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	Hotelbeds’ summer bookings confirm momentum of the global tourism industry.
	Reservations for the 2015 summer season have increased by 22% at a global level, with Spain, the United States and Greece registering the highest demand.
	Europe, as an incoming destination, shows the strongest growth with a 32% increase in comparison to last year.


Berlin, 4 March 2015 – Hotelbeds, the No.1 Global B2B Bedbank, has announced its roomnight booking growth figures for the summer season during ITB Berlin 2015, one of the world’s leading travel trade shows, taking place between 4-8 March in the German capital.

As global tourism shows signs of strength and optimism reigns in most markets[1], Hotelbeds is on track to outpace the industry[2] again with an estimated 22% growth for global roomnights sales during the summer period (May-September). The main source markets for Hotelbeds at a global level are the UK, Germany, Spain and the United States.

Bookings into Europe, the Bedbank’s most important region in terms of volume, have increased by 32% in comparison to the same period last year, with the top source markets being the UK, Germany, Spain and Ireland.&nbsp;Spain remains the most important global destination for Hotelbeds this summer, with a 25% growth in bookings in comparison to the same period last year. Spain is followed by the United States and Greece, whose strength as a destination is backed by a solid 54% growth. This proves the eternal attraction of the Mediterranean, with Mallorca, the Algarve, Benidorm and Crete standing out among the top five most demanded destinations globally. The region also boasts growth rates above 30% in countries such as Italy, Greece, Croatia and Malta.

In the words of Carlos Muñoz, Managing Director, Hotelbeds,&nbsp;“Our early summer bookings, with a 22% global YoY increase, give us confidence that 2015 will be another good year for both the tourism industry and our company. Amidst this positive trend, we will continue to work hard in order to maintain our growth levels in mature regions and keep expanding in the emerging markets, especially in the destinations of Asia and Africa. A combination of exclusive products, excellent customer service and local customisation will remain a key part of our strategy to help reach our goals.”

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About Hotelbeds

Hotelbeds (www.hotelbeds.com) is the No.1 Global B2B Bedbank with an online database of over 72,000 hotels in 180 countries. For the year ended 30 September 2014 Hotelbeds sold 22.5 million roomnights and outperformed the market with 19% growth in TTV (Total Transaction Values) to €2.3billion.&nbsp;Hotelbeds was founded in Spain in 2001 and belongs to the global provider of travel services Hotelbeds Group, which trades in more than 180 countries. Hotelbeds Group is part of TUI Group, the world’s number one leisure travel company.

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[1] “The global hospitality industry entered 2014 on an upward growth trajectory; a greater sense of optimism was palpable across most regions. […] Over the next 12 months, further gains in the global hospitality sector are anticipated.” Ernst &amp; Young’s Global Hospitality Insights. Top thoughts for 2015. 



[2] “With travel and tourism sector growth forecast to expand by 3.9% during 2015, the sector will be increasingly recognised as a key driver of economic growth at the local, regional and global level.” Ernst &amp; Young’s Global Hospitality Insights. Top thoughts for 2015.




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Hotelbeds' summer bookings increased by 22% at global level


	Esta acción forma parte de un conjunto de fam trip programados en los destinos más estratégicos de México.
	Puerto Vallarta, Cancún, Los Cabos y Rivera Maya, se sitúan en el top 10 de destinos más demandados por los turistas mexicanos.


Cancún, 15 de marzo 2017 – Bedsonline, el proveedor global líder de alojamiento y productos complementarios online exclusivo para agencias de viaje, ha cerrado esta semana su primer fam trip del año que, esta edición, se ha celebrado en Puerto Vallarta congregando a agencias de viaje de todo Mexico. Concretamente, más de 40 agentes de viajes del país, principalmente de Jalisco y estados del Bajío, han participado del 9 al 12 de marzo en el Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort &amp; Spa en diferentes actividades y visitas con el objetivo de conocer el destino de cerca y la oferta de producto disponible.&nbsp;

Esta acción forma parte de un conjunto de fam trip&nbsp;programados a lo largo de todo el año en los destinos más estratégicos de México como Puerto Vallarta, Cancún, Los Cabos y Riviera Maya. El objetivo es brindar a los agentes de viajes clientes de Bedsonline la oportunidad de conocer más de cerca el destino y poder transmitir este conocimiento a sus clientes.

Particularmente, Puerto Vallarta, Cancún, Los Cabos y Rivera Maya, se situaron en el top 10 de destinos más demandados por los turistas mexicanos el año pasado, cifras que se espera repetir este 2017.

Miguel Sánchez de Tagle, director de ventas de Bedsonline en México, añade que “estas iniciativas tienen el fin de dar a conocer en profundidad los destinos preferidos de los viajeros mexicanos a su vez que son un agradecimiento para las agencias que confían en Bedsonline para realizar sus ventas. Año tras año, organizamos fam trip&nbsp;en los destinos estratégicos del país con el objetivo de que nuestros agentes adquieran las herramientas necesarias para atender a sus clientes de la mejor forma posible, ofreciendo un gran conocimiento del destino, así como de la oferta de alojamiento y actividades disponibles.”

Sobre Bedsonline

Bedsonline es el proveedor global líder de alojamiento y productos complementarios exclusivo para agencias de viaje. A través de su plataforma online distribuye su producto -alojamiento, excursiones, tickets y traslados- entre una cartera de clientes compuesta por más de 30.000 agencias repartidos entre 30 países. En México, 3.500 agencias confían en Bedsonline para hacer sus reservas.

La compañía destaca por su extenso portfolio – más de 100.000 hoteles en 185 destinos, 19.000 rutas de traslados en 140 países y 12.000 actividades en 120 países-, por un servicio personalizado local y una herramienta de reserva online intuitiva y fácil de usar. De esta manera, Bedsonline garantiza una alta disponibilidad, precios competitivos y una elevada satisfacción de sus clientes.

La mayorista, líder de la distribución online, ha centrado su estrategia en los últimos años en la expansión por nuevos mercados de Europa, América y Asia, como Alemania, República Checa, México, Estados Unidos, Colombia, China, Japón o Filipinas. Esta visión estratégica ha llevado a la compañía a ocupar una posición de ventaja en la industria.

Bedsonline forma parte de Hotelbeds Group, el proveedor global de servicios para la industria del turismo a nivel mundial. Con sede en Palma de Mallorca, emplea a 6.150 empleados entre sus 153 oficinas repartidas por todo el mundo.


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Bedsonline cierra su primer fam trip del año en Puerto Vallarta


	Hotelbeds Group is the highest placed travel company to appear in Actualidad Económica’s annual ranking&nbsp;‘Las mejores empresas para trabajar’ (Best companies to work for) ahead of both Amadeus and Iberia, the only other two travel companies to appear in the list.
	Hotelbeds Group has jumped 20 places to position 52 compared to last year, in a list that selects the very best companies to work for from all sectors in Spain.
	This result is particularly impressive in a year when Hotelbeds Group went through a sale process.


Palma de Mallorca, 25 July 2016 – Expansion’s respected business magazine ‘Actualidad Económica’ has ranked Hotelbeds Group, the&nbsp;leading provider of services to the travel trade and the world’s bedbank, in the top position among travel companies in its ranking of the ‘Las mejores empresas para trabajar’ in Spain (The best companies to work for).

Only three travel companies appear in the top 100, with Hotelbeds Group ahead of the other two, Amadeus and Iberia, in a list that does not feature any of Spain’s hotel chains, tour operators or travel agency networks, either traditional or online.

The ranking assesses the quality of 500 companies in Spain, that were later analysed by external experts and consultants until coming up with the top 100 list. The questionnaire is based on a wide range of criteria including talent management, remuneration, environment, social policies, training and assessment by its employees. Hotelbeds Group scored highly in all categories ensuring its strong position in the list. The magazine highlighted specific examples of Hotelbeds Group’s commitment to creating a great place to work for its employees including its bus service, car sharing system and its clear focus on lowering the environmental impact of its operations.

This result is particularly relevant in a year in which Hotelbeds Group experienced change due to the sale initiated by TUI Group, that generated massive interest from a wide range of bidders. In April 2016, European private equity firm Cinven and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board announced an agreement to acquire Hotelbeds Group in a deal that is due to be approved by the regulatory authorities before the end of September 2016.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Joan Vilà, CEO of Hotelbeds Group stated: “We are really proud to be ranked as the leading travel company to work for in Spain. It’s testament to our dynamic culture and excellent workforce that, despite this challenging year due to the sale process, we’ve still managed to jump 20 places up this prestigious ranking compared to last year.”

The magazine placed KPMG in its first position, followed by BAT and Gas Natural who respectively occupy the second and third positions of the ranking.

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Hotelbeds Group: Ranked top travel company to work for


	Following the merger of TUI Travel PLC and TUI AG, TUI Travel Accommodation &amp; Destinations announced today that it will be called Hotelbeds Group.
	The company presented its successful full year results recently, increasing&nbsp;sales by 10% to €4,048 million.


Palma de Mallorca, 5th January 2015 – Following the merger of TUI Travel PLC and&nbsp;TUI AG, TUI Travel Accommodation &amp; Destinations announced today that it will be&nbsp;called Hotelbeds Group. This group includes Hotelbeds, the number one bedbank worldwide together with a range of global businesses with market leading positions in&nbsp;each of their segments.&nbsp;The change recognises the fact that the Hotelbeds brand represents a significant part&nbsp;of the business. Hotelbeds Group presented its full year results recently, announcing a growth in sales&nbsp;by 10% in 2014 (year ending 30 September) and €4,048 million in Total Transaction&nbsp;Value (TTV). Its EBITDA increased by 13% to €132 million, with&nbsp;EBITA&nbsp;reaching&nbsp;€100.6 million. The company has once again significantly outperformed the global&nbsp;tourism&nbsp;industry.&nbsp;Among Hotelbeds Group’s other brands are Destination Services, Activities,&nbsp;Laterooms.com, Intercruises and Roiback.Following the merger of TUI Travel PLC and TUI AG, the new organisation&nbsp;for&nbsp;TUI&nbsp;Group&nbsp;comprises&nbsp;mainstream and non-mainstream. Hotelbeds Group will be part of&nbsp;non-mainstream and drive a focused strategy to further accelerate growth.

About Hotelbeds Group: Hotelbeds Group is part of TUI Group, the world’s number one leisure travel company. With more than&nbsp;30 million customers, TUI Group operates in over 180 countries. The Hotelbeds Group is a global provider of travel services in more than 180 countries. Its businesses&nbsp;provide hotel accommodation, transfers, excursions and tours, meetings and events, visa outsourcing&nbsp;and cruise handling services. Its main clients are tour operators, travel agencies, corporate clients and&nbsp;final consumers. Its brands include Hotelbeds, LateRooms.com, Destination Services and Intercruises.&nbsp;Hotelbeds Group provides these services to the tourism industry, corporate clients and directly to the&nbsp;consumers worldwide.


The former TUI Travel A&D is now called Hotelbeds Group

London/Palma de Mallorca, 15 April 2015 – London’s travel tech industry has received a major boost, as one of the world’s leading travel companies announced its support for a new incubator space in the city.

Hotelbeds Group, the leading global provider of travel services and part of TUI Group, is to be the lead partner of the Traveltech Lab, a new incubator for travel tech companies based in London, the company announced today.&nbsp;Under the three-year agreement, Hotelbeds Group will provide support to the Traveltech Lab, including mentoring by Hotelbeds Group experts for the incubator’s start-ups.

The Traveltech Lab was created by London &amp; Partners, the Mayor’s promotional company for London, in partnership with The Trampery. It is hoped the incubator will help London become the number one city in the world for travel technology, supporting the development of the next lastminute.com, Citymapper or Skyscanner.

“Hotelbeds Group’s support of the Traveltech Lab will enable the company to play a key role in shaping the future of the global travel industry through aiding the development of new innovations and companies in the sector”, said Managing Director Joan Vilà.

Mr Vilà added:&nbsp;“Technology, creativity and innovation are at the core of Hotelbeds Group’s DNA. We’re really proud to support Traveltech Lab, a project that will give us the opportunity to closely monitor the latest trends in travel innovation first hand,&nbsp;while&nbsp;backing the growth of new companies that could have a significant impact on the travel sector.”

The Traveltech Lab was launched by HRH The Duke of York, KG, in March. Its high-spec workspace, designed for 30 people, is co-located in the offices of London &amp; Partners and is designed and managed by The Trampery, creators of premier innovation spaces in the city.
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Gordon Innes, CEO of London &amp; Partners, said: “Securing a lead partner of the calibre of Hotelbeds Group is a superb endorsement of the Traveltech Lab, showing that the very best names in the travel industry are firmly behind the development of this exciting sector. For the startups in the incubator, having links with major corporate bodies such as Hotelbeds Group will be hugely helpful, providing mentoring and guidance that will enable them to realise their ideas more easily and grow more quickly.”

Charles Armstrong, Founder of The Trampery, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Hotelbeds Group as lead partner for Traveltech Lab. As part of TUI Group, the world’s largest leisure travel businesses, the experience and reach they bring to the project will be invaluable in helping our startups develop ground-breaking solutions and succeed internationally.”

In addition to lead partner Hotelbeds Group, the Traveltech Lab is also supported by Gatwick Airport. The first group of companies working in the lab include PhotoSpotLand, Lulutrip, Epteca, MICEbook, Timelooper, Great Little Places, Wooia, Touriocity, Beaconia, bd4travel, GreatDest and Much Better Adventures.&nbsp;

About Hotelbeds Group

Hotelbeds Group is part of TUI Group, the world’s number one leisure travel company. With more than 30 million customers, TUI Group operates in over 180 countries.&nbsp;The Hotelbeds Group is a global provider of travel services in more than 180 countries. Its businesses provide hotel accommodation, transfers, excursions and tours, meetings and events, visa outsourcing and cruise handling services. Its main clients are tour operators, travel agencies, corporate clients and final consumers. Its brands include Hotelbeds Group, LateRooms.com, Destination Services and Intercruises.&nbsp;Hotelbeds Group provides these services to the tourism industry, corporate clients and directly to the consumers worldwide.

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About London &amp; Partners

London &amp; Partners is the official promotional company for London. We promote London and attract businesses, events, congresses, students and visitors to the capital. Our aims are to build London’s international reputation and to attract investment and visitor spend, which create jobs and growth.&nbsp;London &amp; Partners is a not-for-profit public private partnership, funded by the Mayor of London and our network of commercial partners.

For more information visit www.londonandpartners.com&nbsp;

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About The Trampery

The Trampery is London’s premier creator of spaces for innovation. Its mission is to find and nurture the most exciting new talent across technology and the creative industries. The company is celebrated for its sumptuous interiors, vibrant communities and its ability to build bridges between startups and established corporations.&nbsp;Since opening Shoreditch’s first dedicated facility for startups in 2009 The Trampery has expanded with six further locations in London.&nbsp;These locations include the UK’s first accelerator for high-growth fashion labels (in partnership with London College of Fashion), the UK’s first incubator for digital arts and media (in partnership with the Barbican Centre) and a flagship facility on Old Street (in partnership with Publicis Worldwide).&nbsp;The Duke of York is Patron of the Trampery.

For more information visit www.thetrampery.com


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Hotelbeds Group to be lead partner of London’s Traveltech Lab


	100 developers from all over Europe competed to find solutions to several challenges faced by today’s traveller. Hotelbeds Group bets on constant innovation as part of its quest to reshape travel.


Palma de Mallorca, 11th May 2015 – Hotelbeds Group, the leading global provider of travel services, has supported and participated in THack @ Dublin 2015, part of a collaborative hackathon roadshow aimed to improve travel via technology.&nbsp;

Celebrated over the weekend at Dublin’s National Digital Research Centre, THack @ Dublin brought together 100 developers from all over the continent with leading travel tech companies for a competition. These programmers coded for 48 hours non-stop looking for solutions to four challenges faced by the modern traveller: 1.&nbsp;Finding inspiration to choose where to go and how to share experiences; 2.&nbsp;Seeking accommodation; 3.&nbsp;Planning routes; and 4.&nbsp;Exploring the destination.

The event’s sponsoring companies, including Hotelbeds Group, opened their proprietary APIs a week in advance of the event and provided onsite access to the individual developers and teams of up to five members. This enabled participants to use the APIs, as well as other publicly available resources, in programming solutions to one or more of the challenges put forward.&nbsp;

A team of Hotelbeds Group employees also attended the event after being selected in an internal hackathon developed within the company. The projects carried out on this occasion included a collaboration system for group decision-making and booking and an integrated platform of natural language recognition for travel reservations.

Hotelbeds Group’s participation in this initiative shows the company’s clear commitment towards innovation and playing a key role in reshaping the future of travel through supporting the creation of new developments. Technology and innovation form part of its DNA, which has always been a key driver of the business’ success and it ability to maintain a leading position in the global travel industry.

In the words of Álvaro de Nicolás, CTO, Hotelbeds Group: “At Hotelbeds Group we innovate constantly in our IT processes to develop high-end tech solutions for our clients, enabling us to remain at the forefront of the industry. These events are a great opportunity to explore new ways of using, enriching and improving the company’s products and services. This hackathon has enabled us to receive valuable feedback about our API’s functionalities, which will surely result in further improvements. On top of that, they are a real teambuilding opportunities, where our team get to meet and work together with other developers at an international level which is also a great way of finding new talent.”

After two days, which included working through the night at NDRC, the different projects achieved recognition in several categories from the public and sponsoring companies. In the case of Hotelbeds Group, the company awarded first prize to the project DreamUp, thanks to its integration concept with the company’s new API, as well as innovation and positive user experience in the search process. Walking Distance was awarded runner-up for its use of the API’s search capabilities and usability concept. Finally, Snap rounded off Hotelbeds Group’s top three with the integrated use of mobile technology and simplicity of the solution.

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About Hotelbeds Group:&nbsp;
Hotelbeds Group is part of TUI Group, the world’s number one leisure travel company. With more than 30 million customers, TUI Group operates in over 180 countries.&nbsp;

The Hotelbeds Group is a global provider of travel services from over 180 countries worldwide with local operations in 40 countries. Its businesses provide hotel accommodation, transfers, excursions and tours, meetings and events, visa outsourcing and cruise handling services. Its main clients are tour operators, travel agencies and corporate clients. Its brands include Hotelbeds, Destination Services and Intercruises.
&nbsp;
Hotelbeds Group provides these services to the tourism industry, corporate clients and directly to the consumers worldwide.

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Hotelbeds Group fuels innovation at the THack @ Dublin travel hackathon

Dubai, 06 May 2015 – Hotelbeds, the No.1 Global Bedbank, announced today at the Arabian Travel Market that it has taken the exciting step of making long term commitments at selected properties in gateway cities across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

This innovative way of growing Hotelbeds’ hotel portfolio decreases the financial risk for our hotel partners, breaking from the traditional net or commissionable rate contracting models, and presents an alternative distribution model to hoteliers. It also provides our customers with real time and translated hotel contents with very attractive margins. On a year-to-date basis, Hotelbeds has signed three times as many preferential and protected deals in comparison with the same period in 2014, reaching over 150 new agreements in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

In words of Carlos Muñoz, Managing Director of Hotelbeds: “META is one of our fastest growing regions around the world and these agreements are just another proof of our commitment to it. With this new formula for the region we aim to provide our clients with flexible high margin and an exclusive hotel portfolio, while offering a truly long term, consistent and guaranteed revenue stream to property owners, as well as the opportunity to form preferred partnerships with a leading distribution channel like Hotelbeds.”

After a very successful 2014, the Middle East and Turkey maintain the upward trend as popular destinations. Turkey stands out as the most visited country in the area, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Istanbul, Dubai, the Turkish Coast, Doha and Abu Dhabi are the preferred destinations for travellers.


About Hotelbeds

Hotelbeds (www.hotelbeds.com) is the No.1 Global Bedbank with an online database of over 72,000 hotels in 180 countries. For the year ended 30 September 2014 Hotelbeds sold 22.5 million roomnights and outperformed the market with 19% growth in TTV (Total Transaction Values) to €2.3billion.

Hotelbeds was founded in 2001 and belongs to the global provider of travel services Hotelbeds Group, which trades in more than 180 countries. Hotelbeds Group is part of TUI Group, the world’s number one leisure travel company.&nbsp;

Follow us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/hotelbeds


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Long term partnerships sealed with key properties in the Middle East, Turkey & Africa


	The business registered sales growth of 20% adding €700m* to their TTV and an EBITA growth of 15%* during last fiscal year.
	Hotelbeds, the world leading bedbank, experienced 18% growth in roomnights driving a 26% YoY growth in TTV.
	The Transfer &amp; Activity Bank and New Venture Business units delivered strong performances, growing sales by 44% and 64% respectively.&nbsp;
	Clear focus on the fastest growing segments of the travel industry.&nbsp;


Palma de Mallorca, 10th December 2015 – Hotelbeds Group, part of TUI Group, has closed another successful fiscal year growing TTV by €700m or 20% in 2015 (year ending 30 September), reaching €4,279 million* (Total Transaction Value). EBITA increased by 15%. With these impressive results Hotelbeds Group continues to significantly outperform the average industry growth rates in all the respective segments in which it competes.&nbsp;

The business was rebranded from TUI Travel A&amp;D to Hotelbeds Group in January 2015 following the creation of TUI Group**. As part of TUI’s strategic plan to vertically integrate all aspects of its tour operating business, a significant element of Hotelbeds’ traditional incoming services are being transferred over to TUI’s Tourism sector. The results reported for FY14/15 still reflect the combined results prior to the transfer of this business. &nbsp;

Hotelbeds Group, as a result of this singular focus on the fastest growing segments of the travel industry, is better positioned than ever to continue delivering its enviable track record of double digit year-on-year growth, a feat it has achieved ever since its inception in 2001.&nbsp;

Hotelbeds Group growth highlights include:&nbsp;

18% increase in its Bedbank roomnights driving 26% growth in TTV.

44% increase in TTV sales from the Transfer and Activity bank business unit.&nbsp;

9% growth in inbound passengers handled by the Destination Management business unit*.&nbsp;

64% growth in TTV from across our New Venture businesses, that includes TT Services (global visa outsourcing services for government agencies), ROIBACK (direct marketing solutions for hoteliers) and Carnect (car rental distribution for the travel trade).&nbsp;

Active in more than 120 source markets worldwide and distributing products from more than 180 countries, Hotelbeds Group maintains leading positions in some of the fast growing segments of the travel trade.

In the words of Joan Vilà, President, Hotelbeds Group,&nbsp;“It’s been another great year for Hotelbeds Group. Against a backdrop of intensifying competition, we have once again achieved excellent results in all our segments. Our robust business models have enabled us to continue to significantly outstrip average market growth rates worldwide.

Our core Bedbank business continues to be the clear market leader while our focus on diversifying into new market segments is paying dividends as evidenced by the impressive growth rates in our Transfer &amp; Activity Bank and New Venture business units”.&nbsp;

About Hotelbeds Group: &nbsp;

Hotelbeds Group is a global provider of travel services active in more than 120 markets worldwide and distributing products from more than 180 countries. Its businesses provide hotel accommodation, transfers, excursions, tours, incoming services, meeting and incentives, visa outsourcing and cruise handling services to the global travel trade.&nbsp;

Headquartered in Palma de Mallorca, Hotelbeds Group comprises of four key business units: Bedbank, Transfer &amp; Activity Bank, Destination Management and New Ventures, featuring leading brands such as&nbsp; Hotelbeds, Bedsonline, Destination Services and Intercruises.&nbsp;

For year ending September 2015, Hotelbeds Group generated TTV of €4,279m*, a growth of 20% YoY.&nbsp;

Hotelbeds Group is part of TUI Group (www.tuigroup.com) the world’s leading leisure travel Company with more than 30 million customers.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

* FY14/15 results include incoming destination services business that for FY15/16 will be transferred from Hotelbeds Group to TUI’s Tourism division. Figures compare underlying results FY13/14 vs FY14/15 excluding the Laterooms Group that was disposed of in October 2015. 

** TUI Group was created after the merger of TUI Travel plc and TUI AG in December 2014.&nbsp;

* FY14/15 results include incoming destination services business that for FY15/16 will be transferred from Hotelbeds Group to TUI’s Tourism division.


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Hotelbeds Group maintains strong growth in 2015, increasing TTV by €700m to €4,279m*

TaxiTime, by  Transfer and&nbsp;Activity Bank (TAB), is the world’s first global taxi and private car instant hailing platform.

TaxiTime is the first metabook of instant hailing services allowing users to compare, book and pay for a ride in real time. Unlike most taxi apps currently available, the new app work on an international basis, to better serve TAB’s customers base of international travelers via OTA’s and other travel companies. This puts TaxiTime one step ahead of the competition, presenting limitless growth opportunities for the business.

The new innovative platform is already integrated with seven suppliers, offering a combined fleet of 65,000 drivers across more than 50 destinations that will become progressively available through TaxiTime distribution channels. The brand’s next step is to further expand their offering within the next two to three years, aiming to achieve global coverage and reach over 1 million drivers.

TaxiTime cut off with complexity by offering filters, payments with your own currency and options for choosing your own language or comparing prices.&nbsp;

The app is now ready to download for both Apple and Android.

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TaxiTime, the first global taxi and private car instant hailing platform


	European private equity firm Cinven and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) today announce an agreement to acquire Hotelbeds Group.
	Hotelbeds’ highly experienced management team, led by Joan Vilà, CEO, to remain at the helm of the business.
	Cinven and CPPIB to partner with the management team to strongly position the business for fast growth together with its industry partners.


London, UK and Toronto, CANADA (April 28, 2016) -- European private equity firm Cinven and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (‘CPPIB’) today announce an agreement to acquire Hotelbeds Group (‘Hotelbeds’ or the ‘Company’), the global provider of travel services based in Spain, from Tui Group for a total enterprise value of €1.165 billion.

Hotelbeds is the largest independent business-to-business (‘B2B’) bedbank globally, offering hotel rooms to the travel industry from its inventory of 75,000 hotels in over 180 countries to its customer base across more than 120 source markets. In addition to hotel accommodation, the Company provides transfers, excursions and tours, meetings and events, visa processing outsourcing and cruise handling services. Hotelbeds’ main clients are tour operators, travel agencies, corporate clients and consumers.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Bedbank business, which generates the majority of the Company’s profitability, has demonstrated double digit volume growth in both its hotel portfolio and room nights over the past five years. Headquartered in Palma de Mallorca, the Group was established in 2001 and employs 6,150 people worldwide.

Cinven and CPPIB believe Hotelbeds is an attractive investment opportunity on the basis of:


	Strong financial performance with double digit total transaction value (“TTV”) growth in the Bedbank business over the last five years;
	Strong underlying market growth supported by an expected increase in global hotel bookings;
	Hotelbeds’ highly experienced, proven management team, led by Joan Vilà, CEO, with an outstanding track record of driving organic growth in both its hotel supply and customer base;
	Market consolidation opportunities in Europe, Middle East, Asia and the Americas given market fragmentation and potential for further margin improvement through economies of scale;
	Opportunity to improve bedbank distribution via travel agents and tour operators - particularly in emerging economies - via investment in its sales and contracting team, as well as investment in R&amp;D and IT systems to improve customer efficiencies and services.


Cinven has a strong track record in the travel technology business, following its successful&nbsp;investment in Amadeus, the leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry, which invested more than €1 billion in R&amp;D and doubled EBITDA during Cinven’s ownership, generating a return of 7 times.

Commenting on this transaction, Jorge Quemada, Partner at Cinven, said:

“Hotelbeds Group is a strongly performing business with the largest accommodation distribution network within the overall B2B bedbank market offering broad client reach globally. We believe there are considerable growth opportunities through further investment in IT – as we did successfully with another global business based in Spain, Amadeus; growth in Asia and other markets – supported by our Hong Kong-based portfolio team; and market consolidation as the wholesale accommodation market remains highly fragmented.”

“Hotelbeds is run by a highly experienced and skilled management team, led by CEO, Joan Vilà, whom we are looking forward to working with, along with our partner, CPPIB.”

Shane Feeney, Managing Director, Head of Direct Private Equity, CPPIB, said:

“Hotelbeds is a unique opportunity to invest in the leading operator within the hotel accommodation distribution market, an industry which has strong long-term prospects that will support continued growth. Backing a best-in-class management team, with an exceptional track record of organic growth that we will support in driving industry consolidation in the coming years, provides a terrific opportunity for CPPIB.”

“We look forward to working with our long-standing partner Cinven, and Hotelbeds’ strong management team to continue to grow and build further value for the business.”

Chris Good, Senior Principal at Cinven, added:

“Hotelbeds has demonstrated exceptional growth and built an outstanding market position as a result of its market-leading proprietary technology and strong customer and supplier relationships. Its focus on diversifying into new market segments is proving highly successful and generating impressive growth rates in all of its new ventures.”

“This investment perfectly illustrates how the Cinven team has been able to combine its sector and regional team capabilities working across our Business Services and TMT teams, along with our German and Iberian colleagues, to identify and execute this transaction.”

Joan Vilà, CEO of Hotelbeds Group, commented:

“We are excited about Cinven and CPPIB’s investment in Hotelbeds which will enable us to continue improving the quality and range of services we provide to customers as a financially solid, independent and scalable bedbank operator.”

“The Bedbank segment continues to grow fast and with the backing of Cinven and CPPIB we will be well placed to invest more strongly than ever in technology, innovation and distribution. We look forward with anticipation to supporting the growth of our trade partners in this next stage of our development.”

The transaction is subject to customary approval from the relevant regulatory authorities.

Advisors on the transaction included: Bain &amp; Co. (commercial); Freshfields (legal); Lazard, Morgan Stanley, HSBC and PwC (M&amp;A); Deloitte (tax); PwC (financial, labour and IT)

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Cinven and CPPIB reach agreement  to acquire Hotelbeds Group


	Paul Anthony, MD of the Transfer &amp; Activity Bank business unit announced the winning team
	The challenge consisted in applying Big Data technologies to real travel industry data.
	The winners earned the opportunity to work at the company HQ in Palma (Majorca).



Palma de Mallorca, June 21, 2016. Yesterday the winning team of the Datathon organised by IE Business School was announced, in which Hotelbeds Group provided sample data and expertise. 60 students from the Master in Big Data &amp; Analytics participated.&nbsp;

An expert jury of the TAB (Transfer &amp; Activity Bank) business unit representatives had the honour of evaluating the projects and choosing the winning team.

Hotelbeds Group launched the challenge to the Masters students in April. It consisted of applying Big Data technologies and advanced analytics to a sample of TAB business data to segment clients in a way to better serve them.

The winning team stood out for its capacity to take critical decisions, providing clear documentation and using a logical selection of data and variables. Along with two other teams, they’ve earned the opportunity to work on an analytics project in which they will make the most of the huge amount of data available in order to improve the way the company works with suppliers and clients.

TAB’s Managing Director, Paul Anthony, Miguel Iza (Head of Data &amp; Analytics for Hotelbeds Group) and Paul Randles (Head of TAB Commercial Strategy) were on hand to congratulate the winners and all the rest of the participants for all their effort.

The Master’s Director, Juan José Casado, highlighted that it had been a real challenge for students. In 2 months they managed to develop original business ideas, putting into practice the knowledge acquired during the programme, despite its demanding nature.

Álvaro de Nicolás, Hotelbeds Group CTO affirmed “Big Data is business as usual for us. Hotelbeds is the world’s largest bedbank. Every second we receive more than six thousand requests. All this information is very valuable, both for us and for our clients and suppliers, given that we can see the evolution of worldwide tourism markets months in advance – both in terms of destinations and prices.”

Paul Anthony, TAB’s MD emphasized the importance the Group gives to talent: “In TAB we’re constantly innovating and iterating and we strive to attract the brightest and best people to help us consolidate our business.”

Hotelbeds Group commits to technology

Hotelbeds Group’s support to a wide range of technological initiatives, together with its collaboration with the&nbsp;IE University in its Business Analytics &amp; Big Data Master, responds to the company’s firm quest to reshape the global travel industry.

One of this initiatives is the Hotelbeds Group Tourist Innovation Professorship, a collaboration agreement signed with the University of Balearic Islands (UIB), focused on developing an innovative culture in the touristic distribution and contracting processes.

As a result of this collaboration and together with Tnooz (the American online technology magazine) Hotelbeds organized THack Mallorca last May. Over 60 developers had access to the company’s API and developed new applications to provide solutions and a new approach to the tourism industry.&nbsp;

Likewise in June the company participated in the AWS (Amazon Web Service) Summit in Madrid, where Hotelbeds Group presented its Big Data Platform.



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Hotelbeds Group brings travel Big Data to IE University’s Datathon


	OPEN CAMP is the first park in the world dedicated to the universe of sport.
	Hotelbeds Group’s Transfer and Activity Bank (TAB) business unit will be the official ticket distributor.&nbsp;


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Palma de Mallorca, &nbsp;27&nbsp;June 2016. In collaboration with Hotelbeds Group, a new milestone was reached in Barcelona. OPEN CAMP, the world’s first sport-theme park, has opened its doors in Barcelona’s emblematic Olympic Games facility. Visitors who come to this new concept of theme park will experience the thrill of running where their sporting heroes have run before and competing to be the best in Barcelona.

More than 30 attractions, including sports activities, museums and shows, are available from June to September for all sports fanatics who want&nbsp;to enjoy then adrenaline&nbsp;rush of being a world-class basketball player or the world’s fastest man or women.

As with any other big sporting event, participants will also have the opportunity to be part of a closing ceremony in the magnificent Olympic Stadium.

Hotelbeds Group’s Transfer and Activity Bank (TAB) business unit is the exclusive B2B ticket distributor.&nbsp; This deal forms part of its quest to lead the activities and transfer segment of the tourism industry. OPEN CAMP, with its innovative online options to explore and experience the park before, during and after your visit, is an example of TAB’s focus on being at the forefront of tourism technology and innovation.

The roadmap is to export the concept to other Olympic cities and to make TAB a worldwide ticket wholesaler!

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Hotelbeds Group partners with OPEN CAMP to be its B2B exclusive distributor

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