Germany: Munich-based software provider Bookiply, a subsidiary of travel tech company Holidu, has formed a strategic partnership with two companies specialising in the accommodation market in Germany.
As part of the partnership, Bookiply has announced the purchase of Lohospo, the service company for hosts and destination marketing organisations [DMOs], and my.IRS, with the software TOMAS, a specialist in destination management in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The strategic merger, and subsequent expansion of the long-standing cooperation between the three companies, will enable them to utilise even more synergies within the group in the future and offer DMO partners and hosts the best possible marketing through a strong range of products and services.
The offices in Freiburg [Lohospo] and Puchheim near Munich [my.IRS], teams and managing directors of Lohospo and my.IRS will remain in place and become part of the team at the Holidu Group with over 400 employees across Europe.
Lohospo CEO Christiane Schwaß said: “The already high demand for accommodation has increased significantly in recent years. Bookiply is one of the leading companies in the market with its innovative technology and outstanding customer service.
“We are convinced that together with Bookiply we will offer our host and DMO partners great technical possibilities, and they will benefit significantly from this – for example through even better visibility and many advantages in managing the offer for landlords and hosts,” she added.
As a service provider, Lohospo supports accommodation businesses in Germany through online marketing and sales, therefore improving the occupancy of their vacation rentals as well as guest rooms. More than 7,000 hosts in and outside of Germany use the service of Lohospo and over 100 destination marketing organisations trust the know-how of the company.
Frank Nowak, managing director of my.IRS, said: “Together we will further optimise our software products and drive innovations for DMO partners and hosts even faster in the future. Holidu and Bookiply thrive with an extremely strong tech organisation and cutting-edge technological resources.
“We are very much looking forward to the cooperation,” he added.
With the TOMAS software, my.IRS offers its 400 or so DMO customers, and more than 100,000 bookable hosts, a powerful online tourism management system to facilitate the daily work of cities, municipalities as well as tourism destinations. Lohospo and its customers also use the TOMAS software.
TOMAS covers the complete spectrum from vacation rentals and hotels to conventions, conferences, group travel, city tours and experiences.
The merger of the companies gives a further boost to the ongoing growth of Holidu and Bookiply.
Founded in 2016, Holidu’s subsidiary Bookiply serves over 10,000 homeowners in key touristic regions such as South Tyrol, the Balearic Islands, Andalusia, the Canary Islands and Sardinia.
The new partnerships help accommodation providers with significantly more visibility and less effort in managing the offer. In addition, Bookiply strengthens the cooperation with tourism associations and destination marketing organisations [DMOs].
Holidu CEO Johannes Siebers said: “We have been working with Lohospo and my.IRS for years and are now looking forward to working together to offer the accommodation market more opportunities for digitalisation. We want to deepen our collaboration with DMOs, offering both regions and even more hosts better technological solutions and simplification of processes, from higher occupancy to payment management.
“In doing so, we rely not only on first-class technology but also on personal relationships with hosts and DMO partners. We welcome our new colleagues from both companies and look forward to working together on our mission: to finally make searching and booking of accommodations and vacation rentals easy,” he added.
