related captions in the balance sheet if cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash are presented in more than one line item in the balance sheet. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted, including adoption in an interim period, but any adjustments must be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period.  Upon adoption, an entity may apply the new guidance only retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements.  We anticipate adopting this new guidance on January 1, 2018, on a retrospective basis, and currently do not expect it will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In October 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on income tax accounting associated with intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory. This accounting update, which is part of the FASB's simplification initiative, is intended to reduce diversity in practice and the complexity of tax accounting, particularly for those transfers involving intellectual property. This new guidance requires an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted.  Upon adoption, an entity may apply the new guidance only on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. We expect to adopt this new guidance on January 1, 2018 and are in the process of evaluating the impact of adopting this new guidance on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which clarifies how companies present and classify certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows. The new guidance specifically addresses the following cash flow topics in an effort to reduce diversity in practice: (1) debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs; (2) settlement of zero-coupon bonds; (3) contingent consideration payments made after a business combination; (4) proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims; (5) proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies, including bank-owned life insurance policies; (6) distributions received from equity method investees; (7) beneficial interests in securitization transactions; and (8) separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted.  Upon adoption, an entity may apply the new guidance only retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. We anticipate adopting this new guidance on January 1, 2018, on a retrospective basis, and we do not expect it will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In June 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on the measurement of credit losses for financial assets measured at amortized cost, which includes accounts receivable, and available-for-sale debt securities. For financial assets measured at amortized cost, this new guidance requires an entity to: (1) estimate its lifetime expected credit losses upon recognition of the financial assets and establish an allowance to present the net amount expected to be collected; (2) recognize this allowance and changes in the allowance during subsequent periods through net income; and (3) consider relevant information about past events, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts in assessing the lifetime expected credit losses. For available-for-sale debt securities, this new guidance made several targeted amendments to the existing other-than-temporary impairment model, including: (1) requiring disclosure of the allowance for credit losses; (2) allowing reversals of the previously recognized credit losses until the entity has the intent to sell, is more-likely-than-not required to sell the securities or the maturity of the securities; (3) limiting impairment to the difference between the amortized cost basis and fair value; and (4) not allowing entities to consider the length of time that fair value has been less than amortized cost as a factor in evaluating whether a credit loss exists. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted, including interim periods within those fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. We are currently considering our timing of adoption and in the process of evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In February 2016, the FASB issued new guidance related to accounting for leases. The new standard requires the recognition of assets (right-of-use-assets) and liabilities arising from lease transactions on the balance sheet and the disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements. Accordingly, a lessee will recognize a lease asset for its right to use the underlying asset and a lease liability for the corresponding lease obligation. Both the asset and liability will initially be measured at the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term. The new guidance will classify leases as either finance or operating leases, with classification determining the presentation of expenses and cash flows on our consolidated financial statements. Initial costs directly attributable to negotiating and arranging the lease will be included in the asset. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, a lessee can make an accounting policy election by class of underlying asset to not recognize an asset and corresponding liability. The transition guidance also provides specific guidance for sale and leaseback transactions, build-to-suit leases and amounts previously recognized in accordance with the business combinations guidance for leases. Lessees will also be required to provide additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures regarding the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. These disclosures are intended to supplement the amounts recorded in the financial statements and to help financial statement users better

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understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted, which will require the recognition and measurement of leases at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements using a modified retrospective approach. We have not yet determined the date we will adopt this new guidance.  

We are currently evaluating the expected impact of this new standard and have made measurable progress to date. We are currently evaluating our existing population of leases under the new guidance, updating accounting policy and position memos, and assessing whether additional technology solutions are required internally to support the requirements under this accounting guidance. We will continue to evaluate the impact that this new guidance will have, if any, on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures and provide further updates.

 

In January 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting update which amends the guidance on the classification and measurement of financial instruments. Although the accounting update retains many current requirements, it significantly revises accounting related to (1) the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities and (2) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities measured at fair value. The accounting update also amends certain fair value disclosures of financial instruments and clarifies that an entity should evaluate the need for a valuation allowance on a deferred tax asset related to available-for-sale debt securities in combination with the entity’s evaluation of their other deferred tax assets. The update requires entities to carry all investments in equity securities, including other ownership interests such as partnerships, unincorporated joint ventures and limited liability companies at fair value, with fair value changes recognized through net income. This requirement does not apply to investments that qualify for equity method accounting, investments that result in consolidation of the investee or investments in which the entity has elected the practicability exception to fair value measurement. Under current GAAP, available-for-sale investments in equity securities, with a readily determinable fair value, are re-measured to fair value each reporting period with changes in fair value recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). However, under the new guidance, fair value adjustments will be recognized through net income. For equity securities currently accounted for under the cost method (as they do not have a readily determinable fair value), the new guidance requires those equity investments to be carried at fair value with changes in net income, unless an entity elects to measure those investments, at cost less impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. The Company intends to elect this measurement alternative for equity securities without a readily determinable fair value. Additionally, this accounting update will simplify the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values by requiring a qualitative assessment to identify impairment. When a qualitative assessment indicates that impairment exists, an entity is required to measure the investment at fair value. In addition, this accounting update eliminates the requirement for public business entities to disclose the methods and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is currently required to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized cost in the balance sheet. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for the provision to record fair value changes for financial liabilities under the fair value option resulting from instrument-specific credit risk in other comprehensive income. Upon adoption, an entity will apply the new guidance on a modified retrospective basis, which is to record a cumulative-effect adjustment to beginning retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is adopted, with two exceptions. The amendments related to equity investments without readily determinable fair values (including disclosure requirements) will be effective prospectively. The requirement to use the exit price notion to measure the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes will also be applied prospectively. We anticipate adopting this new guidance on January 1, 2018 and are still evaluating the impact to our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

 

In May 2014, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on revenue from contracts with customers which will replace numerous requirements in GAAP, and provide companies with a single revenue recognition model for recognizing revenue from contracts with customers. The core principle of the new standard is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This guidance also requires additional disclosures about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract.  In March 2016, the FASB issued additional guidance which clarifies principal versus agent considerations and in April 2016, the FASB issued further guidance which clarifies the identification of performance obligations and the implementation guidance for licensing. The two permitted transition methods under this new accounting guidance are the full retrospective method, in which case the guidance would be applied to each prior reporting period presented and the cumulative effect of applying the guidance would be recognized at the earliest period shown, or the modified retrospective method, in which case the cumulative effect of applying the guidance would be recognized at the date of initial application. We anticipate adopting this new guidance on January 1, 2018.  

To date, we have made significant progress toward completing our evaluation of the potential changes from adopting the new standard on our future financial reporting and disclosures. We have established a cross-functional implementation team from across our organization and have made significant progress in the review of our contracts portfolio and our current accounting policies and practices to identify potential differences that could result from applying the requirements of the new standard to our revenue contracts.

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We continue to evaluate the impact that this new guidance will have, if any, on the Company’s consolidated financial statements, internal controls, and related disclosures and will provide further updates during the second quarter of 2017, including the selection of an adoption method.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In October 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which amends the consolidation guidance on how a reporting entity that is the single decision maker of a variable interest entity should treat indirect interests in the entity held through related parties that are under common control within the reporting entity when determining whether it is the primary beneficiary of that variable interest entity. We adopted this new guidance on January 1, 2017, on a retrospective basis, with no impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.  

There have been no material changes to our significant accounting policies since December 31, 2016. For additional information about our accounting policies and estimates, refer to “Note 2: Significant Accounting Policies”, in the notes to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

NOTE 3: STOCK BASED AWARDS AND OTHER EQUITY INSTRUMENTS

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

The following table presents the amount of stock-based compensation expense related to stock-based awards, primarily stock options and restricted stock units (“RSUs”), on our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations during the periods presented:

 

During both the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, we capitalized $3 million of stock-based compensation expense as internal-use software and website development costs.  

 

Stock-Based Award Activity and Valuation

2017 Stock Option Activity

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, we have issued 1,485,903 service-based non-qualified stock options under the Company’s Amended and Restated 2011 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the “2011 Incentive Plan”). These stock options generally have a term of ten years from the date of grant and generally vest equally over a four-year requisite service period.

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A summary of the status and activity for stock option awards relating to our common stock for the three months ended March 31, 2017, is presented below:

Aggregate intrinsic value represents the difference between the closing stock price of our common stock and the exercise price of outstanding, in-the-money options. Our closing stock price as reported on The NASDAQ Global Select Market as of March 31, 2017 was $43.16. The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised was $7 million and $12 million, for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

The fair value of stock option grants under the 2011 Incentive Plan has been estimated at the date of grant using the Black–Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions for the periods presented:

 

 

 

The weighted-average grant date fair value of options granted was $17.20 and $24.41 for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The total fair value of stock options vested was $13 million and $23 million, for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Cash received from stock option exercises was $3 million and $2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

2017 RSU Activity

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, we issued 3,732,145 RSUs under the 2011 Incentive Plan for which the fair value was measured based on the quoted price of our common stock on the date of grant. These RSUs generally vest over a four-year requisite service period.

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The following table presents a summary of our RSU activity during the three months ended March 31, 2017:

 

Total current income tax benefits during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 associated with the exercise or settlement of all TripAdvisor stock-based awards held by our employees were $14 million and $12 million, respectively.

Unrecognized Stock-Based Compensation

A summary of our remaining unrecognized stock-based compensation expense and the weighted average remaining amortization period at March 31, 2017 related to our non-vested stock options and RSU awards is presented below (in millions, except in years information):

 

 

 

NOTE 4: EARNINGS PER SHARE

Basic Earnings Per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders

We compute basic earnings per share (“Basic EPS”) by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. We compute the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period using the total of common stock and Class B common stock outstanding as of the last day of the previous year end reporting period plus the weighted average of any additional shares issued and outstanding less the weighted average of any common shares repurchased during the reporting period.

Diluted Earnings Per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders

Diluted earnings per share (“Diluted EPS”) include the potential dilution of common equivalent shares outstanding that could occur from stock-based awards and other stock-based commitments using the treasury stock method.  We compute Diluted EPS by dividing net income by the sum of the weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding during the period. We computed the weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding during the period using the sum of (i) the number of shares of common stock and Class B common stock used in the basic earnings per share calculation as indicated above, and (ii) if dilutive, the incremental weighted average common stock that we would issue upon the assumed exercise of outstanding common equivalent shares related to stock options and the vesting of restricted stock units using the treasury stock method, and (iii) if dilutive, performance based awards based on the number of shares that would be issuable as of the end of the reporting period assuming the end of the reporting period was also the end of the contingency period.

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Under the treasury stock method, the assumed proceeds calculation includes the actual proceeds to be received from the employee upon exercise of outstanding equity awards and the average unrecognized compensation cost during the period. The treasury stock method assumes that a company uses the proceeds from the exercise of an equity award to repurchase common stock at the average market price for the reporting period.

Below is a reconciliation of the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding in calculating Diluted EPS (shares in thousands and dollars in millions, except per share amounts) for the periods presented:

 

The following potential common shares related to stock options and RSUs were excluded from the calculation of Diluted EPS (in thousands) because their effect would have been anti-dilutive for the periods presented:

The earnings per share amounts are the same for common stock and Class B common stock because the holders of each class are legally entitled to equal per share distributions whether through dividends or in liquidation.

 

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NOTE 5: FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities

The following tables show our cash and available-for-sale securities’ amortized cost, gross unrealized gains, gross unrealized losses and fair value by significant investment category recorded as cash and cash equivalents or short and long-term marketable securities as of the dates presented (in millions):

 

 

Our cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on hand in global financial institutions, money market funds and marketable securities with maturities of 90 days or less at the date purchased. The remaining maturities of our long-term marketable securities range from one to three years and our short-term marketable securities include maturities that were greater than 90 days at the date purchased and have 12 months or less remaining at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.

We classify our cash equivalents and marketable securities within Level 1 and Level 2 as we value our cash equivalents and marketable securities using quoted market prices (Level 1) or alternative pricing sources (Level 2). The valuation technique we used to measure the fair value of money market funds were derived from quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Fair values for Level 2 investments are considered “Level 2” valuations because they are obtained from independent pricing sources for identical or comparable instruments, rather than direct observations of quoted prices in active markets. Our procedures include controls to ensure that appropriate fair values are recorded, including comparing the fair values obtained from our independent pricing services against fair values obtained from another independent source.

There were no material realized gains or losses related to sales of our marketable securities for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.  Realized gains and losses on the sale of securities are determined by specific identification of each security’s cost basis. We consider any individual investments in an unrealized loss position to be temporary in nature and do not consider any of our investments other-than-temporarily impaired as of March 31, 2017.

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Derivative Financial Instruments

In certain circumstances, we enter into foreign currency forward exchange contracts, or forward contracts, to reduce the effects of fluctuating foreign currency exchange rates on our cash flows denominated in foreign currencies. We do not use derivatives for trading or speculative purposes. 

Our current forward contracts are not designated as hedges and have current maturities of less than 90 days. Consequently, any gain or loss resulting from the change in fair value was recognized in our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations.  The net loss related to our settled and outstanding forward contracts for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was not material. We recorded a net loss of $1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 related to our settled and outstanding forward contracts in our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations in “Interest income and other, net.”

The following table shows the notional principal amounts of our outstanding derivative instruments that are not designated as hedging instruments as of the dates presented:

Counterparties to our foreign currency exchange derivatives consist of major international financial institutions. We monitor our positions and the credit ratings of the counterparties involved and, by policy limits, the amount of credit exposure to any one party. While we may be exposed to potential losses due to the credit risk of non-performance by these counterparties, losses are not anticipated and any credit risk amounts associated with our outstanding or unsettled derivative instruments are deemed to be not material for any period presented.

Other Financial Instruments

Other financial instruments not measured at fair value on a recurring basis include accounts receivable, accounts payable, deferred merchant payables, short-term debt, accrued and other current liabilities and long-term debt. With the exception of long-term debt, the carrying amount approximates fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments as reported on our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. The carrying value of the long-term debt from our 2015 Credit Facility bears interest at a variable rate and therefore is also considered to approximate fair value.

We also hold investments in equity securities of privately-held companies of approximately $14 million at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. These investments are accounted for under the cost method and included in "Other long-term assets" in the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. As of March 31, 2017, we did not estimate the fair value of these cost-method investments because there were no identified events or changes in circumstances, since December 31, 2016, which may have a significant adverse impact on the carrying values of these investments.

We did not have any Level 3 assets or liabilities at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

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NOTE 6: DEBT

The Company’s outstanding debt consisted of the following as of the dates presented:

2015 Credit Facility

On June 26, 2015, we entered into a five year credit agreement (the “2015 Credit Facility”) with a group of lenders. The 2015 Credit Facility, among other things, provides for (i) a $1 billion unsecured revolving credit facility, (ii) an interest rate on borrowings and commitment fees based on the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ consolidated leverage ratio; and (iii) uncommitted incremental revolving loan and term loan facilities, subject to compliance with a leverage covenant and other conditions. Any overdue amounts under or in respect of the revolving credit facility not paid when due shall bear interest at (i) in the case of principal, the applicable interest rate plus 2.00% per annum, (ii) in the case of interest denominated in Sterling or Euro, the applicable rate plus 2.00% per annum; and (iii) in the case of interest denominated in US dollars, 2.00% per annum plus the Alternate Base Rate plus the interest rate spread applicable to ABR loans. The Company may borrow from the revolving credit facility in U.S dollars, Euros and British pound sterling with a term of five years expiring June 26, 2020.  There is no specific repayment date prior to the five-year maturity date for borrowings under this revolving credit facility.  

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company borrowed an additional $270 million and repaid $151 million of our outstanding borrowings on the 2015 Credit Facility. These net borrowings during the quarter were primarily used to repurchase shares of our outstanding common stock under the Company’s repurchase program, which is described below in “Note 10: Stockholders Equity”. Based on the Company’s leverage ratio as of March 31, 2017, our borrowings bear interest at LIBOR plus 125 basis points, or the Eurocurrency Spread. The Company is borrowing under a one-month interest period of 2.125% per annum as of March 31, 2017, using a one-month interest period Eurocurrency Spread, which will reset periodically. Interest will be payable on a monthly basis while the Company is borrowing under the one-month interest rate period.  We are also required to pay a quarterly commitment fee, on the daily unused portion of the revolving credit facility for each fiscal quarter and fees in connection with the issuance of letters of credit. Unused revolver capacity is subject to a commitment fee of 20.0 basis points, given the Company’s leverage ratio as of March 31, 2017. The 2015 Credit Facility includes $15 million of borrowing capacity available for letters of credit and $40 million for borrowings on same-day notice. As of March 31, 2017, we had issued $3 million of outstanding letters of credit under the 2015 Credit Facility.  During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, we recorded total interest expense and commitment fees on our 2015 Credit Facility of $1 million and $2 million, respectively, to interest expense on our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations. All unpaid interest and commitment fee amounts as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, were not material.

We may voluntarily repay any outstanding borrowing under the 2015 Credit Facility at any time without premium or penalty, other than customary breakage costs with respect to Eurocurrency loans. Certain wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries of the Company have agreed to guarantee the Company’s obligations under the 2015 Credit Facility. The 2015 Credit Facility contains a number of covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to: incur additional indebtedness, create liens, enter into sale and leaseback transactions, engage in mergers or consolidations, sell or transfer assets, pay dividends and distributions, make investments, loans or advances, prepay certain subordinated indebtedness, make certain acquisitions, engage in certain transactions with affiliates, amend material agreements governing certain subordinated indebtedness, and change our fiscal year. The 2015 Credit Facility also requires us to maintain a maximum leverage ratio and contains certain customary affirmative covenants and events of default, including a change of control. If an event of default occurs, the lenders under the 2015 Credit Facility will be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of all amounts due under the 2015 Credit Facility. Additionally, the 2015 Credit Facility includes a subjective acceleration clause, which could be triggered by the lenders, if a representation, warranty or statement made by the Company proves to be incorrect in any material respect, which in turn would permit the lenders to accelerate repayment of any outstanding obligations.  The Company believes that the likelihood of the lender exercising this right is remote and, as such, we classify borrowings under this facility as long-term debt. As of March 31, 2017, we were in compliance with all of our debt covenants.  

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2016 Credit Facility

On September 7, 2016, we entered into an uncommitted facility agreement, which provides for a $73 million unsecured revolving credit facility (the “2016 Credit Facility”) with no specific expiration date.  The 2016 Credit Facility is available at the lender’s discretion and can be canceled at any time. Repayment terms for borrowings under the 2016 Credit Facility are generally one to six month periods or such other periods as the parties may mutually agree and bear interest at LIBOR plus 112.5 basis points.  The Company may borrow from the 2016 Credit Facility in U.S dollars only and we may voluntarily repay any outstanding borrowing at any time without premium or penalty.  Any overdue amounts under or in respect of the 2016 Credit Facility not paid when due shall bear interest in the case of principal at the applicable interest rate plus 1.50% per annum. In addition, TripAdvisor, LLC, a wholly-owned domestic subsidiary of the Company, has agreed to guarantee the Company’s obligations under the 2016 Credit Facility.  There are no specific financial or incurrence covenants. 

The Company repaid all outstanding borrowings during the three months ended March 31, 2017. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, total interest recorded with respect to our 2016 Credit Facility to interest expense on our unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations was not material.

Chinese Credit Facilities

In addition to our borrowings under the 2015 Credit Facility and 2016 Credit Facility, we maintain two credit facilities in China (jointly, the “Chinese Credit Facilities”). As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we had short-term borrowings outstanding of $7 million, respectively.

We are parties to a $30 million, one-year revolving credit facility with Bank of America (the “Chinese Credit Facility—BOA”) that is currently subject to review on a periodic basis with no specific expiration period. Our Chinese Credit Facility—BOA currently bears interest at a rate based on 100% of the People’s Bank of China’s base rate, which was 4.35% as of March 31, 2017.  As of March 31, 2017, there were no outstanding borrowings under our Chinese Credit Facility—BOA.

We are also parties to a RMB 70,000,000 (approximately $10 million), one-year revolving credit facility with J.P. Morgan Chase Bank (“Chinese Credit Facility—JPM”). Our Chinese Credit Facility—JPM currently bears interest at a rate based on 100% of the People’s Bank of China’s base rate, which was 4.35% as of March 31, 2017.  As of March 31, 2017, we had $7 million of outstanding borrowings from the Chinese Credit Facility – JPM.

 

NOTE 7: INCOME TAXES

Each interim period is considered an integral part of the annual period and, accordingly, we measure our income tax expense using an estimated annual effective tax rate. An enterprise is required, at the end of each interim reporting period, to make its best estimate of the annual effective tax rate for the full fiscal year and use that rate to provide for income taxes on a current year-to-date basis, as adjusted for discrete taxable events that occur during the interim period.

Our effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 was 48.0% and 23.7%, respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2017, the effective tax rate is greater than the federal statutory rate primarily due to valuation allowances on losses in jurisdictions outside the United States and recognition of stock compensation shortfalls. The change in the effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2017 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016 rate was primarily due to increased valuation allowances on losses in jurisdictions outside the United States and a lower stock price resulting in stock compensation shortfalls.

Our policy is to recognize accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits and income tax liabilities as part of our income tax expense. As of March 31, 2017, accrued interest is $6 million, net of federal and state benefit, and no penalties have been accrued.  

By virtue of previously filed consolidated income tax returns filed with Expedia, we are currently under an IRS audit for the 2009, 2010 and 2011 tax years, and have various ongoing state income tax audits. We are separately under examination by the IRS for the 2012 and 2013 tax years and under an employment tax audit by the IRS for the 2013 and 2014 tax years. These audits include questioning of the timing and the amount of income and deductions and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. These examinations may lead to proposed or ordinary course adjustments to our taxes.  We are no longer subject to tax examinations by tax authorities for years prior to 2008.  As of March 31, 2017, no material assessments have resulted, except as noted below regarding our 2009 and 2010 IRS audit with Expedia.

In January 2017, as part of the Company’s IRS audit of Expedia, we received Notices of Proposed Adjustment from the IRS for the 2009 and 2010 tax years.  These proposed adjustments are related to certain transfer pricing arrangements with our foreign

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subsidiaries, and would result in an increase to our worldwide income tax expense in an estimated range of $10 million to $14 million after consideration of competent authority relief, exclusive of interest and penalties.  We disagree with the proposed adjustments and we intend to defend our position through applicable administrative and, if necessary, judicial remedies.  Our policy is to review and update tax reserves as facts and circumstances change. Based on our interpretation of the regulations and available case law, we believe the position we have taken with regard to transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries is sustainable.  In addition to the risk of additional tax for 2009 and 2010 transactions, if the IRS were to seek transfer pricing adjustments of a similar nature for transactions in subsequent years, we would be subject to significant additional tax liabilities.

In July 2015, the United States Tax Court (the “Court”) issued an opinion favorable to Altera Corporation (“Altera”) with respect to Altera’s litigation with the IRS. This opinion was submitted as a final decision under Tax Court Rule 155 during December 2015. The litigation relates to the treatment of stock-based compensation expense in an inter-company cost-sharing arrangement with Altera’s foreign subsidiary. In its opinion, the Court accepted Altera’s position of excluding stock based compensation from its inter-company cost-sharing arrangement. The IRS appealed the Court decision on February 19, 2016. At this time, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has not withdrawn the requirement from its regulations to include stock-based compensation in intercompany cost-sharing arrangements. The Company recorded a tax benefit of $1 million in its consolidated statement of operations for both the three months ended March 31, 2017 and March 31, 2016, respectively. The Company will continue to monitor this matter and related potential impacts to its consolidated financial statements.

NOTE 8: ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following as of the dates presented:

 

NOTE 9: COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

There have been no material changes to our commitments and contingencies since December 31, 2016. Refer to “Note 13: Commitments and Contingencies,” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Legal Proceedings

In the ordinary course of business, we are parties to regulatory and legal matters arising out of our operations.  These matters may involve claims involving alleged infringement of third-party intellectual property rights (including patent infringement), defamation, taxes, regulatory compliance, privacy issues and other claims. Periodically, we review the status of all significant outstanding matters to assess any potential financial exposure.  When (i) it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred; and (ii) the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated, we record the estimated loss in our consolidated statements of operations.  We provide disclosures in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for loss contingencies that do not meet both of these conditions if there is a reasonable probability that a loss may have been incurred and whether such loss is reasonably estimable.  We base accruals made on the best information available at the time which can be highly subjective.  Although occasional adverse decisions or settlements may occur, the Company does not believe that the final disposition of any of these matters will have a material adverse effect on the business.  However, the final outcome of these matters could vary significantly from our estimates. Finally, there may be claims or actions pending or threatened against us of which we are currently not aware and the ultimate disposition of which could have a material adverse effect on us.

Income Taxes

We are also under audit by the IRS and various other domestic and foreign tax authorities with regards to income tax matters. We have reserved for potential adjustments to our provision for income taxes that may result from examinations by, or any negotiated agreements with, these tax authorities. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of audits could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals. The results of an audit could have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows in the period for which that determination is made.

Additionally, we continue to accumulate positive cash flows in foreign jurisdictions, which we consider indefinitely reinvested. Any repatriation of funds currently held in foreign jurisdictions may result in higher effective tax rates and incremental cash tax payments. In addition, there have been proposals to amend U.S. tax laws that would significantly impact the manner in which U.S.

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companies are taxed on foreign earnings. Although we cannot predict whether or in what form any legislation will pass, if enacted, it could have a material adverse impact on our U.S. tax expense and cash flows. See “Note 7: Income Taxes” above for further information on potential contingencies surrounding income taxes.   

NOTE 10: STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

On January 25, 2017, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $250 million of our shares of common stock under a new share repurchase program. The repurchase program has no expiration date but may be suspended or terminated by the Board of Directors at any time. The Executive Committee of our Board of Directors will determine the price, timing, amount and method of such repurchases based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors, and any shares repurchased will be in compliance with applicable legal requirements, at prices determined to be attractive and in the best interests of both the Company and its stockholders.

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, we repurchased 3,529,923 shares of outstanding common stock under the share repurchase program at an aggregate cost of $150 million, or an average share price of $42.49. As of March 31, 2017, we have a remaining balance of $100 million to repurchase shares of our common stock under the share repurchase program.

NOTE 11: RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

We consider Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (“LTRIP”) a related party.  As of March 31, 2017, LTRIP beneficially owned approximately 18.2 million shares of our common stock and 12.8 million shares of our Class B common stock, which shares constitute 14.1% of the outstanding shares of common stock and 100% of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock. Assuming the conversion of all of LTRIP’s shares of Class B common stock into common stock, LTRIP would beneficially own 21.9% of the outstanding common stock. Because each share of Class B common stock generally is entitled to ten votes per share and each share of common stock is entitled to one vote per share, LTRIP may be deemed to beneficially own equity securities representing 57.0% of our voting power.

We had no related party transactions with LTRIP during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016.

NOTE 12: SEGMENT INFORMATION

Our reporting structure includes two reportable segments: Hotel and Non-Hotel.  

Hotel

Our Hotel segment includes revenue generated from the following sources:

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Non-Hotel

Our Non-Hotel segment consists of the aggregation of three operating segments, our Attractions, Restaurants and Vacation Rentals businesses.

Attractions.  We provide information and services for users to research and book activities and attractions in popular travel destinations through our dedicated attractions business, Viator. We generate revenue by charging the operators a commission for each transaction we facilitate through our online reservation systems. In addition to its consumer-direct business, Viator also powers activity and attractions booking capabilities to its affiliate partners, including some of the world’s top airlines, hotel chains and online and offline travel agencies. Viator’s bookable inventory is available on www.viator.com as well as TripAdvisor-branded websites and mobile applications.

Restaurants. Through our restaurant reservations business, The Fork, we provide information and services for users to research and book restaurants. The Fork is an online restaurant booking platform operating on a number of sites (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, www.besttables.com, www.dimmi.com.au, and www.en.couverts.nl), with a network of restaurant partners primarily across Europe and Australia. The Fork generates revenue by charging our restaurant partners a fee for each restaurant guest, or seated diner, that we facilitate through our online reservation systems. The Fork also provides flexible online booking and a premium data and analytics tool, for which the restaurant owner pays a subscription fee. The Fork’s bookable inventory is also available on TripAdvisor-branded websites and mobile applications.  

Vacation Rentals. We provide information and services for users to research and book vacation and short-term rental properties, including full home rentals, condominiums, villas, beach rentals, cabins and cottages. The vacation rentals business generates revenue by offering individual property owners and property managers, the ability to list their properties on our websites and mobile applications through a free-to-list, commission-based option, and to a lesser extent, an annual subscription-based fee structure. These properties are listed on a number of platforms, including www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.housetrip.com, www.niumba.com, and www.vacationhomerentals.com, as well as on our TripAdvisor-branded websites.

Our operating segments are determined based on how our chief operating decision maker manages our business, regularly assesses information and evaluates performance for operating decision-making purposes, including allocation of resources. The chief operating decision maker for the Company is our Chief Executive Officer. Our chief operating decision maker is also our Hotel segment manager. Each Non-Hotel operating segment has a segment manager who is directly accountable to and maintains regular contact with our chief operating decision maker to discuss operating activities, financial results, forecasts, and plans for the segment.

Adjusted EBITDA is our segment profit measure and a key measure used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate the operating performance of our business and on which internal budgets and forecasts are based and approved. In particular, the exclusion of certain expenses in calculating Adjusted EBITDA can provide a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our core business. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors.  We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus: (1) provision for income taxes; (2) other income (expense), net; (3) depreciation of property and equipment, including amortization of internal use software and website development; (4) amortization of intangible assets; (5) stock-based compensation and other stock-settled obligations; (6) goodwill, long-lived asset and intangible asset impairments; and (7)  non-recurring expenses and income.

The following tables present our segment information for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, and include a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income. We record depreciation of property and equipment, including amortization of internal-use software and website development, amortization of intangible assets, stock-based compensation and other stock-settled obligations, other income (expense), net, other non-recurring expenses and income, net, and income taxes, which are excluded from segment operating performance, in corporate and unallocated. In addition, we do not report our assets, capital expenditures and related depreciation expense by segment as our chief operating decision maker does not evaluate operating segments using this information. We also do not regularly provide such information by segment to our chief operating decision maker. Intersegment revenue is not material and, in addition, already eliminated in the information by segment provided to our chief operating decision maker. Our consolidated general and administrative expenses, excluding stock-based compensation costs, are shared by all operating segments.  Each operating segment receives an allocated charge based on the segment’s percentage of the Company’s total personnel costs.

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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The information included in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, as well as Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect the views of our management regarding current expectations and projections about future events and are based on currently available information. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, those discussed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2017, Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors.” Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The use of words such as “anticipates,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans” and “believes,” among others, generally identify forward-looking statements; however, these words are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. We are not under any obligation to, and do not intend to, publicly update or review any of these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, even if experience or future events make it clear that any expected results expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements will not be realized. Please carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in this report and in our other reports filed with the SEC that attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business, prospects and results of operations.

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Overview

TripAdvisor, Inc., by and through its subsidiaries, owns and operates a portfolio of leading online travel brands. TripAdvisor, our flagship brand, is the world’s largest travel site, and its mission is to help people around the world plan, book and experience the perfect trip. We accomplish this by, among other things, aggregating millions of travelers’ reviews and opinions about destinations, accommodations, activities and attractions, and restaurants worldwide, thereby creating the foundation for a unique platform that enables users to research and plan their travel experiences. Our platform also enables users to compare real-time pricing and availability for these experiences as well as to book hotels, flights, cruises, vacation rentals, tours, activities and attractions, and restaurants, either on a TripAdvisor site or app, or on the site or app of one of our travel partner sites.

Our TripAdvisor-branded websites include tripadvisor.com in the United States and localized versions of the TripAdvisor website in 48 markets and 28 languages worldwide. Our TripAdvisor-branded websites reached nearly 390 million average monthly unique visitors during the quarter ended March 31, 2017, according to our internal log files. We currently feature over 500 million reviews and opinions on 7 million places to stay, places to eat and things to do – including 1,080,000 hotels and accommodations and 820,000 vacation rentals, 4.3 million restaurants and 790,000 activities and attractions worldwide. In addition to the flagship TripAdvisor brand, we now manage and operate the following 23 other travel media brands, connected by the common goal of providing users the most comprehensive travel-planning and trip-taking resources in the travel industry: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.citymaps.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com,  www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, and www.viator.com.

Our reporting structure includes two reportable segments: Hotel and Non-Hotel. Our Non-Hotel reportable segment consists of three operating segments, which includes our Attractions, Restaurants and Vacation Rentals businesses.  The segments are determined based on how the chief operating decision maker regularly assesses information and evaluates performance for operating decision-making purposes, including allocation of resources.  

Executive Summary and Trends

As the largest online travel platform, we believe we are an attractive marketing channel for advertisers—including hotel chains, independent hoteliers, OTAs, destination marketing organizations, and other travel-related and non-travel related product and service providers— who seek to sell their products and services to our large user base. We offer users the ability to do real-time price comparison through our metasearch product, as well as the ability to book hotels, flights, cruises, vacation rentals, tours, activities and attractions, and restaurants directly on our website through our instant booking product. The key drivers of our financial results are described below, including a summary of our growth strategy, current trends affecting our business, and our segment information.

Our Growth Strategy

We leverage significant investments in technology, operations, brand-building, and relationships with advertisers and other partners to expand our business and enhance our global competitive position. We continue to focus on the following areas to grow our business:

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Current Trends in Our Business

Hotel Segment

In our hotel segment, we have invested significant time and resources towards enabling users to book hotels on our sites and applications through our instant booking feature.  We began with the accelerated rollout in our two largest markets – the United States and the United Kingdom – in the third quarter of 2015, and completed an accelerated and staged global rollout of this feature to all of our markets during the first half of 2016. During 2016, the instant booking feature monetized at a lower revenue per hotel shopper rate than our metasearch feature, and therefore was dilutive to our TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue growth and to our overall revenue per hotel shopper. However, in the second half of 2016, TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue growth rates improved as we lapped the instant booking rollout in the United States, our largest market, increased spend in our online paid marketing channels, and made product enhancements throughout the year. These trends have continued through the first quarter of 2017. In addition, the majority of our instant booking revenue is recorded under the consumption model and is recognized at the time the traveler consumes, or completes, the stay. Comparatively, revenue recognized under our metasearch feature is recorded when a traveler makes the click-through to the travel partners’ websites. In future periods, greater contribution from our instant booking consumption model to TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue could result in additional revenue recognized at the time of a consumed stay and therefore a shift in the timing of our revenue recognition.

During 2016 and into the first quarter of 2017, we continued to improve our hotel shopping experience, which included an improved display of our metasearch and instant booking features to hotel shoppers, as well as improving booking transaction acumen, which includes improving the on-site experience by offering the best price value proposition, improving room-level content, optimizing the room selection and booking path, and on-boarding more partners with strong branding and supply channels in order to achieve increased initial and repeat bookings. We have continued to explore and develop additional opportunities to reach a broader audience with our booking capabilities through online and offline marketing investment.  We now offer users an end-to-end hotel shopping experience, which we believe has improved the hotel shopping experience, as well as educated users about our more comprehensive offering, which we believe will enable us to drive more conversions of hotel shoppers to bookings, ultimately resulting in higher bookings for our partners and higher revenue per hotel shopper on our platform.

In the first quarter of 2017, average monthly unique hotel shoppers increased 9%, when compared to the same period in 2016, according to our log files. The increase is primarily due to the success in our online marketing strategy for desktop and tablet devices and the general trend of an increasing number of hotel shoppers visiting our websites and apps on mobile phones, partially offset by the impact of the global launch of our instant booking product feature in certain of our non-U.S. markets, a continued intense competitive environment, and other travel market dynamics. One of our key strategic objectives is to grow our brand awareness and grow the number of hotel shoppers on our platforms. We continue to leverage a number of marketing channels, both paid and unpaid, to achieve this objective, including online efforts such as SEM, social media, and email campaigns, as well as offline efforts such as TripAdvisor branded campaigns. Over time, the traffic visiting our websites and applications from paid marketing channels has generally grown faster than traffic from unpaid sources due to competition from other travel companies and search engines, which has impacted our profitability.

During the first quarter of 2017, hotel shoppers that visited our websites and applications on mobile phones continued to grow significantly faster than traffic from desktop and tablet devices. As a result, this has remained a headwind against our revenue per hotel shopper and our TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue, as mobile phones monetize significantly less than desktop and tablet. This is due to a number of factors, including the fact that mobile phone is still in the early stages of eCommerce

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adoption, our partners reduced ability to attribute booking behavior on their websites and applications back to TripAdvisor, limited advertising opportunities on smaller screen devices, lower cost-per-click, lower booking intent, and lower average gross booking value based on consumer purchasing patterns. Mobile phone product development continues to be an area of strategic growth and investment, and we will continue to invest and innovate in this growing platform in order to increase our user base, engagement and monetization over the long term.

As a global travel business specializing in discretionary leisure travel, we believe our hotel shopper growth, revenue per hotel shopper and Hotel segment financial performance also were negatively impacted by macroeconomic and geopolitical dynamics, including foreign currency exchange rates and terrorism events, among other factors.

Non-Hotel Segment

TripAdvisor’s end-to-end user experience extends beyond our hotel business. In the first quarter of 2017, monthly unique users to non-hotel pages on our websites and applications – including attractions, restaurants, and vacation rentals – continued to grow. In efforts to address this growing demand and engagement with these products we have invested in improving the user experience on all devices as well as in building our inventory of global supply of bookable attractions, restaurants, and vacation rentals. In addition to achieving strong supply growth, we continue to drive increased mobile engagement and mobile bookings with new mobile ticketing capabilities and mobile push notifications, including in-destination suggestions on the best things to do, helpful tips on the best nearby restaurants, and popular dish recommendations. Continued successful execution of our key growth strategies resulted in 18% revenue growth in this segment in the first quarter of 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016. Increasing traffic to and engagement with our Non-Hotel businesses, as well as increasing our global supply to offer users more choice are ongoing strategic objectives.

Segments

Refer to “Note 12: Segment Information” in the notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for financial information and additional descriptive information related to our segments.

Employees

As of March 31, 2017, we had 3,312 employees. Of these employees, approximately 51% were based in the United States. We believe we have good relationships with our employees, including relationships with employees represented by international works councils or other similar organizations.  

Seasonality

Traveler expenditures in the global travel market tend to follow a seasonal pattern. As such, expenditures by travel advertisers to market to potential travelers and, therefore, our financial performance, or revenue and profits, tend to be seasonal as well. As a result, our financial performance tends to be seasonally highest in the third quarter of a year, as it is a key period for travel research and trip-taking, compared to the first and fourth quarters which represent seasonal low points. Further significant shifts in our business mix or adverse economic conditions could result in future seasonal patterns that are different from historical trends.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Critical accounting policies and estimates are those that we believe are important in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements because they require that management use judgment and estimates in applying those policies. We prepare our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in accordance with GAAP. Preparation of the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes requires that management make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements as well as revenue and expenses during the periods reported. Management bases its estimates on historical experience, when applicable and other assumptions that it believes are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

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There are certain critical estimates that we believe require significant judgment in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if:

There have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates as compared to the critical accounting policies and estimates described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.

New and Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

New Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

 

In March 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which shortens the amortization period for the premium paid on certain purchased callable debt securities to the earliest call date instead of the bond’s maturity. The amendments do not require an accounting change for securities held at a discount; instead, the discount continues to be amortized to maturity. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018, and will be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. If an entity early adopts the amendments in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of adopting this new guidance on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures as well as the date we will adopt this new guidance.

 

In January 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance  to clarify the definition of a business and provide additional guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as asset acquisitions (or asset disposals) or business combinations (or disposals of a business). Under this new guidance, an entity first determines whether substantially all of the fair value of the assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets. If this criterion is met, the transaction should be accounted for as an asset acquisition as opposed to a business combination. This distinction is important because the accounting for an asset acquisition significantly differs from the accounting for a business combination. This new guidance eliminates the requirement to evaluate whether a market participant could replace missing elements (e.g. inputs or processes), narrows the definition of outputs and requires that a business include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create outputs.  This new guidance will be effective for us in the first quarter of 2018, with early adoption permitted including for interim or annual periods in which the financial statements have not been issued or made available for issuance. The new guidance will be applied prospectively to any transactions occurring within the period of adoption. We are currently considering our timing of adoption. Upon adoption, the new guidance will impact how we assess acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses and do not expect it will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

 

In January 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance to simplify the accounting for goodwill impairment. The new guidance removes Step two of the goodwill impairment test, which measures a goodwill impairment loss by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill, which requires a hypothetical purchase price allocation, with the carrying amount of that reporting unit’s goodwill. Under this new guidance, an entity should perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. All other goodwill impairment guidance will remain largely unchanged. Entities will continue to have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary.  The new guidance is effective for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019.  Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests occurring after January 1, 2017. The new guidance will be applied prospectively. We are currently evaluating the date we will adopt this guidance and what the impact upon adoption will be, if any.

 

In November 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on the classification and presentation of restricted cash in the statement of cash flows to address the diversity in practice. This new guidance requires entities to show changes in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash on a combined basis in the statement of cash flows. In addition, this accounting guidance requires a reconciliation of the total cash, cash equivalent and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows to the related captions in the balance sheet if cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash are presented in more than one line item in the balance sheet. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted, including adoption in an interim period, but any adjustments must be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period.  Upon adoption, an entity may apply the new guidance only retrospectively to all prior periods presented

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in the financial statements.  We anticipate adopting this new guidance on January 1, 2018, on a retrospective basis, and currently do not expect it will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

 

In October 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on income tax accounting associated with intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory. This accounting update, which is part of the FASB's simplification initiative, is intended to reduce diversity in practice and the complexity of tax accounting, particularly for those transfers involving intellectual property. This new guidance requires an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted.  Upon adoption, an entity may apply the new guidance only on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. We expect to adopt this new guidance on January 1, 2018 and are in the process of evaluating the impact of adopting this new guidance on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

 

In August 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which clarifies how companies present and classify certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows. The new guidance specifically addresses the following cash flow topics in an effort to reduce diversity in practice: (1) debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs; (2) settlement of zero-coupon bonds; (3) contingent consideration payments made after a business combination; (4) proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims; (5) proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies, including bank-owned life insurance policies; (6) distributions received from equity method investees; (7) beneficial interests in securitization transactions; and (8) separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted.  Upon adoption, an entity may apply the new guidance only retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. We anticipate adopting this new guidance on January 1, 2018, on a retrospective basis, and we do not expect it will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

 

In June 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on the measurement of credit losses for financial assets measured at amortized cost, which includes accounts receivable, and available-for-sale debt securities. For financial assets measured at amortized cost, this new guidance requires an entity to: (1) estimate its lifetime expected credit losses upon recognition of the financial assets and establish an allowance to present the net amount expected to be collected; (2) recognize this allowance and changes in the allowance during subsequent periods through net income; and (3) consider relevant information about past events, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts in assessing the lifetime expected credit losses. For available-for-sale debt securities, this new guidance made several targeted amendments to the existing other-than-temporary impairment model, including: (1) requiring disclosure of the allowance for credit losses; (2) allowing reversals of the previously recognized credit losses until the entity has the intent to sell, is more-likely-than-not required to sell the securities or the maturity of the securities; (3) limiting impairment to the difference between the amortized cost basis and fair value; and (4) not allowing entities to consider the length of time that fair value has been less than amortized cost as a factor in evaluating whether a credit loss exists. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted, including interim periods within those fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. We are currently considering our timing of adoption and in the process of evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued new guidance related to accounting for leases. The new standard requires the recognition of assets (right-of-use-assets) and liabilities arising from lease transactions on the balance sheet and the disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements. Accordingly, a lessee will recognize a lease asset for its right to use the underlying asset and a lease liability for the corresponding lease obligation. Both the asset and liability will initially be measured at the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term. The new guidance will classify leases as either finance or operating leases, with classification determining the presentation of expenses and cash flows on our consolidated financial statements. Initial costs directly attributable to negotiating and arranging the lease will be included in the asset. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, a lessee can make an accounting policy election by class of underlying asset to not recognize an asset and corresponding liability. The transition guidance also provides specific guidance for sale and leaseback transactions, build-to-suit leases and amounts previously recognized in accordance with the business combinations guidance for leases. Lessees will also be required to provide additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures regarding the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. These disclosures are intended to supplement the amounts recorded in the financial statements and to help financial statement users better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted, which will require the recognition and measurement of leases at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements using a modified retrospective approach. We have not yet determined the date we will adopt this new guidance.  

 

We are currently evaluating the expected impact of this new standard and have made measurable progress to date. We are currently evaluating our existing population of leases under the new guidance, updating accounting policy and position memos, and assessing whether additional technology solutions are required internally to support the requirements under this accounting guidance.

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We will continue to evaluate the impact that this new guidance will have, if any, on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures and provide further updates.

 

In January 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting update which amends the guidance on the classification and measurement of financial instruments. Although the accounting update retains many current requirements, it significantly revises accounting related to (1) the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities and (2) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities measured at fair value. The accounting update also amends certain fair value disclosures of financial instruments and clarifies that an entity should evaluate the need for a valuation allowance on a deferred tax asset related to available-for-sale debt securities in combination with the entity’s evaluation of their other deferred tax assets. The update requires entities to carry all investments in equity securities, including other ownership interests such as partnerships, unincorporated joint ventures and limited liability companies at fair value, with fair value changes recognized through net income. This requirement does not apply to investments that qualify for equity method accounting, investments that result in consolidation of the investee or investments in which the entity has elected the practicability exception to fair value measurement. Under current GAAP, available-for-sale investments in equity securities, with a readily determinable fair value, are re-measured to fair value each reporting period with changes in fair value recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). However, under the new guidance, fair value adjustments will be recognized through net income. For equity securities currently accounted for under the cost method (as they do not have a readily determinable fair value), the new guidance requires those equity investments to be carried at fair value with changes in net income, unless an entity elects to measure those investments, at cost less impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. The Company intends to elect this measurement alternative for equity securities without a readily determinable fair value. Additionally, this accounting update will simplify the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values by requiring a qualitative assessment to identify impairment. When a qualitative assessment indicates that impairment exists, an entity is required to measure the investment at fair value. In addition, this accounting update eliminates the requirement for public business entities to disclose the methods and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is currently required to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized cost in the balance sheet. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for the provision to record fair value changes for financial liabilities under the fair value option resulting from instrument-specific credit risk in other comprehensive income. Upon adoption, an entity will apply the new guidance on a modified retrospective basis, which is to record a cumulative-effect adjustment to beginning retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is adopted, with two exceptions. The amendments related to equity investments without readily determinable fair values (including disclosure requirements) will be effective prospectively. The requirement to use the exit price notion to measure the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes will also be applied prospectively. We anticipate adopting this new guidance on January 1, 2018 and are still evaluating the impact to our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

 

In May 2014, the FASB issued new accounting guidance on revenue from contracts with customers which will replace numerous requirements in GAAP, and provide companies with a single revenue recognition model for recognizing revenue from contracts with customers. The core principle of the new standard is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This guidance also requires additional disclosures about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract.  In March 2016, the FASB issued additional guidance which clarifies principal versus agent considerations and, in April 2016, the FASB issued further guidance which clarifies the identification of performance obligations and the implementation guidance for licensing. The two permitted transition methods under this new accounting guidance are the full retrospective method, in which case the guidance would be applied to each prior reporting period presented and the cumulative effect of applying the guidance would be recognized at the earliest period shown, or the modified retrospective method, in which case the cumulative effect of applying the guidance would be recognized at the date of initial application. We anticipate adopting this new guidance on January 1, 2018.  

 

To date, we have made significant progress toward completing our evaluation of the potential changes from adopting the new standard on our future financial reporting and disclosures. We have established a cross-functional implementation team from across our organization and have made significant progress in the review of our contracts portfolio and our current accounting policies and practices to identify potential differences that could result from applying the requirements of the new standard to our revenue contracts. We continue to evaluate the impact that this new guidance will have, if any, on the Company’s consolidated financial statements, internal controls, and related disclosures and will provide further updates during the second quarter of 2017, including the selection of an adoption method.

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Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

 

In October 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which amends the consolidation guidance on how a reporting entity that is the single decision maker of a variable interest entity should treat indirect interests in the entity held through related parties that are under common control within the reporting entity when determining whether it is the primary beneficiary of that variable interest entity. We adopted this new guidance on January 1, 2017, on a retrospective basis, with no impact on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.  

Results of Operations

Selected Financial Data

(in millions, except percentages)

 

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Revenue and Segment Information

 

Hotel Segment

Our Hotel segment revenue increased by $11 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to a $22 million increase in TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue, primarily due to an increase in revenue per hotel shopper of 2% and an increase in average monthly unique hotel shoppers of 9%, partially offset by a decrease of $3 million in TripAdvisor-branded display-based advertising and subscription revenue, and $8 million in other hotel revenue, all of which are discussed below.  

Adjusted EBITDA in our Hotel segment decreased $18 million during three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to increased SEM and online traffic acquisition costs, partially offset by an increase in revenue. Our Hotel segment adjusted EBITDA margin decelerated during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to an increase in SEM and online traffic acquisition costs to support growth.  

The following is a detailed discussion of the revenue sources within our Hotel segment:

TripAdvisor-branded Click-based and Transaction Revenue

TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue includes click-based advertising revenue from our TripAdvisor-branded websites and revenue from our instant booking feature. For the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, 67% and 62%, respectively, of our total Hotel segment revenue came from our TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue. TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue increased $22 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to an increase of 2% in revenue per hotel shopper and an increase of 9% in average monthly unique hotel shoppers during the quarter, which is explained below. Our largest source of Hotel segment revenue is click-based advertising revenue from our TripAdvisor-branded websites, which includes links to our partners’ sites and contextually-relevant branded and related text links. Click-based advertising is generated primarily through our metasearch auction, a description of which follows.  Our click-based advertising partners are predominantly OTAs, and direct suppliers in the hotel product category. Click-based advertising is generally priced on a cost-per-click, or “CPC”, basis, with payments from advertisers based on the number of users who click on each type of link, or in other words a conversion of a hotel shopper to a paid click. CPC is the price that partners

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are willing to pay for a hotel shopper lead, and is determined in a competitive process that enables our partners to use our proprietary, automated bidding system to submit CPC bids to have their rates and availability listed on our site. When a partner submits a CPC bid, they are agreeing to pay the amount of that bid each time a user subsequently clicks on the link to the partner’s website. Bids can be submitted periodically – as often as daily– on a property-by-property basis. The size of the bid relative to other bids received is the primary factor used to determine the placement of partner links on our site, including on hotel comparison search results and on property detail pages. CPCs are generally lower in markets outside the U.S. market, and hotel shoppers visiting via mobile phones currently monetize at a significantly lower rate than hotel shoppers visiting via desktop or tablet.

Our transaction revenue is comprised of revenue from our instant booking feature, which enables the merchant of record, generally an OTA or hotel partner, to pay a commission to TripAdvisor for a user that completes a hotel reservation on our website.  Instant booking revenue is currently recognized under two different models: the transaction model and the consumption model. Our transaction model commission revenue is recorded at the time a traveler books a hotel reservation on our site with one of our transaction partners. Our transaction partners are liable for commission payments to us upon booking and the partner assumes the cancellation risk.  When a traveler makes a hotel reservation on our site with one of our consumption partners, which comprises the majority of our instant booking revenue, revenue is not recorded until the traveler completes the stay as our consumption partners are liable for commission payment only upon the completion of stay by the traveler.  OTA and hotel partner placement, as well as comparative hotel prices available to the traveler in the booking process under both models, are determined by a bidding process within our proprietary automated bidding system, based on a number of variables, primarily hotel room prices, but also including other factors, such as conversion rates and commission rates, depending on the specific hotel selected. Instant booking commissions are primarily a function of average gross booking value generated from hotel reservations, cancellation rates experienced, and commission rates negotiated with each of our partners.

The key drivers of TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue include the growth in average monthly unique hotel shoppers and, in particular, revenue per hotel shopper, which measures how effectively we convert our hotel shoppers into revenue. We measure performance by calculating revenue per hotel shopper on an aggregate basis, dividing total TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue by total average monthly unique hotel shoppers on TripAdvisor-branded websites for the periods presented.

While we believe total traffic growth, or growth in monthly visits from unique visitors, is reflective of our overall brand growth, we also track and analyze sub-segments of our traffic and their correlation to revenue generation and utilize data regarding hotel shoppers as one of the key indicators of revenue growth. Hotel shoppers are visitors who view either a listing of hotels in a city or a specific hotel page. The number of hotel shoppers tends to vary based on seasonality of the travel industry and general economic conditions, as well as other factors outside of our control. Given these factors, as well as the trend towards increased usage on mobile phones and international expansion, quarterly and annual hotel shopper growth is a difficult metric to forecast.  

The below table summarizes our revenue per hotel shopper calculation and growth rate, in aggregate, for the periods presented:

Our overall revenue per hotel shopper increased 2% during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, according to our log files.  This performance was primarily driven by the easing of dilutive effects from the global launch of our instant booking product feature as the product rollout laps year-over-year in certain markets, such as the U.S. and the U.K., including strong growth in U.S. revenue per hotel shopper, increased percentage of traffic from paid marketing channels, and product enhancements since last year from various company initiatives. This was partially offset by a continued year-over-year decrease in revenue per hotel shopper in certain non-U.S. markets due to the staggered launch of the instant booking feature throughout the first half of 2016, a greater percentage of hotel shoppers visiting TripAdvisor websites and apps via mobile phones, as well as other factors, including increased competition, macroeconomic and geopolitical factors and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.   

Our aggregate average monthly unique hotel shoppers on TripAdvisor-branded websites increased by 9% during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, according to our log files.  The increase in hotel shoppers for the three months ended March 31, 2017 is primarily due to the success in our online marketing strategy for desktop and tablet devices, as well as the general trend of an increasing number of hotel shoppers visiting our websites and apps on mobile phones,

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which has grown significantly faster than traffic from desktop and tablet devices during this period. While increasing the absolute number of hotel shoppers on our sites remains a priority, in the first quarter of 2017, our ability to grow non-U.S. hotel shoppers has been negatively impacted by global launch of our instant booking product feature, increased competition, macroeconomic and geopolitical factors, including foreign currency exchange rates and terrorism events, among other factors.

TripAdvisor-branded Display-based Advertising and Subscription Revenue

For the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, 21% and 22%, respectively, of our Hotel segment revenue came from our TripAdvisor-branded display-based advertising and subscription revenue, which primarily consists of revenue from display-based advertising and subscription-based hotel advertising revenue (or Business Advantage).

Our TripAdvisor-branded display-based advertising and subscription revenue decreased by $3 million or 4%, during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016. The decrease in display-based advertising revenue was primarily due to a decrease in impressions sold, while the decrease in subscription revenue was a result of lower sales productivity in 2016 which resulted in a lower recurring revenue base during the quarter-ended March 31 2017. Display-based advertising revenue and subscription revenue each declined at comparable rates during this period.

Other Hotel Revenue

For the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, 12% and 15%, respectively, of our Hotel segment revenue came from other hotel revenues. Our other hotel revenue primarily includes revenue from non-TripAdvisor branded websites, such as smartertravel.com, independenttraveler.com, and bookingbuddy.com, including click-based advertising revenue, display-based advertising revenue and room reservations sold through these websites.  Our other hotel revenue decreased by $8 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to a reallocation of spend amongst marketing channels within the Hotel segment.

Non-Hotel Segment

Our Non-Hotel segment revenue increased by $9 million or 18% during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily driven by increased bookings, increased bookable supply and user demand in our Attractions and Restaurants businesses.

Our Attractions business continued to benefit from an increase in its bookable supply of attraction listings, attraction partners, continued growth in our user base globally, and enhanced user experience from the introduction of new features, such as attractions on instant booking for mobile, which enables users to purchase tickets and tours seamlessly without leaving the mobile app. These factors are all contributing to more consumer choice, increased conversion, and continued revenue growth as a result of increased bookings.  In our Restaurants business, we have experienced continued revenue growth due to increased bookings in our more established markets, in addition to an increase in bookable supply of restaurant listings during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016.

Adjusted EBITDA in our Non-Hotel segment increased $6 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016.  This increase was primarily due to increased revenue in our Non-Hotel segment, partially offset primarily by increased personnel and overhead costs of $5 million. The Attractions, Restaurants and Vacation Rentals businesses are all at the earlier stages of their growth and business life cycle which require early investment to fund growth initiatives, such as additional personnel, and a contributing factor to this reportable segment operating at a loss for the periods presented.   

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Revenue by Geography

The following table presents our consolidated revenue by geographic region. Revenue by geography is based on the geographic location of our websites.

 

Our U.S. revenue increased $26 million, or 14%, during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016.  U. S. revenue represented 57% and 52%, of total revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. This increase was primarily due to an increase in U.S. TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue, primarily driven by growth in U.S. revenue per hotel shopper and an increased percentage of traffic from paid marketing channels during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, as noted above, and also due to growth in our attractions business. Revenue outside of the U.S., or non-U.S. revenue, decreased $6 million, or 4%, during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016. Our non-U.S. revenue also declined as a percentage of total revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2017 when compared to the same period in 2016, as non-U.S. revenue represented 43% and 48%, of total revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. This was primarily due to the timing of our instant booking feature rollout in certain non-U.S. markets during the first half of 2016, and its associated dilutive impact to TripAdvisor-branded click-based and transaction revenue, as compared to the rollout in our U.S market, which was completed in the third quarter of 2015, and the impact of the fluctuation of foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. Dollar, partially offset by growth in our restaurants business.  In addition, our non-U.S. hotel shoppers have generally monetized at lower revenue per hotel shopper rates than hotel shoppers in the U.S. market for all periods presented.

Consolidated Expenses

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue consists of expenses that are directly related or closely correlated to revenue generation, including direct costs, such as ad serving fees, flight search fees, credit card fees and other transaction costs, and data center costs.  In addition, cost of revenue includes personnel and overhead expenses, including salaries, benefits, stock-based compensation and bonuses for certain customer support personnel who are directly involved in revenue generation.

 

Cost of revenue increased $1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to increased direct costs from merchant credit card and transaction fees in our Non-Hotel segment.    

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Selling and Marketing

Selling and marketing expenses primarily consist of direct costs, including traffic generation costs from SEM and other online traffic acquisition costs, syndication costs and affiliate program commissions, social media costs, brand advertising, television and other offline advertising, and public relations. In addition, our sales and marketing expenses consist of indirect costs such as personnel and overhead expenses, including salaries, commissions, benefits, stock-based compensation and bonuses for sales, sales support, customer support and marketing employees.

 

Direct selling and marketing costs increased $32 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to increased SEM and online traffic acquisition costs of $31 million on a consolidated basis.  Personnel and overhead costs increased $3 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to an increase in headcount in our Non-Hotel segment, which was needed to support business growth.   

Technology and Content

Technology and content expenses consist primarily of personnel and overhead expenses, including salaries and benefits, stock-based compensation and bonuses for salaried employees and contractors engaged in the design, development, testing, content support, and maintenance of our websites and mobile apps. Other costs include licensing, maintenance expense, computer supplies, telecom costs, content translation costs, and consulting costs.

 

Technology and content costs decreased $2 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016.   Personnel and overhead costs remained flat during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to an increase in headcount to support business growth, offset by a decrease in stock-based compensation.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel and related overhead costs, including personnel engaged in executive leadership, finance, legal, and human resources, including stock-based compensation. General and administrative costs also include professional service fees and other fees including audit, legal, tax and accounting, and other costs including bad debt expense, non-income taxes and charitable contributions.

 

General and administrative costs decreased $2 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016.  Professional service fees and other decreased $4 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to a decrease in consulting costs, legal costs, and non-income taxes. Personnel and

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overhead costs increased $2 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily related to an increase in stock-based compensation. 

Depreciation

Depreciation expense consists of depreciation on computer equipment, leasehold improvements, furniture, office equipment and other assets, our corporate headquarters building and amortization of capitalized software and website development costs.  

Depreciation expense increased $3 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017 when compared to the same period in 2016 primarily due to increased amortization related to capitalized software and website development costs.

Amortization of Intangible Assets

Amortization consists of the amortization of purchased definite-lived intangibles.

Amortization of intangible assets did not materially change during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016.

Interest Expense

Interest expense primarily consists of interest incurred, commitment fees and debt issuance cost amortization related to our 2015 Credit Facility, 2016 Credit Facility, and Chinese Credit Facilities, as well as interest on our financing obligation related to our corporate headquarters.

 

Interest expense did not materially change during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016.  Refer to “Note 6: Debt” in the notes to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information on our 2015 Credit Facility, 2016 Credit Facility, and Chinese Credit Facilities.

Interest Income and Other, Net

Interest income and other, net primarily consists of interest earned and amortization of discounts and premiums on our marketable securities, net foreign exchange gains and losses, and gains and losses on sales of our marketable securities and sale of businesses.

 

Interest income and other, net increased $1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017, when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to the fluctuation of foreign exchange rates and settlement of our forward contracts.

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Provision for Income Taxes

Our effective tax rate increased during the three months ended March 31, 2017 over the same period in 2016, primarily due to increased valuation allowances on losses in jurisdictions outside the United States and a lower stock price resulting in stock compensation shortfalls.

For the three months ended March 31, 2017, the effective tax rate is greater than the federal statutory rate primarily due to valuation allowances on losses in jurisdictions outside the United States and recognition of stock compensation shortfalls.

Adjusted EBITDA

To provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results, we also disclose Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. A “non-GAAP financial measure” refers to a numerical measure of a company’s historical or future financial performance, financial position, or cash flows that excludes (or includes) amounts that are included in (or excluded from) the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP in such company’s financial statements.

Adjusted EBITDA is our segment profit measure and a key measure used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate the operating performance of our business and on which internal budgets and forecasts are based and approved. In particular, the exclusion of certain expenses in calculating Adjusted EBITDA can provide a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our core business. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus: (1) provision for income taxes; (2) other income (expense), net; (3) depreciation of property and equipment, including amortization of internal use software and website development; (4) amortization of intangible assets; (5) stock-based compensation and other stock-settled obligations; (6) goodwill, long-lived asset and intangible asset impairments; and (7) other non-recurring expenses and income.

Our use of Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results reported in accordance with GAAP. Because of these limitations, you should consider Adjusted EBITDA alongside other financial performance measures, including net income and our other GAAP results.

Some of these limitations are:

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The following table presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, for the periods presented:

 

Related Party Transactions

For information on our relationship with Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc., refer to “Note 11: Related Party Transactions” in the notes to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.   We had no related party transactions with LTRIP during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Stock-Based Compensation

Refer to “Note 3: Stock Based Awards and Other Equity Instruments” in the notes to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information on current year equity award activity, including the issuance of 1,485,903 service-based stock options with a weighted average grant-date fair value per option of $17.20 and 3,732,145 service-based RSUs with a weighted average grant-date fair value of $42.90 during the three months ended March 31, 2017.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The following section explains how we have generated and used our cash during the year, describes our current capital resources and discusses our future known financial commitments.

Sources and Uses of Cash

Our cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities, as reflected in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, are summarized in the following table:

 

 

Our principal source of liquidity is cash flows generated from operations, although liquidity needs can also be met through drawdowns under our 2015 Credit Facility, 2016 Credit Facility, and Chinese Credit Facilities. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we had $749 million and $746 million, respectively, of cash, cash equivalents and short and long-term available-for-sale marketable securities. As of March 31, 2017, approximately $572 million of our cash, cash equivalents and short and long-term marketable securities are held by our subsidiaries outside the United States. Cumulative undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that we intend to indefinitely reinvest outside of the United States totaled approximately $822 million as of March 31, 2017. Should we distribute, or be treated under certain U.S. tax rules as having distributed, the earnings of foreign subsidiaries in the form of dividends or otherwise, we may be subject to U.S. income taxes. To date, we have permanently reinvested our foreign earnings outside of the United States and we currently do not intend to repatriate these earnings to fund U.S. operations. Determination of the amount of any unrecognized deferred income tax liability on this temporary difference is not practicable because of the complexities of the hypothetical calculation. The majority of cash on hand is denominated in U.S. dollars.

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On January 25, 2017, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $250 million of our shares of common stock under a new share repurchase program. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, we repurchased 3,529,923 shares of our outstanding common stock at an aggregate cost of $150 million. The repurchase program has no expiration date but may be suspended or terminated by the Board of Directors at any time. The Executive Committee of our Board of Directors will determine the price, timing, amount and method of such repurchases based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors, and any shares repurchased will be in compliance with applicable legal requirements, at prices determined to be attractive and in the best interests of both the Company and its stockholders. As of March 31, 2017, we have a remaining balance of $100 million to repurchase shares of our common stock under the share repurchase program.

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, we borrowed an additional $270 million and repaid $151 million of outstanding borrowings under the 2015 Credit Facility. These net borrowings during the quarter were primarily used to repurchase shares of our outstanding common stock under the Company’s share repurchase program. As of March 31, 2017, we had outstanding borrowings of $210 million in long-term debt, within our U.S. subsidiaries, and approximately $787 million of borrowing capacity available under our 2015 Credit Facility, which we are borrowing under a one-month interest period at 2.125% per annum, which will reset periodically. In addition, we had $73 million of additional borrowing capacity available under our 2016 Credit Facility.  The Company repaid all outstanding borrowings under the 2016 Credit Facility during the three months ended March 31, 2017. Finally, as of March 31, 2017, we had short-term borrowings of $7 million and approximately $33 million of available borrowing capacity under our Chinese Credit Facilities, which currently bear interest at a rate based on 100% of the People’s Bank of China’s base rate, or 4.35%. For further discussion on our credit facilities refer to “Note 6: Debt” in the notes to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Historically, the cash we generate from operations has been sufficient to fund our working capital requirements, capital expenditures, and to meet our long term debt obligations and other financial commitments. Management believes that our available cash and marketable securities, combined with expected cash flows generated by operating activities and available cash from our credit facilities, will be sufficient to satisfy our anticipated working capital requirements, capital expenditures and business growth initiatives; meet our long term debt obligations, lease commitments and other financial commitments; fund any additional share repurchases that may be made, or potential acquisitions through at least the next twelve months.

Operating Activities

For the three months ended March 31, 2017, net cash provided by operating activities increased by $10 million or 8% when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to a net increase in working capital movements of $19 million and non-cash items affecting cash flow of $7 million, which is primarily due to an increase in deferred tax expense, partially offset by a decrease in net income of $16 million.  The increase in working capital movements of $19 million was primarily related to an increase in operating cash flow from deferred merchant payables due to growth in our Attractions business, in addition to the timing of vendor payments and collection of receivables.    

Investing Activities

For the three months ended March 31, 2017, net cash provided by investing activities increased by $87 million when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to a net increase in cash generated by the purchases, sales and maturities of our marketable securities.

Financing Activities

For the three months ended March 31, 2017, net cash used in financing activities increased by $16 million when compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to payments of $150 million for common stock share repurchases under our share repurchase program and repayment of our 2016 Credit Facility borrowings of $73 million in 2017, partially offset by additional net borrowings on our 2015 Credit Facility of $119 million in the three months ended March 31, 2017, as compared to repayments under our 2015 Credit Facility of $90 million during the three months ended March 31, 2016.

Contractual Obligations, Commercial Commitments and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

There have been no material changes outside the normal course of business to our contractual obligations and commercial commitments since December 31, 2016. As of March 31, 2017, other than our contractual obligations and commercial commitments, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC.  Refer to “Liquidity and Capital Resources” in Part II, Item 7. —Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 for a discussion of our contractual obligations and commercial commitments.

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Contingencies

In the ordinary course of business, we and our subsidiaries are parties to regulatory and legal matters.  These matters may relate to claims involving alleged infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, defamation, taxes, regulatory compliance and other claims. Periodically, we review the status of all significant outstanding matters to assess the potential financial exposure.  When (i) it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred, and (ii) the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated, we record the estimated loss in our consolidated statements of operations.  We provide disclosure in the notes to the consolidated statements for loss contingencies that do not meet both of these conditions if there is a reasonable possibility that a loss may have been incurred that would be material to the financial statements. Significant judgment is required to determine the probability that a liability has been incurred and whether such liability is reasonably estimable. We base accruals made on the best information available at the time which can be highly subjective. Although occasional adverse decisions or settlements may occur, the Company does not believe that the final disposition of any of these matters will have a material adverse effect on the business.  However, the final outcome of these matters could vary significantly from our estimates. There may be claims or actions pending or threatened against us of which we are currently not aware and the ultimate disposition of which would have a material adverse effect on us.

We are also under audit by the IRS and various other domestic and foreign tax authorities with regards to income tax matters. We have reserved for potential adjustments to our provision for income taxes that may result from examinations by, or any negotiated agreements with, these tax authorities. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of audits could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals. The results of an audit could have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows in the period for which that determination is made.

By virtue of previously filed consolidated income tax returns filed with Expedia, we are currently under an IRS audit for the 2009, 2010, and 2011 tax years, and have various ongoing state income tax audits. We are separately under examination by the IRS for the 2012 and 2013 tax years and under an employment tax audit by the IRS for the 2013 and 2014 tax years. These audits include questioning of the timing and the amount of income and deductions and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. These examinations may lead to proposed or ordinary course adjustments to our taxes.  We are no longer subject to tax examinations by tax authorities for years prior to 2008.  As of March 31, 2017, no material assessments have resulted, except as noted below regarding our 2009 and 2010 IRS audit with Expedia.

In January 2017, as part of the Company’s IRS audit of Expedia, we received Notices of Proposed Adjustment from the IRS for the 2009 and 2010 tax years.  These proposed adjustments are related to certain transfer pricing arrangements with our foreign subsidiaries, and would result in an increase to our worldwide income tax expense in an estimated range of $10 million to $14 million after consideration of competent authority relief, exclusive of interest and penalties.  We disagree with the proposed adjustments and we intend to defend our position through applicable administrative and, if necessary, judicial remedies.  Our policy is to review and update tax reserves as facts and circumstances change. Based on our interpretation of the regulations and available case law, we believe the position we have taken with regard to transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries is sustainable.  In addition to the risk of additional tax for 2009 and 2010 transactions, if the IRS were to seek transfer pricing adjustments of a similar nature for transactions in subsequent years, we would be subject to significant additional tax liabilities.

Additionally, we continue to accumulate positive cash flows in foreign jurisdictions, which we consider indefinitely reinvested. Any repatriation of funds currently held in foreign jurisdictions may result in higher effective tax rates and incremental cash tax payments. In addition, there have been proposals to amend U.S. tax laws that would significantly impact the manner in which U.S. companies are taxed on foreign earnings. Although we cannot predict whether or in what form any legislation will pass, if enacted, it could have a material adverse impact on our U.S. tax expense and cash flows.  

See “Note 7: Income Taxes” in the notes to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information on potential contingencies surrounding current audits by the IRS and various other domestic and foreign tax authorities, and other income tax matters.  

 

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

We are exposed to certain market risks, including changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates that could adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition. Our exposure to market risk includes our revolving credit facilities, derivative instruments and cash and cash equivalents, short term and long term marketable securities, accounts receivable, intercompany receivables, accounts payable and deferred merchant payables denominated in foreign currencies. We manage our exposure to these risks through established policies and procedures and by assessing the anticipated near-term and long-term fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. Our objective is to mitigate potential income statement, cash flow and market exposures from changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates.

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There has been no material change in our market risk profile during the three months ended March 31, 2017.  For additional information, see “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” in Item 7A. in Part II of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

 

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As of March 31, 2017, our management, with the participation of our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of March 31, 2017, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that material information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, including ensuring that such material information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes to our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended March 31, 2017 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

PART II—OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

In the ordinary course of business, we are parties to legal proceedings and claims involving alleged infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, defamation, taxes, regulatory compliance and other claims. Rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC require the description of material pending legal proceedings, other than ordinary, routine litigation incident to the registrant’s business, and advise that proceedings ordinarily need not be described if they primarily involve damages claims for amounts (exclusive of interest and costs) not individually exceeding 10% of the current assets of the registrant and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. In the judgment of management, none of the pending litigation matters that we are defending involves or is likely to involve amounts of that magnitude. There may be claims or actions pending or threatened against us of which we are currently not aware and the ultimate disposition of which could have a material adverse effect on us.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

You should consider carefully the risks described below together with all of the other information included in this Quarterly Report as they may impact our business, results of operations and/or financial condition. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also impair our business, results of operations or financial condition. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

If we are unable to continue to increase visitors to our websites and mobile apps and to cost-effectively convert these visitors into revenue-generating users, our revenue, financial results and business could be harmed.

Our long term success depends on our continued ability to maintain and increase the overall number of visitors flowing through our platforms in a cost effective manner, to engage users throughout the travel planning and booking phases and to attract consumers who will share their reviews from their trips. The primary asset that we use to attract visitors to our websites and convert these visitors into engaged users and bookers is our ability to collect or create, organize and distribute high-quality, commercially valuable content and products that meet users’ specific interests.  Our traffic and user engagement could be adversely affected by a number of factors, including but not limited to increased competition, reduced consumer awareness of our brands, declines or inefficiencies in traffic acquisition, and macroeconomic conditions.  Certain of our competitors have advertising campaigns expressly designed to drive consumer traffic directly to their websites, and these campaigns may negatively impact traffic to our site.  There can be no assurances that we will continue to provide content and products in a cost-effective manner or in a manner that meets rapidly changing consumer demand. Any failure to obtain and manage content and products in a cost-effective manner that will engage users, or any failure to provide content and products that are perceived as useful, reliable and trustworthy, could adversely affect user experiences and their repeat behavior, reduce traffic to our websites and negatively impact our business and financial performance.

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Our dedication to making the user experience our highest priority may cause us to prioritize rapid innovation and user experience over short-term financial results.

We strive to create the best experience for our users, providing them with the information, research and tools to enable them to plan, book, and experience the perfect trip.  We believe that in doing so we will increase our rates of conversion, revenue per shopper and, ultimately, our financial performance over the long-term.  We have taken actions in the past and may continue to make decisions going forward that have the effect of reducing our short-term revenue or profitability if we believe that the decisions benefit the aggregate user experience.  For example, we may introduce changes to existing products or new products that direct users away from formats or use cases where we have a proven means of monetization, e.g. our instant book product.  In addition, our approach of putting users first may negatively impact our relationship with existing or prospective advertisers. These actions and practices could result in a loss of advertisers, which in turn could harm our results of operations.  The short-term reductions in revenue or profitability could be more severe than we anticipate or these decisions may not produce the long-term benefits that we expect, in which case our user growth and engagement, our relationships with users and advertisers, and our business and results of operations could be harmed.

We derive a substantial portion of our revenue from advertising and any significant reduction in spending by advertisers or redirections of advertising spend could harm our business.

We derive a substantial portion of our revenue from the sale of advertising, primarily through click-based advertising and, to a lesser extent, display-based advertising. We enter into master advertising contracts with our advertising partners, however, the agreement terms are generally limited to matters such as privacy and compliance, payment terms and conditions, termination and indemnities and most of these contracts can be terminated by our partners at will or on short notice. Our ability to grow advertising revenue with our existing or new advertising partners is dependent in large part on our ability to generate revenue for them relative to other alternatives. Advertisers will not continue to do business with us if their investment in such advertising does not generate sales leads, customers, bookings, or revenue and profit on a cost-effective basis. Our ability to provide value to our advertising partners depends on a number of factors, including acceptance of online advertising versus more traditional forms of advertising or more effective models, competitiveness of our products, traffic quality, perception of our platform, availability and accuracy of analytics and measurement solutions to demonstrate our value, and macroeconomic conditions, whether in the advertising industry generally, among specific types of marketers or within particular geographies.  We cannot guarantee that our current advertisers will fulfill their obligations under existing contracts, continue to advertise beyond the terms of existing contracts or enter into any additional contracts with us.

Click-based advertising revenue accounts for the majority of our advertising revenue. Our CPC pricing for click-based advertising depends, in part, on competition between advertisers. If our large advertisers become less competitive with each other, merge with each other or with our competitors, focus more on per-click profit than on traffic volume, or are able to reduce CPCs, this could have an adverse impact on our click-based advertising revenue which would, in turn, have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on a relatively small number of significant advertising partners and any reduction in spending by or loss of these partners could seriously harm our business.

We derive a substantial portion of our revenue from a relatively small number of advertising partners and rely significantly on our relationships. For example, for the year ended December 31, 2016, our two most significant advertising partners, Expedia and Priceline (and their subsidiaries), accounted for a combined 46% of total revenue. While we enter into master advertising contracts with our partners, the terms of these agreements generally address matters such as privacy and compliance, payment terms and conditions, termination and indemnities and most of these contracts can be terminated by our partners at will or on short notice.  If any of our significant advertisers were to cease or significantly curtail advertising on our websites, we could experience a rapid decline in our revenue over a relatively short period of time which would have a material impact on our business.

Changes in internet search engine algorithms and dynamics, or search engine disintermediation, could have a negative impact on traffic for our sites and ultimately, our business and results of operations.

We rely heavily on internet search engines, such as Google, to generate traffic to our websites, principally through the purchase of travel-related keywords as well as through free, or organic, search. Pricing and operating dynamics for these traffic sources can change rapidly, both technically and competitively. Search engines frequently update and change the logic that determines the placement and display of results of a user’s search, such that the purchased or algorithmic placement of links to our websites can be negatively affected. In addition, a search engine could, for competitive or other purposes, alter its search algorithms or results causing our websites to place lower in organic search query results. If a major search engine changes its algorithms in a manner that negatively affects the search engine ranking of our websites or those of our partners, or if competitive dynamics impact the cost or effectiveness

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of SEO or SEM in a negative manner, our business and financial performance would be adversely affected. Furthermore, our failure to successfully manage our SEO and SEM strategies could result in a substantial decrease in traffic to our websites, as well as increased costs if we were to replace free traffic with paid traffic.

In addition, to the extent that Google or other leading search or metasearch engines that have a significant presence in our key markets, disintermediate OTAs or travel content providers, whether by offering their own comprehensive travel planning or shopping capabilities, or by referring leads to suppliers, other favored partners or themselves directly, there could be a material adverse impact on our business and financial performance.  To the extent these actions have a negative effect on search results and traffic to our site, our business and financial performance could be adversely affected.

We also rely on application marketplaces, such as Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play, to drive downloads of our applications. In the future, Apple, Google or other marketplace operators may make changes to their marketplaces that make access to our products more difficult. For example, our applications may receive unfavorable treatment compared to the promotion and placement of competing applications, such as the order in which they appear within marketplaces. Similarly, if problems arise in our relationships with providers of application marketplaces, traffic to our site and our user growth could be harmed.

We continue to focus on our “instant booking” feature despite anticipated and unanticipated challenges and risks which could have a negative impact on our business and financial performance.  

Instant booking is a feature that enables users to book a hotel reservation directly with a hotel or online travel agency partner while remaining on the TripAdvisor website. We believe that allowing users to book directly online without leaving the TripAdvisor site will result in a better user experience, increased user engagement and, ultimately, additional revenue to the Company. We began rolling out this feature out the U.S. in 2014 and completed the roll out in non-U.S. markets in 2016.  We are currently focused on (i) improving the shopping experience to drive increased user engagement, better conversion and more bookings, and (ii) continuing to earn users’ trust as their booking site of choice.

There are, however, additional risks associated with this feature.  Currently our instant booking feature is monetizing at a lower revenue per hotel shopper rate compared to our metasearch feature. While we expect to close this monetization gap, primarily by continuing to streamline our booking path to enhance user experience, persistently promoting the TripAdvisor brand as a booking channel and continuing to seek partners with strong branding and supply channels, there is no guarantee that these initiatives will ultimately be successful and, if not, our revenue may be materially adversely affected.  In addition, instant booking revenue recorded under the consumption model is recognized at the time the traveler completes his or her stay. Comparatively, revenue recognized under our metasearch feature is recorded when a traveler makes the click-through to the travel partners’ websites. In future periods, greater contribution of revenue from our instant booking consumption model would result in additional revenue recognized at the time of a consumed stay and thus a shift in the timing of our revenue recognition.

Consumer adoption and use of mobile devices creates new challenges and, if we are unable to operate effectively on mobile devices, our business may be adversely affected.  

The number of people who access the internet through mobile phones has increased substantially in the last few years and we anticipate that the rate of use of these devices will continue to grow. The mobile market in general remains a rapidly evolving market and mobile phones continue to monetize at a significantly lower rate than desktops and tablets.  As new devices and platforms are released, users may begin consuming content in a manner that is more difficult to monetize.  Advertising opportunities may be more limited on mobile devices.  In addition, given the device sizes and technical limitations of these devices, mobile consumers may not be willing to download multiple apps from multiple companies providing similar service and instead prefer to use one or a limited number of apps for their hotel, restaurant and attractions activity.

To address these growing user demands, we continue to extend our platform to develop and improve upon our mobile applications and monetization strategies. If we are unable to continue to rapidly innovate and create new, user-friendly and differentiated mobile offerings and websites optimized for mobile phone devices and efficiently and effectively advertise and distribute on these platforms, or if our mobile offerings are not used by consumers, our future growth and results of operations could be negatively impacted.  

Declines or disruptions in the economy in general and travel industry in particular could adversely affect our businesses and financial performance.

Our businesses and financial performance are affected by the health of the global economy generally as well as the travel industry and leisure travel in particular. Sales of travel services tend to decline or grow more slowly during economic downturns and

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recessions when consumers engage in less discretionary spending, are concerned about unemployment or economic weakness, have reduced access to credit or experience other concerns that reduce their ability or willingness to travel.  The global economy may be adversely impacted by unforeseen events beyond our control including incidents of actual or threatened terrorism, regional hostilities or instability, unusual weather patterns, natural disasters, political instability and health concerns (including epidemics or pandemics), defaults on government debt, significant increases in fuel and energy costs, tax increases and other matters that could reduce discretionary spending, tightening of credit markets and further declines in consumer confidence. Decreased travel expenditures could reduce the demand for our services and have a negative impact on our business, working capital and financial performance.  

In addition, the uncertainty of macro-economic factors and their impact on consumer behavior, which may differ across regions, makes it more difficult to forecast industry and consumer trends and the timing and degree of their impact on our markets and business, which in turn could adversely affect our ability to effectively manage our business and adversely affect our results of operations.

On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom held a referendum in which a majority of voters voted to exit the European Union (“Brexit”).   Since the referendum, global markets and foreign currency exchange rates have experienced increased volatility, including a sharp decline in the value of the British Pound Sterling relative to the U.S. dollar.  To leave the European Union, the United Kingdom must provide official notice of its decision and negotiate the terms of its exit.  This process could take two years or more.  The effects of Brexit will depend on, among other things, the terms, nature and timetable of the exit and the parties have not yet established these terms, Brexit could adversely affect European and global economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in global financial markets.  Any of these effects of Brexit, and others we cannot anticipate, may have a negative effect on the travel industry and may adversely affect our business.  

We rely on the value of our brands and consumer trust in our brands. If we are not able to protect, maintain and enhance our brands, or if events occur that damage our reputation and brands, our business may be harmed.

We believe that the strength of our brands (particularly the TripAdvisor brand) has contributed significantly to our success and that maintaining and enhancing our brands is critical to expanding our base of users, to creating content and to attracting advertisers. As a result, we invest significantly in brand marketing. We expect these investments to continue, or even increase, as a result of a variety of factors, including relatively high levels of advertising spending from competitors, the increasing costs of supporting multiple brands, expansion into new geographies, products and product positioning where our brands are less well known, inflation in media pricing, and the continued emergence and relative traffic share growth of search engines as destination sites for travelers. Such efforts may not maintain or enhance consumer awareness of our brands and, even if we are successful in our branding efforts, such efforts may not be cost-effective or as efficient as they have been historically. If we are unable to maintain or enhance consumer awareness of our brands or to generate demand in a cost-effective manner, it would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial performance.

Our ability to protect, maintain and enhance our brand also depends largely on our ability to maintain consumer confidence in our products, in the quality and integrity of our content and other information found on our platform.  If consumers do not believe our recommended reviews to be useful and reliable, they may seek other services to obtain the information for which they are looking and may not return to our platform as often in the future, or at all.  In addition, unfavorable publicity regarding, for example, our practices relating to privacy and data protection, product changes, competitive pressures, litigation or regulatory activity, could adversely affect our reputation with our users and our advertisers. Such negative publicity also could have an adverse effect on the size, engagement, and loyalty of our user base and result in decreased revenue, which could adversely affect our business and financial results.

We operate in an increasingly competitive global environment and our failure to compete effectively could reduce our market share and harm our financial performance.

We compete in rapidly evolving and competitive markets. We face competition for content, users, advertisers, online travel search and price comparison services, or what is known in the industry as hotel metasearch, and online reservations. In the competition to attract users to our platform, we rely on our ability to acquire traffic through offline brand recognition and brand-direct efforts such as online search, email and television.  These marketing strategies can be impacted by competitive site content, changes to our website architecture and page designs, changes to search engine ranking algorithms, updates in competitor advertising strategies, or changes to display ordering in search engine results such as preferred placement for internal products offered by search engines.

We also compete with different types of companies in the various markets and geographies we participate in, including large and small companies in the travel space as well as broader service providers.  More specifically:

 

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Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources compared to us and have expertise in developing online commerce and facilitating internet traffic as well as large client bases. They also have the ability to leverage other aspects of their business to enable them to compete more effectively against us.  In addition, many of our competitors, including online search companies, continue to expand their voice and artificial intelligence capabilities, which may provide them with a competitive advantage in travel.  We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully against our current, emerging and future competitors or on platforms that may emerge, or provide differentiated products and services to our traveler base.  

Certain of the companies we do business with, including some of our click-based advertising partners, are also our competitors. The consolidation of our competitors and partners, including Expedia (through its acquisitions of Orbitz, Travelocity, and HomeAway) and Priceline (through its acquisitions of Kayak and OpenTable), may affect our relative competitiveness and our partner relationships. Competition and consolidation could result in higher traffic acquisition costs, reduced margins on our advertising services, loss of market share, reduced customer traffic to our websites and reduced advertising by travel companies on our websites.

As the industry shifts towards online travel services and the technology supporting it continues to evolve, including platforms such as smartphone and tablet computing devices, competition is likely to intensify. Competition in our industry may result in pricing pressure, loss of market share or decreased member engagement, any of which could adversely affect our business and financial performance.

We rely on information technology to operate our business and remain competitive, and any failure to adapt to technological developments or industry trends could harm our businesses.

We depend on the use of sophisticated information technologies and systems for, among other things, website and mobile apps, supplier connectivity, communications, reservations, payment processing, procurement, customer service and fraud prevention.  Our future success depends on our ability to continuously improve and upgrade our systems and infrastructure to meet rapidly evolving consumer trends and demands while at the same time maintaining the reliability and integrity of our systems and infrastructure. We may not be able to maintain or replace our existing systems or introduce new technologies and systems as quickly as we would like or in a cost-effective manner. We may not be successful, or as successful as our competitors, in developing technologies and systems that operate effectively across multiple devices and platforms in a way that is appealing to our users.

In addition, the emergence of alternative platforms such as smartphone and tablet computing devices and the emergence of niche competitors who may be able to optimize products, services or strategies for such platforms will require new investment in technology. New developments in other areas, such as cloud computing, could also make it easier for competition to enter our markets due to lower up-front technology costs.

If we do not continue to innovate and provide tools and services that are useful to travelers, we may not remain competitive, and our business and financial performance could suffer.

Our success depends in part on continued innovation to provide features and services that make our platform compelling to travelers. Our competitors are continually developing innovations in online travel-related services and features. As a result, we are continually working to improve our business model and user experience in order to drive user traffic and conversion rates. We can give no assurances that the changes we make will yield the benefits we expect and will not have adverse impacts that we did not anticipate. If we are unable to continue offering innovative products and services and quality features that travelers want to use, existing users may become dissatisfied and use competitors’ offerings and we may be unable to attract additional users, which could adversely affect our business and financial performance.

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We are dependent upon the quality of traffic in our network to provide value to online advertisers, and any failure in our quality control could have a material adverse effect on the value of our websites to our advertisers and adversely affect our revenue.

We use technology and processes to monitor the quality of the internet traffic that we deliver to online advertisers and have identified metrics to demonstrate the quality of that traffic. These metrics are used to not only identify the value of advertising on our website but also to identify low quality clicks such as non-human processes, including robots, spiders or other software; the mechanical automation of clicking; and other types of invalid clicks or click fraud. Even with such monitoring in place, there is a risk that a certain amount of low-quality traffic, or traffic that online advertisers deem to be invalid, will be delivered to such online advertisers. As a result, we may be required to credit amounts owed to us by our advertisers. Furthermore, low-quality or invalid traffic may be detrimental to our relationships with advertisers, and could adversely affect our advertising pricing and revenue.

We rely on assumptions and estimates and data to calculate certain of our key metrics, and real or perceived inaccuracies in such metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.

We believe that certain metrics are key to our business, including unique visitors, hotel shoppers, revenue per hotel shopper, and number of reviews and opinions.  As the industry in which we operate and our business continues to evolve, so too might the metrics by which we evaluate our business.  While the calculation of these metrics is based on what we believe to be reasonable estimates, our internal tools are not independently verified by a third party and have a number of limitations and, furthermore, our methodologies for tracking these metrics may change over time.  For example, a single person may have multiple accounts or browse the internet on multiple browsers or devices, some users may restrict our ability to accurately identify them across visits, some mobile applications automatically contact our servers for regular updates with no user action, and we are not always able to capture user information on all of our platforms. As such, the calculations of our unique visitors may not accurately reflect the number of people actually visiting our platforms.  We continue to improve upon our tools and methodologies to capture data and believe that our current metrics are more accurate; however, the improvement of our tools and methodologies could cause inconsistency between current data and previously reported data, which could confuse investors or lead to questions about the integrity of our data. Also if the internal tools we use to track these metrics under-count or over-count performance or contain algorithm or other technical errors, the data we report may not be accurate. In addition, historically, certain metrics were calculated by independent third parties.  Accordingly readers should not place undue reliance on these numbers.  

The loss of one or more of our key personnel, or our failure to attract and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, could harm our business.

Our future success depends upon the continued contributions of our senior corporate management and other key employees. In particular, the contributions of Stephen Kaufer, our co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, are critical to our overall management. We cannot ensure that we will be able to retain the services of these individuals, and the loss of one or more of our key personnel could seriously harm our business. We do not maintain any key person life insurance policies.

In addition, competition remains intense for well-qualified employees in certain aspects of our business, including software engineers, developers, product management and development personnel, and other technology professionals. Our continued ability to compete effectively depends on our ability to attract new employees and to retain and motivate existing employees. As a global company, we aim to attract quality employees from all over the world, so any restrictions on travel for professional or personal purposes, such as those put in place in the United States in early 2017, may cause significant disruption to our businesses or negatively affect our ability to attract and retain employees on a global basis.  If we do not succeed in attracting well-qualified employees or retaining or motivating existing employees, our business would be adversely affected.

The online vacation rental market is rapidly evolving and if we fail to predict the manner in which the market develops, our business and prospects may suffer.

We offer vacation rental services on our TripAdvisor-branded sites as well as through our U.S.-based FlipKey and Vacation Home Rentals and European-based Holiday Lettings and Niumba businesses. The vacation rental market has been and continues to be, subject to regulatory development that affects the vacation rental industry and the ability of companies like us to list those vacation rentals online. For example, some states and local jurisdictions have adopted or are considering statutes or ordinances that prohibit property owners and managers from renting certain properties for fewer than 30 consecutive days or otherwise limit their ability to do so, and other states and local jurisdictions may introduce similar regulations. Some states and local jurisdictions also have fair housing or other laws governing whether and how properties may be rented, which they assert apply to vacation rentals. Many homeowners, condominium and neighborhood associations have adopted rules that prohibit or restrict short-term vacation rentals. In addition, many of the fundamental statutes and ordinances that impose taxes or other obligations on travel and lodging companies were established before the growth of the internet and e-commerce, which creates a risk of these laws being used in ways not originally intended that

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could burden property owners and managers or otherwise harm our business.  Operating in this dynamic regulatory environment and in new and untested jurisdictions requires significant management attention and financial resources. We cannot assure that our efforts will be successful, and the investment and additional resources required to manage growth will produce the desired levels of revenue or profitability.

We may be subject to claims that we violated intellectual property rights of others and these claims can be extremely costly to defend and could require us to pay significant damages and limit our ability to operate.

Certain companies in the internet and technology industries that own patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets frequently enter into litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of those intellectual property rights in order to extract value from technology companies, such as royalties in connection with grants of licenses.  We have received in the past, and expect in the future to receive notices that claim we have misappropriated or misused other parties’ intellectual property rights. Any intellectual property claim against us, regardless of merit, could be time-consuming and expensive to settle or litigate and could divert management’s attention and other resources. These claims also could subject us to significant liability for damages and could result in our having to stop using technology or content found to be in violation of another party’s rights. We might be required or may opt to seek a license for rights to intellectual property held by others, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Even if a license is available, we could be required to pay significant royalties, which would increase our operating expenses. We may also be required to develop alternative non-infringing technology, or content, which could require significant effort and expense and make us less competitive in the relevant market. Any of these results could harm our business and financial performance.

Acquisitions, investments, significant commercial arrangements and/or new business strategies could disrupt our ongoing business and present new challenges and risks.  

Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to expand our product offerings and expand user engagement in order to grow our business in response to changing technologies, user and advertiser demands and competitive pressures.  As a result, we have acquired, invested in and/or entered into significant commercial arrangements with a number of new business in the past and our future growth may depend, in part, on future acquisitions, investments, commercial arrangements/or changes in business strategies, any of which could be material to our financial conditions and results of operations. Such endeavors may involve significant risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the following:

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We have recently invested, and may in the future invest, in privately-held companies and these investments are currently accounted for under the cost method.  Such investments are inherently risky in that such companies are typically at an early stage of development, may have no or limited revenues, may not be or may never become profitable, may not be able to secure additional funding or their technologies, services or products may not be successfully developed or introduced into the market. Further, our ability to liquidate any such investments is typically dependent upon some liquidity event, such as a public offering or acquisition, since no public market exists for such securities.  Valuations of such privately-held companies are inherently complex and uncertain due to the lack of liquid market for the company’s securities.  Moreover, we could lose the full amount of any of our investments and any impairment of our investments could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We cannot assure you that these investments will be successful or that such endeavors will result in the realization of the full benefits of synergies, cost savings, innovation and operational efficiencies that may be possible or that we will achieve these benefits within a reasonable period of time.  

If we fail to manage our growth effectively, our brand, results of operations and business could be harmed.

We have experienced rapid growth in our headcount and operations, including through acquisitions of other businesses and in new international markets.  We continue to make substantial investments in our technology and sales and marketing organizations.  This growth places substantial demands on management and our operational infrastructure. In addition, as our business matures, we make periodic changes and adjustments to our organization in response to various internal and external considerations, including market opportunities, the competitive landscape, new and enhanced products and acquisitions.  These changes may result in a temporary lack of focus or productivity or otherwise impact our business.  

To manage our growth, we may need to improve our operational, financial and management systems and processes which may require significant capital expenditures and allocation of valuable management and employee resources.  As we continue to grow, we must effectively integrate, develop and motivate a large number of new employees, including employees in international markets, while maintaining the beneficial aspects of our company culture.  If we do not manage the growth of our business and operations effectively, the quality of our platform and efficiency of our operations could suffer, which could harm our brand, results of operations and business.

We are regularly subject to claims, suits, government investigations, and other proceedings that may result in adverse outcomes.

We are regularly subject to claims, suits, government investigations and other proceedings involving competition, intellectual property, privacy and data protection, consumer protection, tax, labor and employment, commercial disputes, content generated by our users, free speech issues, goods and services offered by advertisers or publishers using our platforms, and other matters. In addition, our businesses face intellectual property litigation that exposes us to the risk of exclusion and cease and desist orders, which could limit our ability to sell products and services.

Such claims, suits, government investigations and proceedings are inherently uncertain and their results cannot be predicted with certainty. Regardless of the outcome, any of these types of legal proceedings can have an adverse impact on us because of legal costs, diversion of management resources, injunctions or damage awards and other factors. Determining reserves for our pending litigation is a complex, fact-intensive process that requires significant judgment. It is possible that a resolution of one or more such proceedings could result in substantial fines and penalties that could adversely affect our business, consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows in a particular period. These proceedings could also result in reputational harm, criminal sanctions, consent decrees, or orders preventing us from offering certain features, functionalities, products, or services, requiring a change in our business practices or other field action, or requiring development of non-infringing or otherwise altered products or technologies. Any of these consequences could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our non-U.S. operations involve additional risks and our exposure to these risks increases as our business continues to expand globally.

We operate in a number of jurisdictions outside of the United States and continue to expand our non-U.S. operations. Many of these regions have different economic conditions, languages, currencies, consumer expectations, levels of consumer acceptance and use of the internet for commerce, legislation, regulatory environments (including labors laws and customs), tax laws and levels of political stability.  We are subject to associated risks typical of certain non-U.S. businesses, including, but not limited to, the following:

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We have a business operating in China, which creates particular risks and uncertainties relating to the laws in China. The laws and regulations of China restrict foreign investment in areas including air-ticketing and travel agency services, internet content provision, mobile communication and related businesses. Although we have established effective control of our Chinese business through a series of agreements, future developments in the interpretation or enforcement of Chinese laws and regulations or a dispute relating to these agreements could restrict our ability to operate or restructure this business or to engage in strategic transactions.  The success of this business, and of any future investments in China, is subject to risks and uncertainties regarding the application, development and interpretation of China’s laws and regulations.  

Additionally, we continue to accumulate positive cash flows in foreign jurisdictions, which we consider indefinitely reinvested. The repatriation of such funds for use in the United States, including for corporate purposes such as acquisitions, stock repurchases, dividends or debt refinancings, may result in additional U.S. income tax expense and higher cost for such capital.

A failure to comply with current laws, rules and regulations or changes to such laws, rules and regulations and other legal uncertainties may adversely affect our business or financial performance.

Our business and financial performance could be adversely affected by unfavorable changes in or interpretations of existing laws, rules and regulations or the promulgation of new laws, rules and regulations applicable to us and our business, including those relating to the internet and online commerce, internet advertising and online commerce, consumer protection, data security and privacy, travel and vacation rental licensing and listing requirements and tax. In some cases, these laws continue to evolve.  

For example, there is, and will likely continue to be, an increasing number of laws and regulations pertaining to the internet and online commerce that may relate to liability for information retrieved from or transmitted over the internet, online editorial and user-generated content, user privacy, data security, behavioral targeting and online advertising, taxation, liability for third-party activities and the quality of products and services. In addition, enforcement authorities in the United States continue to rely on their authority under existing consumer protection laws to take action against companies relating to data privacy and security practices. The growth and development of online commerce may prompt calls for more stringent consumer protection laws and more aggressive enforcement efforts, which may impose additional burdens on online businesses generally.  

Further, our vacation rentals business has been and continues to be subject to regulatory developments that affect the vacation rental industry and the ability of competitors like us to list those vacation rentals online.  For example, some states and local jurisdictions have adopted or are considering adopting statutes or ordinances that prohibit property owners and managers from renting certain properties for fewer than 30 consecutive days.  Some states and local jurisdictions also have fair housing or other laws governing whether and how properties may be rented, which they assert apply to vacation rentals.  Many homeowners, condominium and neighborhood associations have adopted rules that prohibit or restrict short-term vacation rentals.  

We also have been subject, and we will likely be subject in the future, to inquiries from time to time from regulatory bodies concerning compliance with consumer protection, competition, tax and travel industry-specific laws and regulations. The failure of our businesses to comply with these laws and regulations could result in fines and/or proceedings against us by governmental agencies and/or consumers, which if material, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, if such

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laws and regulations are not enforced equally against other competitors in a particular market, our compliance with such laws may put us a competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis competitors who do not comply with such requirements.

The promulgation of new laws, rules and regulations, or the new interpretation of existing laws, rules and regulations, in each case that restrict or otherwise unfavorably impact the ability or manner in which we provide services could require us to change certain aspects of our business, operations and commercial relationships to ensure compliance, which could decrease demand for services, reduce revenues, increase costs and/or subject the company to additional liabilities.  Unfavorable changes could decrease demand for products and services, limit marketing methods and capabilities, increase costs and/or subject us to additional liabilities.  Violations of these laws and regulations could result in finds and/or criminal sanctions against us, our officers or our employees and/or prohibitions on the conduct of our business.  

We cannot be sure that our intellectual property is protected from copying or use by others, including potential competitors.

Our websites rely on content, brands and technology, much of which is proprietary. We protect our proprietary content, brands and technology by relying on a combination of trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, patents and confidentiality agreements. Any misappropriation or violation of our rights could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even with these precautions, it may be possible for another party to copy or otherwise obtain and use our proprietary technology, content or brands without authorization or to develop similar technology, content or brands independently.

Effective intellectual property protection is expensive to develop and maintain, both in terms of initial and ongoing registration requirements and expenses and the costs of defending our rights.  In addition, effective intellectual property protection may not be available in every jurisdiction in which our services are made available, and policing unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and expensive. Therefore, in certain jurisdictions, we may be unable to protect our intellectual property adequately against unauthorized third-party copying or use, which could adversely affect our business or ability to compete. We cannot be sure that the steps we have taken will prevent misappropriation or infringement of our intellectual property. Furthermore, we may need to go to court or other tribunals or administrative bodies in order to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. These proceedings might result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Our failure to protect our intellectual property in a cost-effective or effective manner could have a material adverse effect on our business and ability to protect our technology, content and brands.

We currently license from third parties and incorporate the technologies and content into our websites. As we continue to introduce new services that incorporate new technologies and content, we may be required to license additional technology, or content. We cannot be sure that such technology or content will be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

Our processing, storage and use of personal information and other data exposes us to risks of external and internal security breaches and could give rise to liabilities.

We are subject to a variety of laws in the United States and abroad regarding privacy and the storing, sharing, use, processing, disclosure and protection of personal information and other consumer data, the scope of which are changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent between countries or conflict with other rules. In addition, the security of data when engaging in electronic commerce is essential to maintaining consumer and travel service provider confidences in our services.  The regulatory framework for privacy issues worldwide is currently in flux and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Practices regarding the collection, use, storage, transmission and security of personal information by companies operating over the internet have recently come under increased public scrutiny. The U.S. Congress and federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce, are reviewing the need for greater regulation for the collection and use of information concerning consumer behavior on the internet. Various U.S. courts are also considering the applicability of existing federal and state statutes, including computer trespass and wiretapping laws, to the collection and exchange of information online. In addition, the European Union has adopted a new data protection legal framework, effective in May 2018, which may result in a greater compliance burden for companies, including us, with users in Europe and increased costs of compliance.

Potential security breaches to our systems, whether resulting from internal or external sources, could significantly harm our business. A party, whether internal or external, that is able to circumvent our security systems could misappropriate user information or proprietary information or cause significant interruptions in our operations. In the past, we have experienced “denial-of-service” type attacks on our systems that have made portions of our websites unavailable for short periods of time as well as unauthorized access of our systems and data. We also face risks associated with security breaches affecting third parties conducting business over the internet. Much of our business is conducted with third party marketing affiliates or, more recently, through business partners powering our instant booking feature.  In addition, we frequently use third parties to process credit card payments. A security breach at such third party could be perceived by consumers as a security breach of our systems and could result in negative publicity, damage

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our reputation, expose us to risk of loss or litigation and possible liability and subject us to regulatory penalties and sanctions. In addition, such third parties may not comply with applicable disclosure requirements, which could expose us to liability.

We strive to comply with all applicable laws, policies, legal obligations and industry codes of conduct relating to privacy and data protection. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policies, privacy-related obligations to users or other third parties, or privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personally identifiable information or other user data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation or public statements that could harm our reputation and cause our customers and members to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on our business, brand, market share and results of operations.  We may need to expend significant resources to protect against security breaches or to investigate and address problems caused by breaches, and reductions in website availability could cause a loss of substantial business volume during the occurrence of any such incident. Because the techniques used to sabotage security change frequently, often are not recognized until launched against a target and may originate from less regulated and remote areas around the world, we may be unable to proactively address these techniques or to implement adequate preventive measures. Security breaches could result in negative publicity, damage to reputation, exposure to risk of loss or litigation and possible liability due to regulatory penalties and sanctions. Security breaches could also cause travelers and potential users to lose confidence in our security, which would have a negative effect on the value of our brand. Failure to adequately protect against attacks or intrusions, whether for our own systems or systems of vendors, could expose us to security breaches that could have an adverse impact on financial performance.

We have acquired a number of companies over the years and may continue to do so in the future. While we make significant efforts to address any information technology security issues with respect to our acquisitions, we may still inherit such risks when we integrate the acquired businesses.  

System interruption and the lack of redundancy in some of our internal information systems may harm our business.

We rely on computer systems to deliver content and services. We have experienced and may in the future experience system interruptions that make some or all of these systems unavailable or prevent us from efficiently providing content and services to users and third parties. Significant interruptions, outages or delays in internal systems, or systems of third parties that we rely upon, or deterioration in the performance of any such systems, would impair our ability to process transactions or display content and decrease the quality of the services we offer to travelers and users. These interruptions could include security intrusions and attacks on our systems for fraud or service interruption (called “denial of service” or “bot” attacks).  Fire, flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, break-ins, earthquakes, acts of war or terrorism, acts of God, computer viruses, electronic intrusion attempts from both external and internal sources and similar events or disruptions may damage or impact or interrupt computer or communications systems or business processes at any time.   If we experience frequent or persistent system failures, our reputation and brand could be permanently and significantly harmed. 

Although we have put measures in place to protect certain portions of our facilities and assets, any of these events could cause system interruption, delays and loss of critical data, and could prevent us from providing content and services to users, travelers and/or third parties for a significant period of time. In addition, remediation may be costly and we may not have adequate insurance to cover such costs. Moreover, the costs of enhancing infrastructure to attain improved stability and redundancy may be time consuming and expensive and may require resources and expertise that are difficult to obtain.

We may have future capital needs and may not be able to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms.  

On June 26, 2015, we entered into a new credit agreement with respect to a $1 billion five-year revolving credit facility, or the “2015 Credit Facility.”  This agreement includes restrictive covenants that may impact the way we manage our business and may limit our ability to secure significant additional financing in the future on favorable terms. Our ability to secure additional financing and satisfy our financial obligations under indebtedness outstanding from time to time will depend upon our future operating performance, which is subject to then prevailing general economic and credit market conditions, including interest rate levels and the availability of credit generally, and financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. In light of periodic uncertainty in the capital and credit markets, there can be no assurance that sufficient financing will be available on desirable or even any terms to fund investments, acquisitions, stock repurchases, dividends, debt refinancing or extraordinary actions or that counterparties in any such financings would honor their contractual commitments.

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We have indebtedness which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

We currently have outstanding $210 million in long-term debt.  Risks relating to our indebtedness include:

In addition, it is possible that we may need to incur additional indebtedness in the future in the ordinary course of business. The terms of our 2015 Credit Facility allow us to incur additional debt subject to certain limitations; however, there is no assurance that additional financing will be available to us on terms favorable to us, if at all.  In addition, if new debt is added to current debt levels, the risks described above could intensify.

Our 2015 Credit Facility provides for various provisions that limit our discretion in the operation of our business and require us to meet financial maintenance tests and other covenants and the failure to comply with their covenants could have a material adverse effect on us.

We are party to a credit agreement providing for our 2015 Credit Facility.  The agreements that govern the 2015 Credit Facility contain various covenants, including those that limit our ability to, among other things:

These covenants may limit our ability to optimally operate our business. In addition, our 2015 Credit Facility requires that we meet certain financial tests, including a leverage ratio test. Any failure to comply with the restrictions of our credit facility may result in an event of default under the agreements governing such facilities. Such default may allow the creditors to accelerate the debt incurred thereunder. In addition, lenders may be able to terminate any commitments they had made to supply us with further funds (including periodic rollovers of existing borrowings).

Our effective tax rate is impacted by a number of factors that could have a material impact on our financial results and could increase the volatility of those results.

Due to the global nature of our business, we are subject to income taxes in the United States and other foreign jurisdictions. In the event we incur net income in certain jurisdictions but incur losses in other jurisdictions, we generally cannot offset the income from one jurisdiction with the loss from another, which could increase our effective tax rate. Furthermore, significant judgment is required to calculate our worldwide provision for income taxes and depends on our ability to operate our business in a manner consistent with our corporate structure and intercompany arrangements. In the ordinary course of our business there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain.

We believe our tax estimates are reasonable.  However, we are routinely under audit by federal, state and foreign taxing authorities.  The taxing authorities of jurisdictions in which we operate may challenge our methodologies for valuing developed technology or intercompany arrangements, including our transfer pricing, or determine that the manner in which we operate our

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business does not achieve the intended tax consequences, which would increase our effective tax rate and harm our financial position and results of operations.  As we operate in numerous taxing jurisdictions, the application of tax laws can also be subject to diverging and sometimes conflicting interpretations by taxing authorities of these jurisdictions.  It is not uncommon for taxing authorities of different countries to have conflicting views, for instance, with respect to, among other things, the manner in which the arm’s length standard is applied for transfer pricing purposes, or with respect to the valuation of intellectual property.  The final determination of audits could be materially different from our income tax provisions and accruals and could have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows in the period or periods for which that determination is made.

Additionally, we continue to accumulate positive cash flows in foreign jurisdictions, which we consider indefinitely reinvested. Any repatriation of funds currently held in foreign jurisdictions may result in higher effective tax rates and incremental cash tax payments. In addition, there have been proposals to amend U.S. tax laws that would significantly impact the manner in which U.S. companies are taxed on foreign earnings. Although we cannot predict whether or in what form any legislation will pass, if enacted, it could have a material adverse impact on our U.S. tax expense and cash flows.

Changes in tax laws or tax rulings, or the examination of our tax positions, could materially affect our financial position and results of operations.

Tax laws are dynamic and subject to change as new laws are passed and new interpretations of the law are issued or applied. Our existing corporate structure and intercompany arrangements have been implemented in a manner we believe is in compliance with current prevailing tax laws. However, the tax benefits that we intend to eventually derive could be undermined due to changing tax laws. In particular, the current U.S. administration and key members of Congress have made public statements indicating that tax reform is a priority, resulting in uncertainty not only with respect to the future corporate tax rate, but also the U.S. tax consequences of income derived from income related to intellectual property earned overseas in low tax jurisdictions. Certain changes to U.S. tax laws, including limitations on the ability to defer U.S. taxation on earnings outside of the United States until those earnings are repatriated to the United States, as well as changes to U.S. tax laws that may be enacted in the future, could affect the tax treatment of our foreign earnings.

In addition, the taxing authorities in the United States and other jurisdictions where we do business regularly examine our income and other tax returns as well as the tax returns of Expedia, our former parent. The ultimate outcome of these examinations (including the IRS audit described below) cannot be predicted with certainty. Should the IRS or other taxing authorities assess additional taxes as a result of examinations, we may be required to record charges to our operations, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition. 

In connection with the Spin-Off, we could be subject to significant tax liabilities.

Under the Tax Sharing Agreement between us and Expedia entered into in connection with the Spin-Off, we are generally required to indemnify Expedia for any taxes resulting from the Spin-Off (and any related interest, penalties, legal and professional fees, and all costs and damages associated with related stockholder litigation or controversies) to the extent such amounts resulted from (i) any act or failure to act by us described in the covenants in the tax sharing agreement, (ii) any acquisition of our equity securities or assets or those of a member of our group, or (iii) any failure of the representations with respect to us or any member of our group to be true or any breach by us or any member of our group of any covenant, in each case, which is contained in the separation documents or in the documents relating to the IRS private letter ruling and/or the opinion of counsel.

We continue to be responsible for potential tax liabilities in connection with consolidated income tax returns filed with Expedia prior to or in connection with the Spin-Off. By virtue of previously filed consolidated tax returns with Expedia, we are currently under an IRS audit for the 2009, 2010, and 2011 tax years. In connection with that audit, we received, in January 2017, notices of proposed adjustment from the IRS for the 2009 and 2010 tax years, which would result in an increase in our worldwide income tax expense. The proposed adjustments would result in an increase to our worldwide income tax expense in an estimated range of $10 million to $14 million after consideration of competent authority relief, exclusive of interest and penalties. We are also subject to various ongoing state income tax audits. The outcome of these matters or any other audits could subject us to significant tax liabilities.

We are subject to fluctuation in foreign currency exchange risk.

We conduct a significant and growing portion of our business outside the United States but report our results in U.S. dollars. As a result, we face exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly those related to the Euro, British pound sterling, and Australian dollar. These exposures include, but are not limited to re-measurement of gains and losses from changes in the value of foreign denominated assets and liabilities; translation gains and losses on foreign subsidiary financial results that are

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translated into U.S. dollars upon consolidation; and planning risk related to changes in exchange rates between the time we prepare our annual and quarterly forecasts and when actual results occur.

Depending on the size of the exposures and the relative movements of exchange rates, if we were to choose not to hedge or were to fail to hedge effectively our exposure, we could experience a material adverse effect on our financial statements and financial condition. As seen in some recent periods, in the event of severe volatility in exchange rates the impact of these exposures can increase, and the impact on results of operations can be more pronounced. In addition, the current environment and the increasingly global nature of our business have made hedging these exposures both more complex. We hedge certain short-term foreign currency exposures with the purchase of forward exchange contracts. These forward exchange contracts only help mitigate the impact of changes in foreign currency rates that occur during the term of the related contract period and carry risks of counter-party failure. There can be no assurance that our forward exchange contracts will have their intended effects.

Significant fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates can affect consumer travel behavior. Volatility in foreign currency exchange rates and its impact on consumer behavior, which may differ across regions, makes it more difficult to forecast industry and consumer trends and the timing and degree of their impact on our markets and business, which in turn could adversely affect our ability to effectively manage our business and adversely affect our results of operations.

Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. currently is a controlling stockholder.

Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc., or LTRIP, effectively controls the outcome of all matters submitted to a vote or for the consent of our stockholders (other than with respect to the election by the holders of our common stock of 25% of the members of our Board of Directors and matters as to which Delaware law requires separate class votes), including but not limited to, corporate transactions such as mergers, business combinations or dispositions of assets, the authorization or issuance of new equity or debt securities and determinations with respect to our business direction and policies.  Our Chairman Greg Maffei and Director Albert Rosenthaler also serve as officers and directors of LTRIP.  LTRIP, which has investments in other companies, may have interests that differ from those of our other stockholders and they may vote in a way with which our other stockholders may not agree or that may be adverse to other stockholders’ interests.  LTRIP is not restricted from investing in other businesses involving or related to our business.  Liberty’s control of us, as well as the existing provisions of our organizational documents and Delaware law, may discourage or prevent a change of control that might otherwise be beneficial, which may reduce the market price of our common stock.

We are currently relying on the “controlled company” exemption under NASDAQ Stock Market Listing Rules, pursuant to which “controlled companies” are exempt from certain corporate governance requirements otherwise applicable under NASDAQ listing rules.

The NASDAQ Stock Market Listing Rules exempt “controlled companies,” or companies of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, a group or another company, from certain corporate governance requirements, including those requirements that:

We currently rely on the controlled company exemption for certain of the above requirements. Accordingly, our stockholders will not be afforded the same protections generally as stockholders of other NASDAQ-listed companies with respect to corporate governance for so long as we rely on these exemptions from the corporate governance requirements.

If we are unable to successfully maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and our stock price and business may be adversely impacted.

As a public company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and our management is required to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the end of each fiscal year. Additionally, we are required to disclose in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K our management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and a registered public accounting firm’s attestation report on this assessment. If we are not successful in maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, there could be inaccuracies or omissions in the consolidated financial

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information we are required to file with the SEC. Additionally, even if there are no inaccuracies or omissions, we could be required to publicly disclose the conclusion of our management that our internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures are not effective. These events could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, adversely impact our stock price, result in increased costs to remediate any deficiencies, attract regulatory scrutiny or lawsuits that could be costly to resolve and distract management’s attention, limit our ability to access the capital markets or cause our stock to be delisted from NASDAQ or any other securities exchange on which we are then listed.

The market price and trading volume of our common stock may be volatile and may face negative pressure.

Our stock price has experienced, and could continue to experience in the future, substantial volatility. The market price of our common stock is affected by a number of factors, including the risk factors described in this section and other factors beyond our control. Factors affecting the trading price of our common stock could include:

Furthermore, the stock markets have experienced price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations and general economic, political and market conditions, such as recessions, interest rate changes or foreign currency exchange fluctuations, may negatively impact the market price of our common stock regardless of our actual operating performance.

Future sales of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, may depress our stock price.

For the period ended March 31, 2017, the average daily trading volume of our common stock on NASDAQ was approximately 2.8 million shares. If our existing stockholders or their distributees sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the market price of the common stock could decrease significantly. The perception in the public market that our existing stockholders might sell shares of common stock could also depress the trading price of our common stock. In addition, certain stockholders have rights, subject to some conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders. If LTRIP or some other stockholder sells substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or if there is a perception in the public market that LTRIP might sell shares of our common stock, the market price of our common stock could decrease significantly. A decline in the price of shares of our common stock might impede our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or other equity securities.

Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law may discourage or prevent a change of control, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders, which could affect our stock price adversely and prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our Board of Directors that our stockholders might consider favorable. These provisions include:

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We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which may prohibit certain business combinations with stockholders owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. These and other provisions in our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and Delaware law could make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirers to obtain control of our Board of Directors or initiate actions that are opposed by our then-current Board of Directors, including a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving our company. Any delay or prevention of a change of control transaction or changes in our Board of Directors could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

 

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

During the quarter ended March 31, 2017, we did not issue or sell any shares of our common stock, Class B common stock or other equity securities pursuant to unregistered transactions in reliance upon an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Share Repurchases

On January 25, 2017, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $250 million of our shares of common stock under a new share repurchase program. The repurchase program has no expiration date but may be suspended or terminated by the Board of Directors at any time. The Executive Committee of our Board of Directors will determine the price, timing, amount and method of such repurchases based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors, and any shares repurchased will be in compliance with applicable legal requirements, at prices determined to be attractive and in the best interests of both the Company and its stockholders.

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, we repurchased 3,529,923 shares of outstanding common stock under the share repurchase program, as set forth in the table below:

 

As of March 31, 2017, we have a remaining balance of $100 million to repurchase shares of our common stock under the share repurchase program.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

Not applicable.

 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

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Item 5. Other Information

On May 9, 2017, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Dermot Halpin, President of Vacation Rentals and Attractions.  As previously disclosed, in November 2016, Mr. Halpin agreed to assume responsibility for our Attractions business when Barrie Seidenberg announced her intention to transition from the Company to pursue other opportunities.  Mr. Halpin’s employment arrangement was modified to reflect the additional responsibilities assumed by Mr. Halpin.  More specifically, the Company and Mr. Halpin have agreed as follows:

 

The description of the Agreement is summary in nature and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1 and is incorporated by reference herein. Unless otherwise specified, capitalized terms used above without definitions have the meanings set forth in the Agreement.

 

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Item 6. Exhibits

The exhibits listed below are filed as part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

 

+ Indicates a management contract or a compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.

 

 

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

May 9, 2017

 

59

 

Exhibit 10.1

 

May 9, 2017

 

Mr. Dermot Halpin

 

Re:  Amended and Restated Offer of Employment

Dear Dermot:

 

In connection with your promotion to the position of President, Vacation Rentals and Attractions of TripAdvisor, LLC (the “Company”), this Amended and Restated Offer of Employment (“Offer Letter”) amends and restates your offer letter dated February 15, 2016, as it may have been amended from time to time thereafter (the “Prior Offer Letter”), and sets forth the terms and conditions of your continued employment with the Company. This offer may be accepted by countersigning where indicated at the end of this Offer Letter. 

As President, Vacation Rentals and Attractions you will have responsibility for performing those duties as are customary for, and are consistent with, such position, as well as those duties as the Company may from time to time designate (consistent with your role). You shall report directly to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and your principal place of employment shall be the Company’s offices located in Needham, Massachusetts.  You agree to abide by the rules, regulations, instructions, personnel practices and policies of the Company and any changes therein which may be adopted from time to time by the Company.  You will be expected to devote your full business time and effort to the business and affairs of the Company.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may serve as a board member or consultant of Ding.com.  

In consideration of your continued employment with the Company, effective as of May 9, 2017 (the “Effective Date”), the Company will pay you a base salary of $430,000, which equates to approximately $16,538 bi-weekly, representing payment for all hours worked by you for the Company, less applicable taxes and withholding, payable in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll practices.  You will, for each calendar year, also be eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus targeted at 75% of your base salary for the applicable year, subject to meeting individual and Company objectives, as determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of TripAdvisor, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“TripAdvisor”) in its sole discretion.  Such annual bonuses will be paid to you at the same time that bonuses are paid to other Company executives. If you are expected to be a “covered employee” in any given year for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code, the annual bonus will be determined by the Compensation Committee in its sole discretion, and will be based on such criteria (i) as are approved in advance by such Compensation Committee and (ii) that are designed in a manner such that the annual bonus will be treated as “qualified performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section 162(m).

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In recognition of the additional responsibilities assumed and conditioned upon your acceptance of the offer and the terms set forth in this letter, the Compensation Committee has approved and the Company will award to you a one-time grant consisting of TripAdvisor restricted stock units, or RSU’s, to be issued pursuant to TripAdvisor’s Amended and Restated 2011 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”), with an award value of $4,000,000 (the “RSU Award”), such RSUs vesting in three equal annual installments commencing on December 31, 2017, subject to your continued employment through each vesting date, and with such actual number of RSUs granted determined based on the award value of $4,000,000 divided by the closing price of Common Stock on the Effective Date, rounded down to the nearest whole share.  Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, in the event of your Termination of Employment without Cause during the eighteen month period commencing on the Effective Date, the vesting of 50% of the unvested RSUs issued pursuant to this RSU Award and remaining on the date of such Termination of Employment shall automatically accelerate.  

Any terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to them in the 2011 Plan.

 

You will be entitled to participate in such employee benefit plans and fringe benefits as may be offered or made available by the Company from time to time to its employees and to persons who are at the SVP level or below.  You will also be entitled to accrue paid vacation annually, based on your seniority (including prior service) in accordance with the Company’s standard policies.  The Company retains the right to amend, modify, or cancel any benefits program.  Where a particular benefit is subject to a formal plan (for example, medical insurance or 401(k)), eligibility to participate in and receive any particular benefit is governed solely by the applicable plan document.

 

As part of your employment with the Company, you will be exposed to, and provided with, valuable confidential and/or trade secret information concerning the Company and its present and future business plans and operations.  As a result, in order to protect the Company’s substantial investment of time and money in the creation and maintenance of its confidential information and good-will with its customers, clients, and collaborators, your promotion and continued employment is contingent upon your signing the standard Non-Disclosure, Developments and Non-Competition Agreement (the “Restrictive Covenant Agreement”) and your continued willingness to abide by its terms.  The Agreement also contains post-employment restrictive covenant provisions.  A copy is attached to this offer letter as Exhibit A.

 

 

(a)Please note that this Offer Letter is not a contract of employment for any specific or minimum term and that the employment offered hereby is terminable at will.  

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This means that our employment relationship is voluntary and based on mutual consent.  You may resign your employment with or without Good Reason (as defined below), and the Company likewise may terminate your employment, at any time, with or without Cause (as defined in Section 1(h)(ii) of the 2011 Plan)) and with written notice.  Any prior oral or written representations to the contrary are void, and any future representations to the contrary are also void and should not be relied upon unless they are contained in a formal written employment contract signed by an officer of the Company and expressly stating the Company’s intent to modify the at-will nature of your employment.  

“Good Reason” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following without your prior written consent: (A) the Company’s material breach of any material provision of this Offer Letter, (B) the material reduction in your title, duties, reporting responsibilities (provided that a change in reporting structure shall not be considered Good Reason so long as the individual you are directly reporting to has a title and job level that is higher than yours) or level of responsibilities as President, Vacation Rentals and Attractions and SVP of the Company, (C) the material reduction in your annual base salary or your total annual compensation opportunity, or (D) the relocation of your principal place of employment more than 20 miles outside the Needham, Massachusettes area, provided that in no event shall your resignation be for “Good Reason” unless (x) an event or circumstance set forth in clauses (A) through (D) shall have occurred and you provide the Company with written notice thereof within 30 days after you have knowledge of the occurrence or existence of such event or circumstance, which notice specifically identifies the event or circumstance that you believe constitutes Good Reason, (y) the Company fails to correct the circumstance or event so identified within 30 days after receipt of such notice, and (z) you resign within 90 days after the date of delivery of the notice referred to in clause (x) above.

 

(b)Upon a Termination of Employment (as defined in the 2011 Plan) by the Company for other than Cause, Death or Disability (as defined in the 2011 Plan), or by you for Good Reason (as defined above), then:

 

 

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(c)The payment to you of the severance pay or benefits described in this section is contingent upon you signing and not revoking a separation agreement and general release of the Company and its affiliates in a form substantially similar to that used for senior executives of the Company (the “Release”), and your compliance with the restrictive covenants set forth in this section (other than any non-compliance that is immaterial, does not result in harm to the Company or its affiliates, and, if curable, is cured by you promptly after receipt of notice thereof given by the Company). The Release shall be delivered by the Company to you within ten (10) days following the date of your Termination of Employment and must become effective no later than sixty (60) days following your Termination of Employment or such earlier date required by the Release (such deadline, the “Release Deadline”). If the Release does not become effective by the Release Deadline, you will forfeit any rights to severance. In no event will severance payments or benefits (other than any Accrued Obligations) be paid or provided until the Release becomes effective and irrevocable but in no event shall you forfeit Awards that had vested through the date of Termination of Employment other than the Awards for which the vesting was accelerated pursuant to this offer letter.  Upon the Release becoming effective and irrevocable, any payments delayed from the date of Termination of Employment through the effective date of the Release will be payable in a lump sum without interest as soon as administratively practicable after the Release Deadline and all other amounts will be payable in accordance with the payment schedule applicable to each payment or benefit. In the event the termination occurs at a time during the calendar year where the Release could become effective in the calendar year following the calendar year in which termination occurs, then any severance payments or benefits will commence to be paid on the first payroll date to occur during the calendar year following the calendar year in which such termination occurs, or, if later, the Release Deadline.  You acknowledge and agree that the Company’s payment of severance pay and benefits (except Accrued Obligations) constitutes good and valuable consideration for such Release.

 

If you obtain other employment during the Salary Continuation Period, any payments (other than Accrued Obligations) to be made to you under Section 5 after the date such employment is secured shall be offset by the amount of any cash compensation earned by you from such employment during the Salary Continuation Period. For purposes of this Section 5, you shall have an obligation to inform the Company regarding your employment status following termination and during the Salary Continuation Period, but shall have no affirmative duty to seek alternate employment.

 

(e)All forms of compensation referred to in this Offer Letter are subject to reduction to reflect applicable withholding and payroll taxes and other deductions required by law.

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This Offer Letter and all matters or issues related hereto shall be governed by and construed under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without reference to principles of conflicts of laws.  Any and all disputes between the parties which may arise pursuant to this letter will be heard and determined before an appropriate federal court in Massachusetts, or, if not maintainable therein, then in an appropriate Massachusetts state court.  The parties acknowledge that such courts have jurisdiction to interpret and enforce the provisions of this letter, and the parties consent to, and waive any and all objections that they may have as to, personal jurisdiction and/or venue in such courts.  EACH PARTY HEREBY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL.

This Offer Letter and the Restrictive Covenant Agreement sets  forth the sole and entire agreement and understanding between the Company and you with respect to the specific matters contemplated and addressed herein and supersedes and replaces the Prior Offer Letters.  No prior agreement, whether written or oral shall be construed to change or affect the operation of this Offer Letter in accordance with its terms, and any provision of any such prior agreement which conflicts with or contradicts any provision of this Offer Letter is hereby revoked and superseded.  In the event of any conflict in terms between this Offer Letter and any other agreement between you and the Company or any Company plan or policy, the terms of this Offer Letter shall prevail and govern.  

8.Compliance with Section 409A.

 

It is the intent of the Company that all amounts payable to you pursuant to this Offer Letter, including without limitation amounts payable under Section 5, be paid in a manner that satisfies the requirements of Section 409A, to the extent applicable, and to the maximum extent possible this Offer Letter shall be so interpreted. Without limiting the foregoing:

 

(a)Each installment of severance benefits paid pursuant to Section 5 (the “Severance Benefits”) shall constitute a separate “payment” for purposes of Section 409A. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Section 409A Payment” shall mean: (i) each Severance Benefit that is paid after the later of March 15 of the calendar year following the year in which the date of Termination of Employment occurs or the fifteenth day of the third month following the end of the Company’s fiscal year in which the Termination of Employment occurs, but only to the extent that such Severance Benefit, when added to the sum of all Severance Benefits paid after such date, exceeds two times the lesser of your base salary at the end of the year preceding the year in which the Termination of Employment occurs or the dollar limitation in effect under Section 401(a)(17) of the Internal Revenue Code in the year in which the Termination of Employment occurs, and (ii) any other payment that the Company determines in good faith constitutes a payment of deferred compensation subject to Section 409A.

 

(b)If you are a “specified employee” as defined in Section 409A at the time of the your Termination of Employment, then no Section 409A Payments shall be paid to you

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until the first business day that is more than six months following the Termination of Employment, and all Section 409A Payments that would otherwise have been paid prior to such date shall be paid on such date, without interest, in a lump sum.

 

(c)No Section 409A Payment shall be paid at a time other than the time specified herein, whether by amendment to the Offer Letter or otherwise, and no amount shall be paid in substitution for any Section 409A Payment if such amount is paid at a different time than the Section 409A Payment would have been paid, except as permitted by Section 409A.

 

(d)If any termination of employment occurs that does not constitute a separation from service as defined in Section 409A, then any Section 409A Payment that becomes payable by reason of such Termination of Employment shall not be paid until you incur a separation from service as defined in Section 409A.

 

* * * *

This Offer Letter may be amended or terminated only by a written instrument executed both by you and the Company.

Please acknowledge your acceptance of this offer and the terms of this offer letter by signing below and returning a copy to me.

I hereby acknowledge that I have had a full and adequate opportunity to read, understand and discuss the terms and conditions contained in this offer letter prior to signing hereunder.

 

 

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Exhibit 31.1

Certification

I, Stephen Kaufer, Chief Executive Officer of TripAdvisor, Inc., certify that:

 

 

Exhibit 31.2

Certification

I, Ernst Teunissen, Chief Financial Officer of TripAdvisor, Inc. certify that:

 

 

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the quarterly report on Form 10-Q of TripAdvisor, Inc. (the “Company”) for the quarter ended March 31, 2017, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Stephen Kaufer, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, that:

 

 

Exhibit 32.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the quarterly report on Form 10-Q of TripAdvisor, Inc. (the “Company”) for the quarter ended March 31, 2017, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Ernst Teunissen, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, that: