Starboard's Smith says Tripadvisor should consider selling its restaurant booking platform

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss NEW YORK (Reuters) -Starboard Value CEO Jeff Smith said Tuesday Tripadvisor should consider selling its restaurant booking platform TheFork and possibly the entire company. Smith, speaking at the annual 13D Monitor Active Passive Investment Summit in New York, said Tripadvisor has an "amazing" brand, but "there is a huge opportunity to transform and reimagine the user experience to improve revenue growth." The company allows customers to find and review hotels. Its Viator unit lets users book and review tours and other experiences, while TheFork offers restaurant reservation services. "We believe TheFork, the most easily separable and least-integrated of the three businesses, could be sold at an attractive multiple," Smith said. At the end of the presentation, he sai