Sharat Dhall joins Expedia as India head

Dhall, who was earlier director of ecommerce at Times Internet Ltd, will head India operations at the travel portal

As reported by this website in May, Sharath Dhall had quit Indiatimes as director of ecommerce. Dhall has now been appointed online travel portal Expedia.com as its head of India operations, reports Alootechie.

A source familiar with the development confirmed the appointment, but when contacted, Dhall refused to comment. Prior to joining Times Internet Ltd (TIL) about a year-and-a-half ago, Dhall was working for HLL (now, HUL) as business head of its rural venture, Project Shakti. He has 14 years of experience and has also worked with Asian Paints.

Sharat Dhall

Expedia created buzz in October 2006 when it said it was looking for a person to head its imminent operations in India. The company now has an office in Gurgaon, but has not announced any other plans. Expedia offers the ‘Expedia Best Price Guarantee’ which guarantees customers the best rates for all types of travel -- it offers vacation packages, flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises and in-destination activities. Since Expedia is very strong globally on hotel bookings, the company is expected to follow the same route when it officially launches in India.

As the travel space in India continues its upward rise, the entry of a global leader like Expedia, with its huge international resources, is certainly going to give existing players some tough competition.

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