TVtrip sold to Travel Click

Travelclick, US group developing technology for the hotel industry grows its presence with TVTrip

M & A sell side 2014, December

“Showing videos through your website helps improve organic search placement (on the Internet) and, secondly, it’s been proven that when consumers experience video it leads to better conversion rates because they have a better sense and feel for the hotel and it’s a positive influence.”

Jeff Stuek- Senior vice president, corporate development of TravelClick

TravelClick, a global provider of innovative cloud-based revenue-generating solutions for the hospitality industry, announced on Tuesday that it acquired Paris’ TVtrip, a major provider of video creation and distribution services for hotels around the world.

Since 2007, hoteliers have been working with TVtrip to plan out promotional video, aided by the company’s team of more than 2,200 independent videographers. About 6,000 videos have been created in roughly 800 locations worldwide using TVtrip’s resources and expertise. Now, TravelClick expands TVtrip’s reach, making its video solutions accessible to more than 38,000 hoteliers across the planet. It was a natural selection, given TravelClick’s corporate strategy to generate profitable revenues for hotels all over the world, said

TravelClick, like many other travel companies today, has recognized the importance of showcasing travel products and properties via video. It’s becoming a standard across the industry.
“We believe video is becoming more and more important in online distribution and hotel marketing,” Stuek said. “When you think about broadband, how it continues to improve globally (while) mobile usage explodes, the barriers to accessing videos are rapidly decreasing. We’re able to help hoteliers take advantage of this growing trend…I think there’s a great opportunity to bring this to the broader hospitality industry.”

Marc Pfohl is one of TVtrip’s three co-founders who will continue to work in leadership roles following the acquisition. Pfohl, who used to work at Expedia, said that TVtrip spawned from a couple of things: a major purchase from Google and a focus group he led. "The market started talking about digital (in 2007) because at the time Google bought YouTube," Pfohl said. "And when I was doing focus groups asking travelers what they expected from a website, especially when booking accommodations…they were asking for much more personalized (options), more of what they can get from a hotel. So, on one side, video started to increase. On the other hand, travelers needed more information. So, we thought it would make sense. It was a crazy, everyday project at the time. It took a lot of people to do that."