Rivals merge to create an African giant in hospitality marketing technology

Image Source: Pulse - Marek Zmyslowski

HotelOga was founded by Marek Zmysłowski and Maciej Prostak with an initial backing from Polish VC SpeedUP and a prominent Indian Garg family. In less than a year HotelOga contracted more than 500 hotels, taking a lead in the Nigerian market. Their customer portfolio features reputable brands such as Lagos Oriental Hotel, Protea Hotels, and Golden Tulip. HotelOga‘s technology was recognised by global players like Google and awarded by Expedia.

Savanna Sunrise is a travel and hospitality marketing group, launched in Kenya in 2014 by experienced hoteliers and managers Endre Opdal and Håvar Bauck. The company grew organically to become a market leader in Eastern and Central Africa, with more than 400 hotel partners across 14 African countries. Savanna Sunrise was built without external funding and has been running a profit since day one.

The merger will create the biggest hospitality marketing technology group in online travel in Africa, changing the way hotels utilise technology and online marketing in their operations. The group already inked partnerships with Expedia, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, HotelBeds, and CTrip.

Both companies are in agreement to merge at similar valuations. Marek Zmysłowski will take the role of CEO of the newly established entity, and Håvar Bauck will be the executive chairman. The group will retain both brands initially until a unified marketing strategy is rolled out in the near future.

Marek Zmysłowski said, "This merger will enable us to become the leading company in our sector. Our next goals include: unifying operations within the group and strengthening our dominant position in Africa. We are also preparing our expansion to certain markets in Asia and Eastern Europe, where we can implement our learnings from Africa."

Håvar Bauck said, "With this merger, we are writing a new chapter in the evolution of the hospitality sector in Africa. From the position we are building, we are now well poised to expand our footprint to frontier and emerging markets globally. The challenges facing the hospitality sector across these markets are very similar, and we are eagerly preparing to tap into the immense opportunities that exist."