European travel conglomerate Dertour Group, which owns more than 130 businesses, has acquired Hotelplan Group from retail giant Migros for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition should bolster Dertour’s presence in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Germany.
The purchase gives Dertour Group ownership of four brands that had operated under Hotelplan Group: Hotelplan Suisse, Hotelplan Volume Tour Operating, Hotelplan U.K. and Hotelplan Business Travel. Last month HomeToGo announced plans to acquire a fifth Hotelplan Group brand, Interhome, and Wednesday HomeToGo said the agreement had been signed at a purchase price equivalent to about $150 million.
Dertour Group’s takeover will happen as soon as the acquisition is approved by antitrust authorities.
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“We are delighted to take over the Hotelplan Group with its strong collection of travel brands and lead them to further growth in our tourism network, with clear advantages for employees, guests and partners,” said Ingo Burmester, CEO of Central Europe.
“As the tourism division of the cooperatively organised REWE Group, we are an attractive employer, and we already share common values with Hotelplan Group. These include excellent customer experience, personalized advice and sustainability.”
Dertour Group said the acquisition won’t disrupt planned trips by sales partners and travelers, and the Hotelplan brands will continue to function as usual. Employees will be transferred to the Dertour Group once proceedings are complete.
The company said Hotelplan will have access to Dertour's global partner network and will be able to provide a wider range offers for guests.
“We have in-depth tourism expertise and are therefore an ideal partner for the Hotelplan tour operator brands,” said Leif Vase Larsen, CEO for international business at Dertour Group.
“In tourism today, IT systems for reservations, bookings, purchasing and production are key success factors. We have invested heavily in this area in recent years and are thus providing the answer to one of the biggest challenges facing the tourism industry. The major tour operator brands in the Hotelplan Group will also benefit from our scalable platform in future. At the same time, we are benefiting from the strategic investments in digital solutions made by the Hotelplan Group.”