Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, leading some to wonder what the terms were.

Sprice is perceived to be the weakest of the Asian travel search players, among names such as Wego, Ixigo, Qunar and hotelscombined.

According to Alexa data downloaded today, Sprice’s one-month data showed that it reached 0.00149% of global Internet users, down by 5%, and in three months, reached 0.00159% of global Internet users, down by 18%.

In comparison, in one month, Wego reached 0.00970% of global Internet users, down 5%, but its three-month total reached 0.00980%, up 11%.

The acquisition makes Travelport the first GDS to buy a B2C travel search engine.

Travelport said the acquisition would expand its hospitality offering by providing Galileo and Worldspan-connected agents with access to Sprice’s portfolio of over 240,000 international hotel properties, as well as a comprehensive suite of hotel reviews, merchandising options and comparison tools.

Travelport also said it would utilise Sprice’s proven search technology to enhance its GDS channels, enabling the company to deliver and distribute richer, more diverse supplier content to its subscriber customers.

Gordon Wilson (left), deputy CEO, Travelport and president and CEO, Travelport GDS, said that with Sprice, Travelport has not only acquired a highly innovative proven technology platform deeply synergistic to its GDS business but also an established and vibrant inventory of hotel options and comparison tools.

Headquartered in Singapore, Sprice has an office in Strasbourg, France. All 18 Sprice employees have been extended offers of employment at Travelport. Sprice will be managed under the recently-announced Consumer and New Ventures group within Travelport.

Questions though have been raised as to how a travel search model would work within a GDS framework, how travel agents would use it and who would pay for its use.

Another speculated that Travelport was perhaps buying it for the technology and “possibly layer it on top of something else and improve search”.

At a time when Google is making moves into travel search, perhaps Travelport, which recently called off its IPO, may feel that this is an area it could make its mark relatively easily and cheaply, another said.

But however good a deal this was, price-wise, another observer noted that there were always costs associated with acquisitions such as time spent to manage it and integrate it into the company.

Sprice has had quite a ride since its inception in 2006. It was founded as Fare.Net by a team which included travel veteran Rudi Weissmann, now living in Kuching, Sarawak.

In September 2006, the company raised almost US$10 million worth of funding in 2007 from two leading venture capital firms, Sofinnova Partners and Walden International. It later merged with Coellis of France to form Sprice.com.

Quilvest Banque Privée advised the sellers on the transaction.

Perhaps, in time, the motives behind Travelport’s latest move will become clear. For now, it will create talk around the water coolers.

Featured image credit (handshake): Ockra/iStock