Travelport Acquires Hotel Distribution Co.

Travelport acquired Hotelzon, a, B2B hotel distribution technology provider, from Esa Karppinen, who has owned the company for 28 years. Terms were not disclosed.

Hotelzon, which serves the corporate market, will complement Travelport’s Rooms and More portal, which leans toward the leisure market.

The purchase will add about 30,000 properties to Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform (the new name for its GDS business), including many European independent and small chain properties. Travelport’s hotel content will also be made available to Hotelzon’s travel agency and corporate customers.

Arming agents
The deal includes Hotelzon’s corporate self-booking tool and extranet capabilities that allow both agents and corporate travel managers to access independent hotel content, including specially negotiated rates with independent hotels.

Travelport said only 30% to 50% of corporate hotel bookings are made through TMCs, and many are made directly with the hotel by the traveler.

The Hotelzon acquisition is designed to capture some of that business by arming agents with “best-in-class” tools, Travelport said.

It is also part of Travelport’s “Beyond Air” strategy, which aims to move beyond the air-centric focus of the traditional GDS world.

Hotelzon will continue to operate under its existing brand and will be led by its current chief executive officer, Jani Kaskinen, who will report to Niklas Andréen, head of Travelport’s global hospitality, car and advertising business.