Specialising in business hotel reservations, CDS Groupe is continuing its expansion in Europe with the acquisition of the CRC business portal in Germany (Corporate Rate Club). The acquisition of this company, which was launched in 2002 and offers services ranging from hotel reservations to payment, and which will continue to operate independently, creates a group of 300 employees with purchasing power of 800 million euros.
CDS's commitment toexpand its activities outside France had already been marked by the takeover of Rydoo's travel business, whose R&D team was based in Poland. " Our ambition was to expand across Europe, as the issues in the main European markets are similar to those we face in France." , explained Ziad Minkara last yearCEO of CDS Groupe, at the launch of the Goelett online booking tool.
France, then, but also Italy, Poland, Croatia and now Germany, the home of HRS, another of the major players in hotel reservations: CDS intends to meet demand in these different markets with its solutions and services focused on business accommodation. " Thanks to its strong relationships with customers and suppliers, CDS Groupe will ensure that the new group will have the best product offering in each country and will also be able to draw on the expertise of CRC teams" said Ziad Minkara.
However, this international development is also accompanied by growth in France. A few days ago, CDS also announced the listing of its booking tool by the Sélectour Affaires network. This means that 450 agencies and business centres will be able to use the CDS group's reservation platform to manage their customers' hotel expenditure. " As France's leading player and an expert in the hotel market, we need to provide maximum support to travel agents by offering them a wide range of hotel content to meet the needs of end customers at attractive rates. "explained Ziad Minkara. For his part, Laurent Abitbol, Chairman of Selectour's Management Board, sees in this listing " a real step forward for Selectour Affaires" This will help to make the hotel booking experience smoother and easier for customers.
