Newstrack

Travelguru acquires Desiya in landmark deal

Promises better integration of hotel network

EH Staff - Mumbai

Travelguru - India's largest hotel network, has signed an agreement to acquire Desiya.com. The acquisition, focussing on hotel aggregation, distribution and technology will further strengthen Travelguru's leadership position in hotel distribution.

With this deal, Travelguru aims to integrate leading consumer hotel booking products and its sizeable hotel network with the help of Desiya's leading hotel aggregation platform. This powerful backward integration will drive much more value to key stakeholders including end customers, partners and hotels, providing better deals for consumers and far more hotel options than ever before.

Commenting on the transaction, Ashwin Damera, founder & CEO, Travelguru.com said, "We have worked closely with Desiya for over 18 months and the newly combined entity of Travelguru and Desiya will only bring added value to all travellers. This company will deal with every stage of the sales cycle (from hotels all the way to the consumer) in the hospitality industry, and will allow sharing of learning across the board. Desiya's strong supplier relations and experience compliment Travelguru's own substantial market reach, vast consumer base and online resources. This will facilitate our ability to capitalise on future growth opportunities within the travel industry."

Amit Taneja, founder & CEO of Desiya added, "Travelguru's great experience in managing consumer relationships and teaching these skills in turn to hotel partners, is a powerful new addition to Desiya. We are excited to work with them to offer an even more comprehensive suite of travel services. Given the extensive planning by Desiya and Travelguru to date, and our history of working closely together, we expect a seamless integration of operations." In addition, Desiya will continue to spearhead efforts to grow the company's leading proposition to affiliate partners, including supplying hotels to a number of leading travel portals in India. It will also help hotel partners develop internet-ready inventory management tools. Finally, it will empower travel agents who wish to benefit from the wide scale and deals available from the combined hotel network. This acquisition provides scale and resources which should provide good impetus to the growth of this entire sector.

A relentless pursuit of perfection in the customer experience, through the smart use of relevant technology is what drives Travelguru, adds Damera. "The acquisition will bring the 'best in class' technology from hotel booking management, to customer relationship management to the user interface all under one roof." It looks like good times ahead for the Indian hotel customer and travellers at large.