Belgium: Hospitality tech data firm Lighthouse [formerly OTA Insight] has announced that it has acquired Stardekk, a provider of channel management and distribution software for holiday homes, BnBs and independent hotels.
The move is the latest step in both firms’ commitment to empower hospitality commercial teams with a single platform to drive revenue growth. Fortino Capital, a European B2B software investor, has been the growth equity partner of Stardekk since 2020.
Following the acquisition, the Stardekk team and product capabilities, including the Cubilis channel management solution, will continue to exist and expand.
The combined platform will merge Lighthouse’s data insights and artificial intelligence [AI] with Stardekk’s distribution tool set, offering hosts and hoteliers “unprecedented” dynamic channel optimisation. The combined offering will streamline real-time decision-making in a rapidly evolving market, particularly benefitting independent hotels by providing advanced distribution tools and pricing insights for superior competitive performance.
It is Lighthouse’s third major acquisition since a $80 million Series B funding round in November 2021, following the purchase of Madrid-based vacation rental market intelligence company Transparent in March 2022 and hotel revenue intelligence platform Kriya RevGEN a month later.
Lighthouse CEO Sean Fitzpatrick said: “We are delighted to welcome Stardekk to our team. Their innovative solutions and team complement our mission to reimagine commercial strategy for the hospitality industry.
“Together, we will deliver unmatched value to independent hoteliers through the combination of better data, better automation, and dynamic distribution,” he added.
Vincent Goemaere, founder and CEO of Stardekk, said: “Grateful for the collaboration with our former investor Fortino, we are very proud to be joining forces with Lighthouse, which marks a significant milestone in our journey. We have always been dedicated to empowering hoteliers with easy to use, powerful tools.
“This next stage of growth not only aligns with our vision but also expands our joint capabilities, offering immense value to independent hoteliers who need to stay competitive in fast changing markets, by driving revenue and profitability. The potential we can unlock together is incredibly exciting,” he added.
While the Lighthouse platform serves travel and hospitality businesses of all sizes, from independents to the largest global chains, the merger specifically targets the under-served sector of independent hotels.
Fitzpatrick said: “Our ideal customer profile for this solution is independent hoteliers who are underserved by current technology providers.”
According to Lighthouse, the hotel industry has long been hampered by a fragmented approach to pricing, promotion, and distribution, often leaving independent hoteliers at a disadvantage with disjointed data and systems. By joining forces, Stardekk and Lighthouse aim to bridge these gaps, offering an intelligent channel management solution for independent hotels that combines dynamic pricing optimisation and distribution decisions in a single platform, driving top-line revenue growth and profitability.
In an increasingly complex distribution landscape where independent hotels often lack the time, data and budgets to compete with larger chains, the partnership will combine the expertise of Stardekk and Lighthouse in their use of data, AI algorithms, and automation to offer hoteliers unprecedented capabilities to more effectively and efficiently optimise their commercial strategies.
While Lighthouse is active in 185 countries worldwide, Stardekk has more than 3,000 customers in 55 countries. Lighthouse rebranded from OTA Insight in November 2023.
The post Lighthouse buys Stardekk to grow distribution opportunities appeared first on Short Term Rentals.
The move is the latest step in both firms’ commitment to empower hospitality commercial teams with a single platform to drive revenue growth. Fortino Capital, a European B2B software investor, has been the growth equity partner of Stardekk since 2020.
Following the acquisition, the Stardekk team and product capabilities, including the Cubilis channel management solution, will continue to exist and expand.
The combined platform will merge Lighthouse’s data insights and artificial intelligence [AI] with Stardekk’s distribution tool set, offering hosts and hoteliers “unprecedented” dynamic channel optimisation. The combined offering will streamline real-time decision-making in a rapidly evolving market, particularly benefitting independent hotels by providing advanced distribution tools and pricing insights for superior competitive performance.
It is Lighthouse’s third major acquisition since a $80 million Series B funding round in November 2021, following the purchase of Madrid-based vacation rental market intelligence company Transparent in March 2022 and hotel revenue intelligence platform Kriya RevGEN a month later.
Lighthouse CEO Sean Fitzpatrick said: “We are delighted to welcome Stardekk to our team. Their innovative solutions and team complement our mission to reimagine commercial strategy for the hospitality industry.
“Together, we will deliver unmatched value to independent hoteliers through the combination of better data, better automation, and dynamic distribution,” he added.
Vincent Goemaere, founder and CEO of Stardekk, said: “Grateful for the collaboration with our former investor Fortino, we are very proud to be joining forces with Lighthouse, which marks a significant milestone in our journey. We have always been dedicated to empowering hoteliers with easy to use, powerful tools.
“This next stage of growth not only aligns with our vision but also expands our joint capabilities, offering immense value to independent hoteliers who need to stay competitive in fast changing markets, by driving revenue and profitability. The potential we can unlock together is incredibly exciting,” he added.
While the Lighthouse platform serves travel and hospitality businesses of all sizes, from independents to the largest global chains, the merger specifically targets the under-served sector of independent hotels.
Fitzpatrick said: “Our ideal customer profile for this solution is independent hoteliers who are underserved by current technology providers.”
According to Lighthouse, the hotel industry has long been hampered by a fragmented approach to pricing, promotion, and distribution, often leaving independent hoteliers at a disadvantage with disjointed data and systems. By joining forces, Stardekk and Lighthouse aim to bridge these gaps, offering an intelligent channel management solution for independent hotels that combines dynamic pricing optimisation and distribution decisions in a single platform, driving top-line revenue growth and profitability.
In an increasingly complex distribution landscape where independent hotels often lack the time, data and budgets to compete with larger chains, the partnership will combine the expertise of Stardekk and Lighthouse in their use of data, AI algorithms, and automation to offer hoteliers unprecedented capabilities to more effectively and efficiently optimise their commercial strategies.
While Lighthouse is active in 185 countries worldwide, Stardekk has more than 3,000 customers in 55 countries. Lighthouse rebranded from OTA Insight in November 2023.
The post Lighthouse buys Stardekk to grow distribution opportunities appeared first on Short Term Rentals.