HomeToGo announces completion of SECRA acquisition

HomeToGo acquired a strategic initial 19 per cent stake in the software provider last year to help grow its subscriptions and services portfolio and allow it to become the alternative accommodation industry’s operating system.

Founded in 1999, SECRA offers specialised software solutions for hosts, rental agencies and destinations to better market listings, while its online booking system and channel management drive increased reach and bookings, by extension leading to a higher booking volume for partners.

SECRA also runs German vacation rental booking platform ostsee-ferienwohnungen.de, which offers more than 7,000 listings on the Baltic Coast that will supplement HomeToGo’s existing selection of rental properties.

HomeToGo COO Valentin Gruber said: “We’re thrilled to welcome SECRA and its talented team to our global group of brands. The team at SECRA has incredible industry knowledge and shares many existing synergies with HomeToGo, including the goal of improving the entire vacation rental ecosystem by offering state-of-the-art technology solutions and prioritising a partner-centric focus.

“We are excited to join forces with such a respected industry player and established, profitable brand to further grow our subscriptions and services portfolio,” he added.

SECRA CEO Christoph Rakel said: “At SECRA, our focus is to help our partners optimise their businesses by generating more visibility, bookings and guests. To this end, we are excited to be joining HomeToGo on its growth journey, which is a company with exceptional global reach and prioritisation on technology that matches the spirit and strength of the SECRA team.

“As we look ahead, we know there are endless opportunities to learn from each other and scale together,” he added.

SECRA’s office, its team of more than 40 employees as well its founders and management team – headquartered in Sierksdorf in the Bay of Lübeck, Germany – will remain operational as usual and join the HomeToGo Group team of 500+ employees globally.

Since listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the stock ticker “HTG” in September, HomeToGo has made a spate of strategic acquisitions, including AMIVAC, the vacation rental business unit of Groupe SeLoger, internet company e-domizil GmbH from e-vacation Group Holding GmbH for €40 million, and now SECRA.

Founded in 2014 with a vision to build a “trusted and easy-to-use” technology platform for property suppliers and travellers worldwide, HomeToGo now operates localised websites and apps in 25 countries.

The company was also recently recognised at the 2022 Shortyz Awards, securing the award for Best sales & marketing campaign for its Hidden Gem Index.