LAST-MINUTE hotel booking app HotelQuickly has raised US$4.5 million in its latest round of funding from Japanese Internet media company Gree and veteran hotelier William Heinecke, who participated through his family office.
The additional funds will be channelled into product development, marketing and hiring to boost sales across Asia-Pacific and consolidate HotelQuickly’s position in the region.
Gree’s investment into HotelQuickly also marks the beginning of collaboration between the two companies. The former has rolled out its own last-minute booking service Tonight, and the partnership is expected to reap benefits for both sides in terms of shared technical experience and personnel exchange for a start.
The recent funding follows the US$1.2 million raised in August last year and bumps up HotelQuickly’s coffers to over US$5.5 million.
Gree board member, Eiji Araki, said: “HotelQuickly has expanded at a phenomenal pace this past year to emerge as the clear leader in last-minute bookings in Asia-Pacific with more than 3,000 partner hotels and 100 destinations.
“This is a great opportunity for Gree to take part in that growth story, while teaming up with the world-class talent at HotelQuickly to accelerate our own entry to this space. Our two companies share a mobile-first approach, so this partnership is a natural fit. I’m looking forward to what we can achieve together.”
Heinecke, who is chairman and CEO of Thailand-based Minor International, commented: “We’re seeing a clear shift from online to mobile and as traditional booking channels lose ground, there is a tremendous opportunity for a service like HotelQuickly in the Asia-Pacific region.”
