One Link Buys Res Provider

One Link 4 Travel Inc., provider of a soon-to-be-launched integrated global distribution and financial settlement service for car, hotel and other non-airline travel products, last month acquired hotel reservation provider Reservation Center Inc. The Computerized Corporate Rate Association, a division of RCI which packages corporate and leisure travel hotel chain preferred rate plans, last year claimed more than 30 million booked room nights.

Fran Kiradjian, president and CEO of the Los Angeles-based Reservation Center, said she initiated the sale with One Link 4 Travel chairman and CEO Bill Guerin.

"I found One Link and I contacted Bill and we got together and discussed the potential sale of Reservation Center and CCRA," said Kiradjian. "Since there were a lot of synergies there with what we'd accomplished over the past 30 years and his product, it seemed to be a perfect match."

Kiradjian said when One Link launches its global settlement solution later this year, CCRA corporate customers will have a option for a new travel-settlement option and will not be required to settle through One Link's prepaid product. "There really will be no change with Reservation Center/CCRA, though there may be a name where it'll be CCRA International, more than likely. We'll be a division of One Link 4 Travel," she said.

One Link 4 Travel last month also acquired Reno, Nev.-based telemarketing, customer service, payment collection and marketing survey service firm The Call Center LLC, and inked deals with Sabre and PayPal.

Kiradjian said, "The deal gives us capital and resources. It's allowing us to control our destiny for our technology and it's also allowing us access to The Call Center to call our agencies and hotels on a very regular basis, which they've already done. We started brainstorming with them to plan our future."