Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
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Mar. 31, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (a) The Company and Basis of Presentation Travelzoo (including its subsidiaries and affiliates, the “Company” or “we”) is a global Internet media company. It operates Travelzoo®, the club for travel enthusiasts, and Jack’s Flight Club®, a subscription service that provides information about exceptional airfares. Travelzoo reaches 30 million travelers. Through its websites, e-mail newsletters, iOS and Android apps, and social media channels, Travelzoo provides members information and access to exclusive discounted travel, entertainment, and local offers and experiences. Offers are researched, negotiated, and personally selected by Travelzoo’s deal experts around the globe. Offers are sourced from more than 5,000 top travel and entertainment partners. The Company generates revenues from advertising, membership fees, and other sources. In March 2022, the Company began the development of Travelzoo META, a subscription service that is intended to provide Metaverse travel experiences. APAC Exit and Pivot to Licensing Model Travelzoo currently has license agreements covering Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea. The license agreements provide the licensees exclusive rights to use Travelzoo products, services and intellectual property in each jurisdiction in exchange for quarterly royalty payments based upon net revenue over a five-year term, with an option to renew. Ownership Ralph Bartel, who founded Travelzoo, is the sole beneficiary of the Ralph Bartel 2005 Trust, which is the controlling shareholder of Azzurro Capital Inc ("Azzurro"). Azzurro is the Company’s largest shareholder, and as of March 31, 2025, holds approximately 38.2% of the Company's outstanding shares. Financial Statements 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, 2024, included in the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 19, 2025. 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. We have reclassified prior period financial statements to conform to the current period presentation. Management of the Company has made a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities to prepare these financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. Significant estimates included in the consolidated financial statements and related notes include revenue recognition, refund liability, income taxes, stock-based compensation, loss contingencies, useful lives of property and equipment, purchase price allocation for the business combination and related impairment assessment, relating to the projections and assumptions used. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2025 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2025 or any other future period, and the Company makes no representations related thereto. (b) Recent Accounting Pronouncements In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09 "Income Taxes (Topics 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures", to expand the disclosure requirements for income taxes, primarily requiring more detailed disclosure for income taxes paid and the effective tax rate reconciliation. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, and applies to our FY25 year-end reporting. We are currently evaluating the impact of this standard and will include the required income tax disclosures in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. On November 4, 2024, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the "FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2024-03, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income - Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses. The guidance requires more detailed disclosure for expenses. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the ASU to determine its impact on our disclosures. (c) Significant Accounting Policies Below is a summary of the Company's significant accounting policies. For a comprehensive description of our accounting policies, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. Revenue Recognition The Company follows Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (Topic 606), under which 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's revenues consist of (1) advertising revenues and commissions, derived from and generated in connection with purchases made by Travelzoo members, (2) membership fees and (3) other. Advertising Revenues and Commissions Advertising revenues are generated from the publishing of travel and entertainment offers on the Travelzoo website, in Top 20 email newsletters, in Standalone email newsletters and through the Travelzoo Network. The Company also generates transaction-based commission revenues from the sale of vouchers (our Local Deals and Getaways offerings), operation of our hotel booking platform and limited offerings of vacation packages. Specifically, for fixed-fee website advertising, the Company recognizes revenues ratably over the contracted placement period. For Top 20 email newsletters and other email products, the Company recognizes revenues when the emails are delivered to its members. For cost-per-click advertising, whereby an advertiser pays the Company when a user clicks on an ad (typically served on Travelzoo properties or Travelzoo Network partner properties), the Company recognizes revenues each time a user clicks on the ad. The Company also offers clients other advertising models whereby an advertiser pays the Company based on the number of times their advertisement is displayed (whether on Travelzoo properties, email advertisements, Travelzoo Network properties, social platforms or other media properties). For these instances, the Company recognizes revenues each time an ad is displayed. For transaction-based advertising revenues, including from products such as Local Deals and Getaways prepaid voucher sales, hotel platform bookings and vacation package sales, the Company evaluates whether it is acting as principal (thereby reporting revenue on a gross basis) versus agent (thereby reporting revenue on a net basis). Accordingly, the Company reports transaction-based advertising revenues on a net basis, as third-party suppliers are primarily responsible for fulfilling the underlying good or service, which the Company does not control prior to its transfer to the customer. For Local Deals and Getaways prepaid voucher sales, the Company typically earns a fee for acting as an agent on the sale, while vouchers can subsequently be redeemed for goods or services with third-party merchants. Commission revenues are, accordingly, presented net of amounts due to third-party merchants for fulfilling the underlying goods and services, and net of estimated future refunds to consumers, as the terms of the vouchers permit. 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 as revenues in the same period. In certain scenarios, the Company will pre-purchase vouchers or hotel inventory (in the form of credit amounts,vouchers or gift cards) in bulk from clients and partners (e.g. hotel or spa partners). In those scenarios, the Company is not acting as the agent, but rather as the principal. The pre-purchased vouchers are recorded as inventory, within prepaid expenses and other on the condensed consolidated balance sheet, until sold to and purchased by Travelzoo members, at which point, the amount for which the vouchers were sold to Travelzoo members is recognized fully as revenue and the amount for which the vouchers were purchased from the hotel or spa partners is recognized as cost of revenues. Commission revenues generated from bookings on our hotel platform are recognized ratably over the periods of guest stays, net of an allowance for estimated cancellations, based upon historical patterns. For bookings of non-cancelable reservations, where the Company’s performance obligation is deemed to be completed upon the successful booking, the Company records commission revenue at such time. In certain instances, the Company’s contracts with customers may include multiple performance obligations, whereby the Company allocates revenues to each performance obligation based on its standalone selling price. The Company determines standalone selling prices based on overall pricing objectives, taking into consideration the type of goods or services, geographical region of the customers, rate card pricing and customary discounts. Standalone selling prices are generally determined based on the prices charged to customers when the good or service is sold separately. The Company relies upon certain practical expedients and exemptions provided for in Topic 606. The Company expenses sales commissions when incurred, as the amortization period would be one year or less, which are recorded in sales and marketing expenses. In addition, the Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with an original expected length of one year or less, and contracts for which it recognizes revenues at the amount to which it has the right to invoice for services performed. Membership Fee Revenues Membership fee revenues are generated from subscription fees paid by Travelzoo and Jack's Flight Club. We recognize subscription revenues ratably over the subscription periods. Travelzoo membership has historically been free, however, on January 1, 2024, Travelzoo introduced an annual membership fee of $40 (or local equivalent) for new members in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany, with the 2024 annual fee waived for existing members as of December 31, 2023. Other Revenues Other revenues include licensing fees and fees generated from the existing retail business acquired by the Company when it acquired MTE. Deferred Revenues Deferred revenue primarily consists of deferred membership fees, customer prepayments and undelivered Company performance obligations related to contracts comprising multiple performance obligations. As of December 31, 2024, $2 million was recorded as deferred revenue for Jack's Flight Club, of which $1.0 million was recognized in the three months ended March 31, 2025, and $4.5 million was recorded as deferred revenue for Travelzoo North America and Travelzoo Europe, of which $2.1 million was recognized as revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2025. At March 31, 2025, deferred revenue was $7.8 million, of which $2.6 million was for Jack's Flight Club, and $5.2 million was for Travelzoo North America and Travelzoo Europe. Reserve for Refunds to Members The Company estimates and records a reserve for future refunds on member purchases of Local Deals and Getaways vouchers, at the time revenue is recorded. We consider various factors such as historical refund timeframes from dates of sale, reasons for refunds, time periods remaining until expiration, changes in refund procedures and estimates of redemptions and breakage. Should any of these factors change, the estimates made by management will also change, which could impact the level of our future reserve for refunds to members. Specifically, if the financial condition of our merchant partners, on behalf of whom vouchers are sold, were to deteriorate, affecting their ability to provide the goods or services to our members, additional reserves for refunds to members may be required and may adversely affect future revenues as the liability is recorded against revenue. As of March 31, 2025, the Company had approximately $3.7 million of unredeemed vouchers that had been sold, representing the Company’s commission earned. The Company estimated and recorded a refund reserve of $214,000 for these unredeemed vouchers as of March 31, 2025, which is recorded as a reduction of revenues on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and accrued expenses and other on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had approximately $4.1 million of unredeemed vouchers that had been sold representing the Company’s commission earned from the sale and estimated a refund reserve of $144,000 for these unredeemed vouchers as of December 31, 2024, as a reduction of revenues on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and accrued expenses and other on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. If our judgments regarding estimated member refunds are inaccurate, reported results of operations could differ from amounts previously accrued. Merchant payables of $14.8 million as of March 31, 2025 is recorded on the consolidated balance sheet, representing amounts payable to merchants by the Company for vouchers sold but not redeemed. Identifiable intangible assets Upon acquisition, identifiable intangible assets are recorded at fair value and are carried at cost less accumulated amortization. Identifiable intangible assets with finite lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. The carrying values of all intangible assets are reviewed for impairment annually, and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Goodwill Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired business over the fair value of the underlying net tangible and intangible assets. Goodwill is evaluated for impairment annually, and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate its carrying value may not be recoverable. The Company performs an impairment test by comparing the book value of the reporting unit to the fair value of the reporting unit utilizing a combination of valuation techniques, including an income approach (discounted cash flows) and market approach (guideline company method). The Company performed its annual impairment testing as of October 31, 2024 and no impairment charge was identified in connection with the annual impairment test. The Company did not identify any indicators of impairment during the three months ended March 31, 2025. Operating 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 on our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. The lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Certain Risks and Uncertainties The Company’s business is subject to risks associated with its ability to attract and retain advertisers and offer goods or services on compelling terms to our members. The Company’s business is also subject to risks associated with the travel industry generally, including the changing economic and political situation of countries around the world (e.g., decreases in discretionary spending due to recession or increased prices due to tariffs, changes in international trade policies and immigration and decreases in demand for travel generally and for certain destinations specifically). The Company’s cash, cash equivalents and accounts receivable are potentially subject to concentration of credit risk. Cash and cash equivalents are placed with financial institutions that management believes are of high credit quality. Accounts receivables are derived from revenue earned from customers located in the U.S. and internationally. As of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company did not have any customers that accounted for 10% or more of accounts receivable. As of March 31, 2025, the Company had merchant payables of $14.8 million related to the sale of vouchers. In the Company’s financial statements presented in this 10-Q report, following GAAP accounting principles, we classified all merchant payables as current. As such, the consolidated balance sheet reflects negative net working capital (defined as current assets minus current liabilities) of $10.3 million at March 31, 2025. Payables to merchants are generally due upon redemption of vouchers by members who purchased them from the Company. As of March 31, 2025, unredeemed vouchers have maturities through March 2026; however, expiration dates may be extended on a case-by-case basis and final payment to merchants upon expiration may not be due for up to a year after. Based on current projections of future redemption activity, management expects that cash on hand as of March 31, 2025 will be sufficient to provide for working capital needs for at least the next twelve months. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less on the date of purchase. 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 security deposits for real estate leases 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:
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