Webjet acquires JacTravel in major B2B travel merger
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TDM, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
Webjet has entered into an agreement to acquire JacTravel, which will join Sunhotels, Lots of Hotels and FIT Ruums in its B2B division, WebBeds.
The GBP200 million (US$264m) acquisition from Vitruvian Partners will propel WebBeds to become one of the world’s largest B2B travel providers. London-based JacTravel is among the biggest independent B2B platforms in Europe, operating two brands: JacTravel and totalstay.com. Both of these will now become part of the WebBeds business.
The acquisition of JacTravel will deliver immediate benefits to WebBeds; the European company currently has a portfolio of 10,000 directly contracted hotels, 7,000 of which are unique to WebBeds. JacTravel is strong in major European cities, whilst also having coverage in Asia, the Americas and Middle East.
“I am truly delighted to announce the acquisition of JacTravel. This acquisition is transformational to WebBeds, creating the number two B2B player globally and in the important European market,” said Webjet’s Managing Director, John Guscic.
“WebBeds has always focused on helping our clients succeed and enabling our partners to respond to fast-changing market trends. By consolidating with like-minded partners like JacTravel, we believe we will drive even greater synergies that will benefit the wider travel industry.
“JacTravel is a company we have worked with for many years, and we have the greatest amount of respect for their business. We look forward to working with the JacTravel team in the weeks and months ahead as we integrate our businesses and develop the best possible outcomes for all of our partners and clients,” he added.
Adding JacTravel to the WebBeds’ family will boost its annual total transacted volume to over AU$1 billion (US$799m), and will increase the company’s global office network to 19 countries with a headcount of over 900 employees. It will now feature a global portfolio of more than 225,000 hotels, of which 17,000 are directly contracted, in all regions of the globe.
Comments are closed.