Tripadvisor Completes $700 Million Sale of TheFork to American Express

Tripadvisor has finished selling TheFork, its European restaurant booking platform, to American Express. The deal closed on November 1, 2026, and takes a restaurant reservation business out of a group that hotels and rental managers know mainly for reviews and Viator.

According to an 8-K filed with the SEC on November 2, American Express Travel Related Services Company bought the legal entities that make up TheFork for $700 million in cash, subject to certain adjustments. The price matches the figure Tripadvisor announced when it agreed the deal in August. The equity purchase agreement is dated August 2, 2026.

Tripadvisor described the sale as a significant disposition. At closing, the two companies also signed a transition services agreement. Under it, Tripadvisor will provide certain services to the buyer for 12 months unless the agreement says otherwise. That points to a gradual split of shared technology and data systems rather than a clean break on day one.

The company also listed the usual risks. The expected benefits of the sale may not show up soon, or at all. Tripadvisor could face unknown liabilities or tax consequences, the cost of separating its technology and data platforms, management distraction, and the loss of TheFork from its own portfolio.

Tripadvisor says it expects to discuss the transaction on its third quarter earnings call on November 5. Unaudited pro forma financial statements will follow in an amended filing no later than that date, which should show how much revenue and profit leaves with TheFork.

For operators, the practical effect is small and indirect. Hotels that use TheFork for on-site restaurant bookings should expect the product to carry on under American Express ownership, and Tripadvisor's attention will now sit more heavily on its core review site and its experiences arm. The earnings call on Thursday is the next place to look for how Tripadvisor plans to use the cash.