Hotelbeds Group and City Expert join forces to transform the sale of in-destination experiences

The Guest Experience Desk will allow Hotelbeds Group to enrich its value proposition for the hotel industry and City Expert to strengthen its presence in the sector.
The project will begin in Spain, but with the aim of being quickly rolled-out internationally.

Palma, 13 June 2018.- Hotelbeds Group, the world's leading bedbank, and City Expert, specialists in the sale of tourist products through tourist information points, announced today a strategic partnership for the implementation of the Guest Experience Desk.

The new initiative will allow both companies to offer a specialized concierge service within hotels, providing the end consumer with information about a destination, as well as the sale of activities, tickets for events and transfers.

This model for the distribution of tourist products and services comes in addition to those that the Group’s bedbank already offers to the hotel industry: Hotelextras B2B for hotel receptions, along with widgets and white label solutions for hotels in the direct channel. For the Group it also means the opportunity to substantially enrich the value proposition it has traditionally offered to hotels with which it maintains a commercial relationship in the main Spanish cities.

Meanwhile City Expert, through its team of in-destination experts and service-desks located within hotels, will be able to assist the end consumer in purchasing a wide portfolio of activities, transportation, car rental and other services in the main Spanish tourist destinations. These include Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Seville, Benalmádena, Málaga, Cádiz, Córdoba and Jerez among others.

Although this partnership is focused around the main Spanish cities, both companies aim to extend and replicate this collaboration model in other popular and emerging destinations, with Dubai as the next target market.

Javier Arévalo, Director at Ancillary Bank of Hotelbeds Group, comments: "Traditionally, the information points (or tour desks) have been located in holiday destinations. However, now there are many destinations which are undertaking great initiatives to enrich the proposal for independent travellers who seek to live local experiences.

"This alliance is a response to the new dynamics of the market. City Expert is a perfect ally to meet the expectations of both hoteliers and their own guests, not only for its presence in the main Spanish destinations but for the excellence in its customer service. I am convinced this is the beginning of a success story.”

Enrique Ybarra, President of City Expert, said: "The agreement with Hotelbeds Group will allow us to expand even more the City Expert network of information points and the sale of tourist services. We are convinced that we will also provide what is necessary for travelers to enjoy the best in-destination experiences and for hotels to offer personalized attention to their guests. Without a doubt, all parties will benefit from this partnership. "

Roger Moragues, destination lead for Ancillary Bank at Hotelbeds Group, an area specialized in-destination, emphasized the value proposal for the hotel industry: "With the partnership of City Expert, we offer a personalized service to hotel guests that allows them to enjoy a wide portfolio of experiences in destination, assisted by a local team of experts. At the same time we customize our proposal to the hotelier, with the possibility to divert some tasks normally handled by the concierge. "

Isaac Flores, Director of City Expert Spain, added: "City Expert is present in several of the most popular destinations in Spain and with the help of Hotelbeds Group we are going to extend our services to many more, continuing with the values that have brought us to this point: strategic locations, personalized attention and technology.”

The Ancillary Bank business of Hotelbeds Group distributes ancillary products (excursions, event tickets, theme parks, cruises and car rental products) to retail travel agents, wholesalers, tour operators, airlines, online travel agencies, hotel industry partners, activity providers, tourism boards and points of sale. Ancillary Bank provides a global portfolio with the aim of leveraging its customer base to obtain additional income from the cross-selling of ancillary products. The products are also distributed through two sub-brands: Carnect, the car rental distribution specialist that offers more than 500 car rental providers, and Isango! a leading B2C tours and activities website.

About Hotelbeds Group

Hotelbeds Group is the world´s leading bedbank and business-to-business provider of services to the travel industry globally.

The Group’s proprietary technology helps providers of travel services distribute their offering to travel sellers globally via an easy-to-use, advanced technology platform that increases reach, revenue and yield for both the provider and the seller.

Operating mainly under the Hotelbeds, Bedsonline, Tourico Holidays and GTA brands, the company connects over 60,000 travel intermediaries across more than 185 source markets globally with travel providers in over 200 countries representing more than 170,000 hotels, 22,000 transfer routes and 16,000 activities.

In September 2016, the company became independent under the ownership of Cinven and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB). In June 2017, Tourico Holidays became part of Hotelbeds Group, followed by GTA also joining the Group in October; both companies remain independent brands whilst they are being integrated into the Group. The Group is headquartered in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

And twitter: @HotelbedsGroup

About City Expert

City Expert is the leading private tourist information company in Spain. Since its creation in 2012, the firm has been consolidated in several of the main Spanish destinations, managing a wide network of offices and tourist information points in cities such as Seville, Madrid, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Toledo, Santander and Barcelona.

Its network of information points has 48 offices throughout Spain, including visitor centers, kiosks, mobile points, stands at train stations, seaports, airports and shopping centers, as well as the Concierge service of large hotel chains such as Meliá, Barceló or Silken. Its offices are emerging as the ground zero of tourism where the traveler can discover and explore the most prominent places in destination, as well as acquire and book among a wide range of local tourism products.

The international expansion of City Expert has taken the company to cities such as Moscow and Dubai.

Hotelbeds Group Media contacts

Arenalia Comunicación

Laia Jardí · ljardi@arenalia.com

Cristina Vilà · cvila@arenalia.com

Tel. +34 660 201 020

Hotelbeds Group Media contact

PR, Media Relations & Corporate Affairs

Antonia Aguiló · a.aguilo@hotelbeds.com

City Expert Media contacts

Communications Department

Antonio M. Ortega · a.ortega@cityexpert.es