In the news: HomeToGo’s purchase of Tripping.com, record year for Japan’s tourism, launch of Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programme
Vacation rentals: HomeToGo buys Tripping.com, its largest US competitor
Berlin-based HomeToGo, the world’ s largest vacation rental search engine with more than 15 million offers from more than 300 providers worldwide, has acquired its largest US competitor Tripping.com.
Headquartered in San Francisco, vacation home rental meta-search site Tripping has more than 10 million local properties in 150,000+ destinations
The financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
In conjunction with the acquisition, Princeville Global, which led Tripping’s US$35 million Series C investment round in December 2016, made a new investment into HomeToGo.
In December last year, HomeToGo closed its latest round of funding that brought its total raised to date to more than US$150 million (the invested amount was not revealed). The company’s current investors include Insight Venture Partners (lead), Acton Capital Partners, DN Capital and Global Founders Capital. This group has recently expanded with investments from Lakestar and Princeville Global, among others
Jen O’Neal, co-founder and former CEO of Tripping, said in a statement: “I’m extremely happy with the acquisition of Tripping by HomeToGo, and bringing together these two strong brands. The combination of the two companies validates the market opportunity that my co-founder Jeff Manheimer and I set out to prove when we launched Tripping in 2011.”
Added Matt Krna, managing partner at Princeville Global: “We are excited to have the opportunity to invest in HomeToGo, the clear global market leader, and, by so doing, reaffirm our initial investment thesis: that consumers can benefit from the same aggregation of fragmented supply, price discovery, and rich search capabilities when booking their vacation rentals that they have historically enjoyed in researching flights and hotel rooms.”
HomeToGo will continue to run Tripping as a separate brand.
Destination: Japan breaks record with 30m international travellers for first time
(Image credit: ke/Getty Images)
2018 was a record year in tourism for Japan as the country welcomed more 30 million overseas travellers, an increase of 8.7% increase over 2017 (the previous record year).
The Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) described the figure, the highest to date, as “an all-time record”, attributing the United States as one of the biggest contributors.
“Tourism to Japan from the United States – about 5% of the total – soared 11%, with more and more Americans seeking beyond the classic tourism destinations of Tokyo and Kyoto to discover lesser-known parts of the country,” said Naohito Ise, executive director of JNTO in New York.
He expects American tourism to Japan will continue to rise this year in 2019 as the country will host major international sporting events in the run-up to Tokyo 2020 (2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo from July24-August 9). The tourism board is also working with the American media to include Japan in their annual lists of the most recommended places to visit in the coming year.
JNTO said it is continuing to attract more Americans to visit Tokyo, Kyoto and beyong through a variety of campaigns and initiatives.
Hospitality: Marriott Bonvoy is the new name for Marriott’s loyalty programme
(Image credit: Marriott International)
On August 18 last year Marriott International integrated its three legacy loyalty brands – Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest and Ritz-Carlton Rewards – into a unified loyalty programme. Come February 13, the combined programme completes its integration under one name, Marriott Bonvoy.
The Marriott Bonvoy logo and branding will be rolled out on that day across all consumer touch-points including on property, marketing and sales channels, digital, mobile and co-brand credit cards. This exercise will be bolstered by a multi-million-dollar global media campaign starting late next month.
Along with the launch, Marriott Rewards Moments and SPG Moments will become Marriott Bonvoy Moments, which together with Marriott Moments, will feature approximately 120,000 experiences in 1,000 destinations available for purchase or by redeeming points.
Marriott said that throughout 2019 it will bring Marriott Bonvoy to life with a series of experiential events for members, taking advantage of the company’s marketing partnerships with iconic brands including the NCAA and the FIA Formula One World Champions, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, as well as through sponsorships such as the Oscars, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Dubai Jazz Festival, The Hong Kong Sevens and World Golf Championship – Mexico Championship.
Under the unified loyalty programme the 120 million members will earn an average 20% more points per dollar spent. They also have access to the group’s leading hotels at the best room rates and member benefits.
“Marriott Bonvoy marks an evolution in travel because it represents more than a loyalty programme,” said Stephanie Linnartz, global chief commercial officer, Marriott International.
Instead she described it as “a travel programme designed to bring to life our extraordinary portfolio of global brands in 129 countries and territories, while also providing endless inspiration for members to keep traveling and pursuing their passions.”
Video below: Introducing Marriott Bonvoy
• Featured image credit: HomeToGo
