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AccorHotels Signs An Agreement To Acquire Gekko, The Specialist In Hotel Distribution Solutions For Business Travellers

7 years ago
by Amy
Aspire Executive Lounges, Swissport's global airport hospitality brand, has joined the British Institute of Hospitality, the world’s leading and award-winning membership body for hospitality professionals. Aspire Executive Lounges becomes the first business partner from the airport lounge hospitality sector to join the Institute of Hospitality. Aspire Executive Lounges, the fast-growing Swiss brand in the airport hospitality business, has joined the British Institute of Hospitality (IoH), the world’s leading membership body for professionals working and studying in the hospitality leisure and tourism industry. Aspire Executive Lounges is the first business from the airport lounge sector to become a member of IoH. The collaboration will foster an exchange of expertise and insights: IoH will benefit from Aspire's expertise in airport hospitality, while Aspire, by sharing its wealth of experience with IoH members, can extend its professional network to the hotel and catering sectors and hospitality management schools. “Our vision for Aspire Executive Lounges is clear and simple: We want to deliver a guest experience that is similar to what our guests are used to from their preferred hotels, meeting the needs and exceeding the expectations of today’s travelers,” says David Collyer, Global Vice President of Executive Lounges at Swissport International AG. “We strive to deliver an unparalleled experience and set a benchmark that transcends our industry, redefining excellence across the hospitality sector. The Institute of Hospitality is a great network to exchange insights and experiences, and to learn from others in the hospitality sector, which will help us bring our vision to life.” Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality: “Our aspiration at the Institute of Hospitality has been to develop and grow our membership, the number of countries we operate in, and the number of hospitality sectors represented within our organization. With that in mind, it is a natural partnership for us to welcome Aspire into our family, and to learn from their teams, who serve travelers with passion and dedication. As two organizations with similar values, we look forward to collaborating in promoting high levels of excellence within our profession.” With over 30 years of experience, Aspire Executive Lounges is Europe’s largest brand in the airport lounges sector. In 2023, Swissport welcomed more than five million customers worldwide at over 69 lounges in 20 countries. The airport hospitality brand recently opened new lounges at Toronto City Airport in Canada, and Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland. Aspire Executive Lounges recently created a new lounge concept in partnership with the airline alliance oneworld. The first oneworld branded lounge was launched at Incheon Airport in Seoul, Korea, in December 2023. Aspire Executive Lounges is owned by Swissport International AG, the global leader in aviation services, serving airlines at 286 airports in 44 countries across 6 continents
Written by Amy

AccorHotels has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Gekko, a major player in the business travel hotel reservation segment.

This transaction is in line with the strategy aimed at strengthening AccorHotels’ leadership across the entire customer experience by enhancing the range of services offered to business travellers, the Group’s key customer segment.

Thanks to its expertise and cutting-edge technology, Gekko offers search and reservation solutions via an interface connected to more than 500,000 hotels worldwide, ranging from budget to luxury. Its turnkey management tools allow business travelers to manage their online payments, offering them the option of tracking and optimizing their costs.

Gekko today serves more than 300 corporate customers and 14,000 travel agencies through its subsidiaries: HCorpo (key accounts), Teldar Travel (leisure travel agencies), Teldar Travel Biz (SME-focused travel agencies), Miles Attack (loyalty program) and Infinite Hotel (wholesaler serving independent French hotels). Gekko operates in France, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, and has been posting very strong year-on-year growth for many years.

Founded in 2010, Gekko is managed by Olivier Delouis and Stéphane de Laforcade. They introduced HLD, a European investment fund, as their reference shareholder in 2015.
The transaction, which values Gekko at €100 million, will have an accretive effect on AccorHotels’ financial performance from 2018.

Stephane de Laforcade and Olivier Delouis will remain at the head of Gekko and will continue to run the group independently.

Thibault Viort, Chief Disruption & Growth Officer, stated, “We are very pleased to have Gekko’s team join our Group. AccorHotels’ extensive global footprint, together with Gekko’s technological leadership, today paves the way for the creation of a global leader in B-to-B hotel distribution. Since business travelers represent a key segment in the Group’s business, our capacity to respond to the specific requirements of this segment across the entire value chain is a factor that really sets us apart.”

Stéphane de Laforcade and Olivier Delouis, co-founders and executives of Gekko, said: “Teaming up with AccorHotels during such an important time for our company creates new opportunities for growth. We are fully aligned on our B-to-B distribution strategy, and AccorHotels’ strong brand and reputation will provide us with additional resources and greater legitimacy in key international markets.”

The transaction is subject to approval of competition authorities and has already been approved by AccorHotels’ employee representative bodies.

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