Hotelzon, the Finland-based hotel booking and technology group, has move into the UK and German markets.
In Britain, it has bought up hotel booking agency Res-O-Tel while in Germany, it is setting up a branch operation.
The privately owned company established in1972 already has operations through subsidiaries or partners in Belgium, Denmark, China, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Norway and USA and 15,000 corporate customers around the world, among them ABB, Ericsson, Ford and Volvo.
Res-O-Tel was founded in 1987 by Peter Ducker who will work the company during the transition period.
The German operation will be run by Frank Tillmanns who joined Hotelzon from HRS.
Erik Floman, ceo of the Hotelzon Group says: “Our clients are hotels, corporations and travel agencies. For all these client groups, Hotelzon will now offer services and functionalities previously not available in the UK and German markets.”
Dusseldorf show attracts thousands
More than 3000 people were expected to have attended the three-day Business Travel Show which ends today (September 8) in Dusseldorf.
Paul Robin, group event director for show organisers Centaur, said a majority of those registered to attend the event were buyers.
A variety of products and services were launched at the show, including a new expense management system by German software company Stratos TMS Solutions of Zwenkau and an e-invoicing facility by car rental company Avis.
Many of the new products and services indicated the rapid automation of processes and transactions in the German business travel market.
There were 110 exhibitors at the show, about double the number at the inaugural event in the city last year. Among the exhibitors were the members of the oneworld alliance, including BA, other airlines including Air France-KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates and Etihad, hotel groups, TMCs and IT companies.
But there were some notable absentees, including Lufthansa, TQ3, owned by German travel giant TUI, and many of the major hotel chains.