AccorHotels Buys Digital Specialist to Bolster Services for Independent Hotels

Fresh off of its purchase of the Very Chic hotel flash sale site earlier this week, AccorHotels has made another acquisition. This time, it’s for Availpro, a European leader in providing digital services to independent hotels.

Buying Availpro will enable AccorHotels to further strengthen its business working with independent hotels. Already, Accor has more than 2,000 independent hotels listed on AccorHotels.com, facilitated by its 2015 purchase of Fastbooking, which works with more than 4,000 clients around the world to increase direct bookings.

Founded in 2001, Paris-based Availpro had raised some $3.6 million in funding, according to Crunchbase. The terms of the deal with Accorhotels were not disclosed.

AccorHotels plans to combine Availpro, which has more than 6,500 clients and provides “channel management solutions,” with its Fastbooking arm. The marriage would make the business among the largest global players in providing digital services specifically tailored to independent hotels.

In a press statement, Steven Daines, CEO of new business at AccorHotels said, “Today, two thirds of hoteliers are independent and the increase of their online visibility and direct sales is critical to their development. The acquisition of Availpro enables the Group to reach another milestone in its transformation by establishing the first B2B services division focused on hoteliers in Europe. Its combination with Fastbooking, now more than ever before, positions AccorHotels as an hotelier serving the hoteliers.”

Other major hotel companies often work with independent hotels within the confines of a “soft brand collection” whereby the independents pay fees primarily for access to the larger company’s distribution systems.

AccorHotels has pursued a strategy where it acts more like a third party provider of services for independents. With this latest acquisition, it’s clear the company hopes to become an even bigger player in the independent hotel space.

Among other major players, Booking.com provides digital services, such as website building and marketing, to hotels, many of which are independents.