NEW YORK—GuestCentric, a provider of cloud-based digital marketing software for hotels, has entered into a definitive agreement with UK-based Big Worldwide Limited to acquire the corporate business division of Great Hotels of the World.
The acquisition includes its associated GDS code and its Evolution central reservations system deployed by hotels in 42 countries and with a significant presence in EMEA.
“The marketing and software needs of the hotel industry are evolving at the fastest pace seen in decades. Hoteliers want a partner that provides them with access to diversified strategies so that they can compete on all digital playing fields,” said Pedro Colaco, CEO of GuestCentric. “By bringing together GuestCentric and Great Hotels of the World’s GDS, hotels will immediately benefit from innovative digital marketing capabilities tied to top shelf representation services.”
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“Great Hotels of the World and GuestCentric share a passion for providing our partner hotels with innovative revenue generating solutions that focus on customer success,” said Peter Gould, CEO of Big Worldwide. “This combination announced today will bring new revenue streams to our joint customers and a future-proof set of hospitality solutions that will help the greatest hotels in the world service their guests better.”
GuestCentric has been working with hoteliers to redefine their digital strategy, to build their brands online and to grow their hotels’ digital revenue streams without increasing total online spend, according to the company. Great Hotels of the World’s representation capabilities will allow GuestCentric to provide GDS services on top of its digital marketing platform, providing a turnkey solution for all digital revenue streams to hotels.
“Great Hotels of the World and its Evolution CRS are two of the industry’s most respected brands with an extremely strong presence in Central Europe. Acquiring Great Hotels of the World’s corporate business division extends GuestCentric’s leadership position in digital revenue generating solutions for hotels,” added Colaco. “We look forward to welcoming the talented Great Hotels of the World team to GuestCentric, and join us on our journey to deliver the best possible digital strategies to hotels worldwide.”