Hotel reputation management platform ReviewPro has sold a 80% stake to Shiji Information Technology in China for $28 million.
It is the second major investment in an overseas hospitality tech company after its €25 million backing for analytics startup SnapShot in July 2015 and a further deal in June 2016 to take a majority stake for €17 million.
ReviewPro's founders and management team will remain in place following the deal.
The Spain-based company (TLabs here) was founded in the beginning of 2008 by RJ Friedlander (CEO and investor) Dimitry Lvovsky (vice president of platform and data) and Tim Towle (product development director).
He says:
"Their [Shiji] vision, strategy and expertise will help us to scale ReviewPro as we continue to expand geographically and extend our product and service offering."
ReviewPro has a number of tools in its arsenal of services including online reputation management and guest satisfaction surveys.
Its client base in the 30,000-hotel range, including brands such as Meliá Hotels International, The Ascott Limited, Kempinski, Red Lion Hotels and CitizenM.
Shiji itself is part-owned by Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba, which bought a 15% stake in the company in September 2014 for $450 million.
It provides IT to hotels groups (InterContinental, Shangri-La), attractions (Disney), restaurants and other retailers.
Kevin King, chief operating officer at Shiji, says:
"ReviewPro’s focus on empowering its customers to know their guests better, providing opportunities to make smarter decisions, is very well aligned with Shiji’s mission and we are looking forward to the company making a significant contribution to our growth plans."