Zhiketong Raises $42.5 Million for Hotel Marketing on WeChat: Travel Startup Funding This Week

This week, travel startups announced more than $140 million in funding. Skift reported on Monday that RedDoorz, a Singapore-based budget hotel brand, said it had raised $70 million in fresh funding. Asia Partners led the latest round. RedDoorz raised $45 million last month. We also reported on Monday that Groups360, a company with an online booking tool for the meeting planning industry, said that Accor, Hilton, IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), and Marriott had invested an undisclosed amount in it. Moreover we reported last Thursday that Standard International subsidiary One Night had received an unspecified investment from SWaN and Legend Venture Partners to support the launch of a recommendations-based site and app for travelers. Hotel guests will earn commissions by recommending to their friends that they should stay at Standard International properties and any of One Night’s other listed independent hotels. >>Zhiketong, a Beijing-based provider of direct marketing services for upscale hotels using WeChat, has secured $42.5 million (300 million yuan) in a Series C funding round. China CYTS Tours, one of the three largest tour companies in China, led the Series C round of funding. Sequoia Capital China, IDG Capital, Shunwei Capital Partners, and Vision Plus Capital participated too. In June Zhiketong raised a $16 million (110 million yuan) Series B round with participation by Gobi Partners, Lightspeed China Partn