Venere.com reveals "Top 5 Facebook Romance Stories"

Or Rather, Love in the Time of Social Networks

ROME, December 21, 2010 - "You don't get 500 million friends without making a few enemies," claims
the title of a new movie dedicated to the most popular social network in the
World.

Friends, loved ones, disappointments… what lies behind each profile? Is
it really possible to make a connection with someone through millions of
words typed frantically and hours spent gazing at messages or photos received
on a computer screen?

Well, it seems that this new and powerful means of communication is
indeed the modern-day Cupid.

To find out more, Venere.com (www.venere.com), the European
specialist in hotel reservations, asked all of its 24,000 Facebook fans to
reveal whether they had ever met a partner or started a love story on this
platform. This survey was arranged through a fun competition promoted on
Venere's fan page (www.facebook.com/venerecom), where you can win a 2
night stay in a luxury hotel around Europe.

We received around 800 stories so far - sometimes romantic, sometimes
passionate, sometimes comic, sometimes tender. All are original and true and
feature a mixture of positive and negative experiences that began online:

N. 5

Some people have wonderful memories, even if the story didn't end well:

K.G. says: "There was this old friend from school who I had not seen for
over 30 years. We both finally admitted that we used to fancy each other but
were simply too clumsy and shy back then. We met up, and it was an incredible
week…but after that it was back to reality."

N.4

A bit more classic, but nevertheless…surprising:

M.C. says: "I met my girlfriend on Facebook. We met up after chatting for
a week, and we're getting married in 6 months!"

N.3

Someone else found the soundtrack to life and hopes it will play on
forever…

S.P. says: "I was looking for a singing teacher on Facebook, and he set
fire to my heart and soul. Music brought us together, and now I'm living the
fairytale."

N.2

A.V. says: The hopeless romantic types (that also try to woo us):

"I met Rome's finest treasure on Facebook and used Venere.com to whisk
her away…"

And finally, our:

N.1 (Hoping that the interested person will not read this!):

F.L. says: "It started with a chat on Facebook, I met him on a sunny day
in Paris, then on a rainy night in London. But, if I win the trip…? Well,
I'll be taking my husband along with me;-)!"

If you have more stories, go ahead and send them our way! We will publish
them on the Venere Travel Blog (www.venere.com/blog/). Just e-mail us
at blog@venere.com with subject "Facebook Romance".

About Venere.com

A leading specialist in online hotel reservation, Venere.com
has long been one of the sector's best known brands throughout the world.
Between 1995 and today, the company has gradually extended its supply to the
current figure of over 72,000 hotels, B&Bs, apartments and other types of
accommodation. People love Venere.com for its user-friendliness, free online
search and booking service, detailed multilingual hotel descriptions,
high-quality photographs and unique interactive maps. In addition, the
800,000 hotel reviews submitted to the website give customers a wide range of
unbiased opinions, helping them to choose the right accommodation at the
right price. Venere.com is part of the Expedia Inc. group (visit
www.expediainc.com/ NASDAQ: EXPE for details) and has offices in Rome,
London and Paris.

For more information:

Venere.com

Micaela Zanarini - PR&Communications Manager - email: press@venere.com
+39(06)36-19-2-322

For more information: Venere.com, Micaela Zanarini - PR&Communications Manager - email: press at venere.com, +39(06)36-19-2-322