Rentivo, a holiday rental booking management, payment provider and marketplace builder has acquired Klik.villas a complimentary booking management software provider with associated marketplaces and sales & marketing services specialised in the Asian markets.
Rentivo which recently raised on Crowdcube to refactor and expand its product range sees this rapidly developing rental market polarising further into refined segments and specialities, with different accommodation types, experiences, demographics and geographical distinctions. Klik has specialised in the Asian markets since its inception and more specifically the luxury end of this market, these are two very distinct and increasinglypromising market segments.
Rentivo has always positioned itself as an advocate of direct booking and aligning itself with the manager’s business direction, not just adopting guest-centric OTA’s. “Despite all the recent noise by hotel chains, no one realistically expects the OTA’s to go away” said Richard Vaughton, co-founder and CEO “and for any sensible volume business, they will feature as part of the marketing mix. It’s how and when they are used that makes the difference and what else can be brought to the table to build brands and income”.
He goes on to add, “We still see the growth of niche verticals in this market as a significant trend, such as Squarebreak, Onefinestay & Luxury Retreats. These are hard for the major corporations to focus on and integrate as “rental consumables” and may go some way to explaining the recent investments in, and acquisitions of, these businesses by Accor hotels and Airbnb. The Klik.Villas acquisition makes real sense to us, accessing a growing market, adopting contracts and adding a significant inventory focusing at the luxury end of the rental market with a really experienced team”.
Marc Ribail, co-founder of Klik.Villas says that: “Combining technical resources, increasing quality inventory from managers and refining the business model that suits the personal nature of villa marketing is our core objective”. He goes on to add, “the luxury end of the market where much of our business lies, is very topical but hard to automate and requires a depth of knowledge and resources unavailable to many who may wish to enter this sector. This focus also opens up opportunities to align with a hotel brand that may wish to enter the top end of the market”
The combination of resources, skills and knowledge is far larger than the sum of its parts and allows further market penetration. It adds impetus to the adoption of managers who want to work with a company that concentrates on their business as much as the guests demands.
