The response by Thomas Cook to its changing business environment has taken a number of forms.One line of defence against the onslaught of do-it-yourself web-based providers was to join them Thomas Cook developed its own online booking facility where customers could book flights, hotels and a wide range of extras online, and effectively create their own package. Some commentators had accused Thomas Cook of doing too little, too late, after allowing new start-ups such as Expedia.com and opodo com to steal a march in this sector. But Thomas Cook was hoping that its good reputation and widely recognized slogan of Don't just book it Thomas Cook it', would give it a strong position in this sector. The company's position in the online independent travel sector was further consolidated in 2008 when it announced the acquisition of Hotels4u, which, according to the company's website sells exclusively via the internet, is the UK's largest independent bed bank, providing accommodation and resort transfers to over 500,000 customers per year and has access to in excess of 30,000 hotels internationally’.