TechCrunch July 10, 2014
Last-minute hotel booking app HotelQuickly — whose founding team includes two ex-Rocket Internet executives — has raised a further $4.5 million in funding as it doubles-down on the Asia-Pacific market — and, perhaps in the longer-term, keep San Francisco-based and heavily funded HotelTonight at bay when and if it enters the region.
The Series A round, which adds to the just over $1 million of external funding previously raised, is being led by the publicly listed Tokyo-based company GREE, best known for its mobile games, with participation from William E. Heinecke, CEO and Chairman of Thai-based Minor International.
Similar to HotelTonight’s model, Hong Kong-headquarted HotelQuickly lets users book “last minute” hotel rooms at heavily discounted prices, via an iOS, BB10 and Android app. Specifically, the app presents a list of up to 6 curated offers, based on a user’s location, which are only available for booking on the same day. Meanwhile, the draw for hotels that partner with HotelQuickly is that it offers an efficient way to shift spare inventory without eating into their existing market or diminishing their brand via overt discounting.