HotelRunner, a leading travel and hospitality technology platform, has announced its acquisition of Bookingate, an innovative B2B travel marketplace and technology platform. This strategic acquisition strengthens HotelRunner’s position as a leader in the industry, extending its commitment to completing the travel value chain by enhancing both supply and demand capabilities.
With the integration of Bookingate—a platform that enables travel service providers to access and distribute hotel inventory and third-party services—HotelRunner is now positioned as an all-in-one solution for the travel industry. This unique offering addresses the distribution, direct, and offline sales challenges faced by travel agencies, DMCs, and tour operators, seamlessly connecting them with various suppliers.
Advancing the travel industry with HotelRunner Connect
By incorporating Bookingate into its portfolio, HotelRunner expands the scope and functionality of HotelRunner Connect, its established platform that serves global travel companies, including travel agencies, metasearch platforms, and payment systems. This acquisition not only enhances the existing services but also elevates HotelRunner Connect as a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for the entire travel ecosystem.
Arden Agopyan, Founder and Managing Partner of HotelRunner, remarked, "Bookingate is a game-changing addition that aligns perfectly with our vision of creating a bigger travel economy. With this acquisition, we are enhancing our platform’s capabilities to deliver the industry's most advanced travel management solution, unlocking unprecedented growth opportunities for our large network of travel industry members.”
Ali Beklen, Founder and Managing Partner of HotelRunner, added, "We are thrilled to welcome Bookingate into the HotelRunner platform, becoming an all-encompassing travel platform for travel agencies, hotels, buyers, and suppliers. With the acquisition of this promising startup and its innovative technology, we are expanding our platform and creating a new ecosystem by uniting fragmented B2B players in the global travel market.”
Unleashing multi-faceted capabilities
The acquisition of Bookingate enhances HotelRunner’s position as a top player in travel tech, expanding its solution stack across the entire travel value chain. It unlocks capabilities that empower travel companies to succeed in today’s competitive landscape, including:
Advanced Hotel Contracting: Travel agencies and third-party service providers gain direct access to and can distribute real-time inventory, streamlining the distribution process and enabling travel providers to broaden their reach.
A Robust Connectivity Bridge: The enhanced platform acts as a bridge between hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, and services like car rentals, enabling dynamic packaging and providing a more comprehensive solution for sourcing and distribution.
Transforming Static Agencies: Just as HotelRunner transformed hotels from offline to online over a decade ago, it now aims to revolutionize offline travel agencies into dynamic, digital powerhouses.
Building an ecosystem of innovation
This acquisition marks HotelRunner’s fourth and demonstrates its ongoing commitment to industry innovation. By strategically acquiring promising startups like Bookingate, HotelRunner continues to develop forward-thinking solutions, ensuring its position as a trusted partner for travel agencies, hotels, buyers, and suppliers globally.
To learn more about HotelRunner, visit https://hotelrunner.com/en/.
