Gekko sold to AccorHotels

The hotel distribution solutions specialist jons the global leader in travel and lifestyle

AccorHotels has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Gekko, a major player in the business travel hotel reservation segment.

Thanks to its expertise and cutting-edge technology, Gekko offers search and reservation solutions via an interface connected to more than 500,000 hotels worldwide, ranging from budget to luxury. Its turnkey management tools allow business travelers to fulfil their payments, offering them the option of tracking and optimizing their costs.

Gekko today serves more than 300 corporate customers and 14,000 travel agencies through its four businesses: HCorpo (hotel booking tool dedicated to large companies and international groups), Teldar Travel and Teldar Travel Biz (hotel booking tools for leisure and SMEs), Miles Attack (loyalty programme dedicated to European travel agents) and Infinite Hotel (bedbank dedicated to the French market). Gekko operates in France, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, and has been posting very strong year-on-year growth for many years.

The company was founded in 2010 by shareholders Olivier Delouis and Stéphane De Laforcade, with European investment group HLD joining as shareholder in 2015.

This acquisition is in line with AccorHotels’ strategy aimed at strengthening its leadership across the entire customer experience by enhancing the range of services offered to business travelers, the Group’s key customer segment.

The transaction, which values Gekko at €100 million, will have an accretive effect on AccorHotels’ financial performance from 2018.

Stéphane de Laforcade and Olivier Delouis, co-founders and executives of Gekko, said: “Teaming up with AccorHotels during such an important time for our company creates new opportunities for growth. We are fully aligned on our B-to-B distribution strategy, and AccorHotels’ strong brand and reputation will provide us with additional resources and greater legitimacy in key international markets.”

Thibault Viort, Accor's Chief Disruption & Growth Officer, stated, “We are very pleased to have Gekko’s team join our Group. AccorHotels’ extensive global footprint, together with Gekko’s technological leadership, today paves the way for the creation of a global leader in B-to-B hotel distribution. Since business travelers represent a key segment of the Group’s business, our capacity to respond to the specific requirements of this segment across the entire value chain is a factor that really sets us apart.”

The transaction is subject to approval of competition authorities and has already been approved by AccorHotels’ employee representative bodies.