Expedia restructures as Oqvist heads out

Hotels.com chief marketer Patrik Oqvist is leaving the Expedia-owned website. His departure has triggered a restructure of the company’s marketing team.

It is understood that Oqvist, the firm’s marketing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, is joining travel and experience website Viator as managing director.

Expedia is now scrapping Oqvist’s role and will promote Matt Walls, currently head of marketing for Hotels.com and Expedia, into a new position. It is not clear what his title will be but he will be responsible for online and offline marketing across both brands.

Oqvist’s remaining responsibilities will be devolved to the heads of its PR, analysis and customer research divisions, all of which will report to Nigel Pocklington, managing director of Hotels.com.

Walls has been with Expedia for almost five years. Prior to that, he was head of sales and marketing at KLM/buzz for three years.

Oqvist joined Expedia in 2005 from Yahoo!, where he was also marketing director for EMEA. He is also a former Airmiles marketing director.

Expedia Incorporated, the parent company of the group, owns Hotwire.com, TripAdvisor, Expedia Corporate Travel, Classic Vacations, and a range of other US-based and international businesses.

In addition it boasts the flagship Expedia and Hotels.com sites.

It is the world’s largest online travel agency and globally the fourth largest travel company overall.