Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(a) The Company and Basis of Presentation

Travelzoo® provides our members insider deals and one-of-a-kind experiences personally reviewed by our deal experts around the globe. With 25 offices worldwide, we have our finger on the pulse of outstanding travel, entertainment, and lifestyle experiences. For over 20 years we have worked in partnership with top travel suppliers—our long-standing relationships give Travelzoo members access to irresistible deals. Travelzoo's revenues are generated primarily from advertising fees.

Our publications and products include the Travelzoo website, the Travelzoo iPhone and Android apps, the Travelzoo Top 20 email newsletter, the Newsflash email alert service, and the Travelzoo Network, a network of third-party websites that list travel deals published by Travelzoo. Our Travelzoo website includes Local Deals and Getaways listings that allow our members to purchase vouchers for deals from local businesses such as spas, hotels and restaurants. We receive a percentage of the face value of the voucher from the local businesses.

Ralph Bartel, who founded Travelzoo (the "Company") and who is a Director of the Company is the sole beneficiary of the Ralph Bartel 2005 Trust, which is the controlling shareholder of Azzurro Capital Inc. ("Azzurro"). As of September 30, 2019, Azzurro is the Company's largest stockholder, holding approximately 47.0% of the Company's outstanding shares. Azzurro currently holds a proxy given to it by Holger Bartel that provides it with a total of 49.1% of the voting power.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company in accordance with the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted in accordance with such rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to state fairly the financial position of the Company and its results of operations and cash flows. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and related notes as of and for the year ended December 31, 2018, included in the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 11, 2019.

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Investments in entities where the Company does not have control, but does have significant influence, are accounted for as equity method investments.

In April 2018, Travelzoo entered into an agreement with WeekenGO GmbH ("WeekenGo"), a start-up company in Germany. WeekenGO uses new technology to promote vacation packages. Travelzoo initially invested $3.0 million in WeekenGO for a 25% ownership interest. The Company accounts for this private company investment using the equity method of accounting by recording its share of the results of WeekenGO in Other income (expense), net on a one-quarter lag basis. In accounting for the investment, the Company allocated $1.0 million of its purchase price to tangible assets and allocated approximately $485,000 of the purchase to technology-related intangible assets to be amortized over a three-year life. The remaining $1.5 million of the purchase price was allocated to goodwill. In April 2019, the Company invested an additional $673,000 in WeekenGO and increased the Company's ownership interest to 26.6%. WeekenGO is in the process of obtaining additional capital funding. If WeekenGO is unsuccessful in this round of funding, it will face cash flow liquidity risk, and the Company’s investment in WeekenGO may become impaired.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company recorded $323,000 and $732,000, respectively, for its share of WeekenGO losses, amortization of basis differences and currency translation adjustment. This equity method investment is reported as a long-term investment on the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets.

WeekenGO signed a $2.1 million insertion order for advertising with Travelzoo in April 2018. The Company's advertising services provided to WeekenGO in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 were $130,000 and $924,000, respectively.

The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2019 or any other future period, and the Company makes no representations related thereto.

(b) Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments,” which provides new guidance on the measurement of credit losses for financial assets measured at amortized cost, which includes accounts receivable. The new guidance replaces the existing incurred loss impairment model with an expected loss methodology, which will result in more timely recognition of credit losses. This update is effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Entities are required to apply this update on a modified retrospective basis with a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on its financial position and results of operations.

In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU No. 2018-15, "Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract." The new guidance required a customer in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract to follow the internal-use software guidance in ASC 350-40 to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as assets or expense as incurred. The guidance is effective for calendar-year public business entities in 2020. For all other calendar-year entities, it is effective for annual periods beginning in 2021 and interim periods in 2022. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the adoption on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

In February 2016, the FASB issued an ASU 2016-02, "Leases," codified in Accounting Standard Codification 842 ("ASC 842"), which requires that lease arrangements longer than 12 months result in an entity recognizing an asset and liability on its balance sheet. The Company adopted ASC 842 on January 1, 2019, using the alternative modified transition method with no restatement of prior periods or cumulative adjustment to retained earnings. Upon adoption, the Company elected the package of transition practical expedients: (i) not to reassess prior conclusions related to whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases; (ii) not to reassess the lease classification for any expired or existing leases; (iii) not to reassess initial direct costs for existing leases; and (iv) not to reassess certain land easements. Upon adoption of the standard, the Company recognized an operating lease right-of-use assets of approximately $13.4 million and a corresponding operating lease liability of approximately $16.0 million, which includes reclassifying existing deferred rent liability of $2.6 million to operating lease right-of-use assets.

(d) Significant Accounting Policies

Below are the significant accounting policies as a result of the recently adopted accounting pronouncements. For a comprehensive description of our accounting policies, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Leases

The Company determines if an arrangement contains a lease at inception. Operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term at commencement date. The lease payments used to determine the operating lease assets may include lease incentives and stated rent increases. The Company does not include options to extend or terminate until it is reasonably certain that the option will be exercised. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the lease liabilities as the Company’s leases generally do not provide an implicit rate. The Company elected not to recognize leases with an initial term of 12 months or less on its unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets.

The Company’s leases are reflected in operating lease ROU assets, operating lease liabilities and long-term operating lease liabilities in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company also has a real estate lease agreement which is subleased to a third party. The Company recognizes sublease income in Other income (expense), net on a straight-line basis over the lease term in its condensed consolidated statements of income.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

Restricted cash includes cash and cash equivalents that is restricted through legal contracts, regulations or our intention to use the cash for a specific purpose. Our restricted cash primarily relates to refundable deposits and funds held in escrow.

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets to the total amounts shown in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows:



	September 30,		December 31,
	2019		2018
Cash and cash equivalents	$	11,605	$	18,017
Restricted cash	1,308		1,444
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows	$	12,913	$	19,461

The Company’s restricted cash was included in noncurrent assets as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018.

Revenue Recognition

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" (Topic 606), using the modified retrospective transition method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under Topic 606, while prior period amounts have not been adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with our historic accounting under Topic 605.

Under Topic 606, revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.

The Company generates revenues primarily by delivering advertising on the Travelzoo website, in the Top 20 email newsletter, in Newsflash and from the Travelzoo Network. The Company also generates transaction-based revenues from the sale of vouchers through our Local Deals and Getaways products and operation of hotel booking platform and vacation packages. The Company's disaggregated revenues are included in "Note 8: Segment Reporting and Significant Customer Information".

For fixed-fee website advertising, the Company recognizes revenues ratably over the contracted placement period.

For Top 20 email newsletter and other email products, the Company recognizes revenues when the emails are delivered to its members.

The Company offers advertising on a cost-per-click basis, which means that an advertiser pays the Company only when a user clicks on an ad on Travelzoo properties or Travelzoo Network members’ properties. For these customers, the Company recognizes revenues each time a user clicks on the ad.

The Company also offers advertising on other bases, such as cost-per-impression, which means that an advertiser pays the Company based on the number of times their advertisement is displayed on Travelzoo properties, email advertisements, Travelzoo Network properties, or social media properties. For these customers, the Company recognizes revenues each time an ad is displayed or email delivered.

For transaction based revenues, including products such as Local Deals, Getaways, hotel platform and vacation packages, the Company evaluates whether it is the principal (i.e., report revenue on a gross basis) versus an agent (i.e., report revenue on a net basis). The Company reports transaction revenue on a net basis because the supplier is primarily responsible for providing the underlying service and we do not control the service provided by the supplier prior to its transfer to the customer.

For Local Deals and Getaways products, the Company earns a fee for acting as an agent for the sale of vouchers that can be redeemed for services with third-party merchants. Revenues are presented net of the amounts due to the third-party merchants for fulfilling the underlying services. Certain merchant contracts allow the Company to retain the proceeds from unredeemed vouchers. With these contracts, the Company estimates the value of vouchers that will ultimately not be redeemed and records the estimate in the same period as the voucher sale.

Commission revenue related to our hotel platform is recognized ratably over the period of guest stay, net of an allowance for cancellations based upon historical patterns. For arrangements for booking non-cancelable reservations where the Company’s performance obligation is deemed to be the successful booking of a hotel reservation, we record revenue for the commissions upon completion of the hotel booking.

The Company’s contracts with customers may include multiple performance obligations in which the Company allocates revenues to each performance obligation based on its standalone selling price. The Company determines standalone selling price based on its overall pricing objectives, taking into consideration the type of services, geographical region of the customers, normal rate card pricing and customary discounts. Standalone selling price is generally determined based on the prices charged to customers when the product is sold separately.

The Company relies upon the following practical expedients and exemptions allowed for in the ASC 606. The Company expenses sales commissions when incurred because the amortization period would be one year or less. These costs are recorded in sales and marketing expenses. In addition, the Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (a) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (b) contracts for which it recognizes revenues at the amount to which it has the right to invoice for services performed.

Deferred revenue primarily consists of customer prepayments and undelivered performance obligations related to the Company’s contracts with multiple performance obligations. At December 31, 2018, $1.3 million was recorded as deferred revenue, of which $89,000 and $1.1 million was recognized as revenue during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively.