Jingdong Mall (JD), one of the largest online retailers in China, has acquired HotelVP, a last-minute hotel reservation service in China, according to a local media.
Although HotelVP and JD have not responded to requests for comment, independent sources who have spoken to executives at the company has confirmed to Tnooz that the sale has taken place.
The Beijing-based company JD, formerly 360Buy, is one of the main competitor to the country's retail giant TMall, owned by Alibaba Group.
JD already has a travel service offering that enables users to book flights, holiday packages, train tickets, taxis, and hotels. In February 2012, JD launched a hotel reservation portal that also lists hotel deals.
The details about the strategic positioning of HotelVP in the travel service of JD is unknown as of now. Terms of the deal have not been shared.
The Shanghai-based HotelVP has a native app for iPhone, Android and Windows platforms and was launched in 2011 by Xin Ren and Deng Tianzhuo, former employees of the US-based electronics retail service Newegg.
The last-minute hotel market is certainly getting heating up again. In September 2013, Spain-based Hot Hotelsacquired its local competitor ReallyLateBooking, and in the same month Grouponacquired Europe-based Blink.
Related read: Will last minute hotel booking players disappear in three years?