Three European agencies have joined Synergi, the global travel management organisation.
The newcomers are Vejle-Rejser which has offices in Denmark and Greenland, Ventura Travel from Italy and Optimundus Business Travel in the Czech Republic.
A fourth agency Jumbo Travel from Kuwait has also joined. Synergi now has members from 18 countries in its EMEA operation.
Vejle-Rejser is among the top five agencies in Denmark with 50 staff and four offices in the country and a fifth in Greenland.
Ventura Travel has five offices and five implants throughout Italy, a turnover of 105m and 150 staff. It is owned by the ACI - Automobile Club Italia and is also among the top five agencies in Italy.
Optimundus has expanded rapidly since it was founded in 1997 and now has more than 50 clients.
Paul Tracy, Synergi's senior vice president for the EMEA region, said: “As our strategy for growth continues, we are delighted to have solidified our position in these key regional markets. “These organisations are among the leading business travel companies in their markets, with overwhelming experience in the intricacies of managed business travel.”
European hotel rates creep up
Both occupancy and room rates rose in the European hotel industry rose over the past year giving a revenue PAR rise of 3.4%, according to a survey by MKG Consulting.
The rise applied to nearly all countries except Spain which suffered a 5.9% drop in PAR. The biggest rise was in the UK where Par rose by 8.1%.
The survey found that revenue PAR rose slightly by 0.6% in October but occupancy stayed the same as for October 2003.
But it was the budget hotels whose rates rose “significantly higher” while those in the mid- and upper end of the market had “most difficulty maintaining business levels.”