History

Discover France began offering travel services through its web site in 1999, in affiliation with TravelNow (NASDAQ: TNOW) — one of the pioneers in online hotel reservations. In 2001, TravelNow was acquired by the Hotel Reservations Network (HRN) DBA Hotels.com (NASDAQ: ROOM), a subsidiary of IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) — formerly USA Interactive.

The parent company IAC also owns Expedia Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE), Interval International, TV Travel Shop, HSN, Ticketmaster, Match.com, Entertainment Publications Inc./EPI, Citysearch, and LendingTree (Nasdaq: TREE). Recent acquisitions include TripAdvisor Inc., Hotwire, and Anyway.com — the French-language travel portal.

Together, the vast IAC network represents the largest travel booking engine in the world, drawing from the huge Sabre and Worldspan databases of airlines, hotel properties, apartment rentals, and vacation packages. Other travel sites, such as Travelocity and Orbitz, obtain their reservations through the same system as Discover France.

In addition to offering more than 45,000 global hotel properties which participate in the regular GDS (Global Distribution Systems) base, the IAC network negotiates Special Internet Rates with select properties — which are guaranteed to be the lowest rates available anywhere!

Discover France is continually expanding the scope of its travel services, forming alliances with the most reputable, reliable, and competitive providers. In 2002, we joined forces with a large network of youth hostels, offering economy lodging to travelers of all ages throughout Europe. In 2003, we partnered with AutoEurope — an international company specializing in car rentals and short-term car leases (17 days or longer).

More recently, we have added guided tours to our portfolio, offering the world's largest online selection of group tours by bicycle, bus, rail, water, and Segway Personal Transporter™. These tours range from 1-1/2-hour river cruises to week-long excursions through wine country and historic regions of Europe.

Our various affiliations make it possible to offer DiscoverFrance.net's visitors the broadest selection of hotel properties, airfares, car rentals and travel packages which are the most competitive in today's rapidly evolving travel markets.

Reputation and Reliability

TravelNow, with corporate headquarters based in Springfield, Missouri, has been in business since April 1995, and was the first unbiased online source of hotel data on the Internet, providing consumers with the capability to initiate a wireless hotel reservation. In the ensuing years since its launch, TravelNow has processed millions of online bookings for hotel accommodations, car rentals, airline tickets, and cruises. On January 4, 2001, a corporate merger was announced between TravelNow and Hotel Reservations Network (HRN) (NASDAQ: ROOM), the Internet's number one provider of discount hotel accommodations worldwide. This merger serves to further solidify its position as a leader in the online travel market.

Benefits

The following is a summary of the current benefits our travelers enjoy:

• Make reservations at more than 45,000 hotel properties in 5,000 cities and 140 countries.
• Enjoy access to Consolidated Rates, sold-out dates, and discounts up to 70% off regular room rates.
• Book domestic and international flights with over 200 airlines.
• Rent a Mercedes, Peugeot, Renault, Volkswagen, or one of many other quality vehicles from more than 60 car rental companies.
• Drive a brand-new Peugeot, straight from the factory in France, with affordable short-term car leases of 17 days or longer.
• Choose from 12 different cruise lines and hundreds of destinations to book your dream vacation.
• Explore over 3,000 sightseeing tours and activities in 40 countries on 5 continents.
• Take an airport shuttle from any Paris airport directly to your hotel or convention center.

Economy

When you initiate a search for hotel properties (by selecting a destination city and travel dates), the properties which appear first in your search results will be those with whom we have negotiated the guaranteed lowest rates for our customers. That way, you can rest assured that your booking transaction is the most economical rate available anywhere on the Internet.

Even if you search for a specific property by name, you can feel secure that the listing is the most competitive rate available. Access to consolidated rates and sold-out dates through our system provides you with advantages not offered in direct bookings with hotel properties.

Furthermore, by booking through our system, you benefit from the lowest advance deposit requirements and the most favorable cancellation policies available, standardized via our prior agreements with each property.

Confidence

Unlike with many of our competitors, it is not necessary for you to register with Discover France (or any of our providers) before you can browse our database of hotels, apartments, vacation rentals, or youth hostels. You can also easily compare airfares, car rental, car leasing, and cruise rates, using our convenient online forms, without providing credit card information in advance.

Some other providers of online travel services obligate you to accept their offer with a credit card payment before the final details of your booking are made available. We do not believe that such a model encourages trust and confidence, and we want you to feel secure that your travel arrangements meet your specifications in every way, before you commit to booking them.

In any event, should you have any questions or need to cancel a reservation for any reason, our online contact and cancellation forms make this process easy and painless.

Properties in France

At last count, there were 2,296 hotel properties in France offered through our system. In addition to the usual urban centers, you will find many of these charming and hospitable lodgings in small towns throughout the countryside, allowing you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich and varied cultures of France's provincial regions.

To assist you in considering these many options for your séjour in France, we've assembled a list of the towns in which at least one property may be found. Keep in mind, however, that the smallest properties in out-of-the-way locations may require booking well in advance, in light of their popularity and limited accommodations.

Why DiscoverFrance.net?

Bookings initiated through the Discover France Travel Center are priced as low or lower than they would be at any of the nationally-advertised travel sites, such as Expedia, Travelocity, etc. Our Special Internet Rates are guaranteed to be the lowest hotel rates available anywhere! The same holds true for our car rental and leasing rates, group tours, and youth hostel reservations provided by our various partners.

The most significant difference is that when you place your reservations through DiscoverFrance.net, you are helping to support the continuing development of a valuable information resource for francophiles everywhere. Since its inception in September 1997, DiscoverFrance.net has received recognition and awards from numerous educational and travel portals, with more than 2,000 web sites worldwide pointing to our pages, and over 1.8 million visitors in 2003.

Your support is greatly appreciated and will contribute immensely toward our goal of providing the most comprehensive resource on all aspects of French arts and culture. Thank you!