AccorHotels will acquire France-based business travel solutions
and distribution company Gekko Group.
Accor has been a more-than-active participant in the acquisition
space during recent years, purchasing Fairmont parent FRHI, Onefinestay
and Travel
Keys to name just a few. But the planned acquisition of Gekko, which Accor
values at €100 million, links most directly to Accor's plans to broaden the
services it offers to business travelers.
Gekko serves more than 300 corporate customers and 14,000
travel agencies via such subsidiaries as online reservations system HCorpo, business-to-business
hotel reservations system for travel agents Teldar Travel, midmarket
business-focused offshoot Teldar Travel Biz, independent French hotel
wholesaler Innfinite Hotel and travel agency loyalty program Miles Attack. Gekko's
search and reservations solutions are connected to more than 500,000 hotels
globally.
"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," said Accor chief disruption
and growth officer Thibault Viort. "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."
Gekko's HCorpo has technology partnerships with
KDS, Traveldoo and Concur. It also has industry partnerships with the Global
Business Travel Association in France, the Association of Corporate Travel
Executives and the International Air Transport Association.