DERTOUR Group completed the acquisition of four of the five business units of the Hotelplan Group, having received approval from the relevant authorities.
DERTOUR's acquisition encompasses the whole of Hotelplan's travel retail and tours business in Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
However, Hotelplan's holiday home specialist Interhome was taken over by another company: the HomeToGo Group.
Nevertheless, Hotelplan's most popular and oldest brands have joined DERTOUR's extensive tourism network which is comprised of 180 companies with a strength of 13,000 employees.
What next?
Thanks to the acquisition, the DERTOUR Group now takes pride in an extended selection of tour operator brands and specialist travel providers offering even broader range of travel options for guests.
According to DERTOUR chief executive Christoph Debus: “After months of intense preparation, the acquisition has now been completed. We would like to thank all teams involved who have worked tirelessly over the past few weeks to make this step possible. We are excited to officially welcome our colleagues from Hotelplan Group to the DERTOUR Group. This marks the beginning of growing together as a team, which we are approaching with great energy and a clear vision for further profitable growth."
Debus added that the Group can now focus chiefly on the individual needs of travellers.
He said: "We want to inspire them with an even wider choice of offers. At the same time, we promise to continue to provide seamless, high-quality service. As an internationally renowned travel company and a subsidiary of REWE Group, we stand for a high level of reliability, excellence and professionalism.”
Changing of the guard
As Hotelplan's UK holdings change hands, a change has also come for its leadership team as chief executive Joe Ponte steps down and hands over the reins.
In a post on professional networking site LinkedIn, Ponte stated that he will be pursuing new opportunities whilst turning over leadership to Francis Torilla.
As the outgoing CEO puts it, the acquisition marks not only a new beginning for the company, but also a new chapter for himself.
He said: "Leading Hotelplan UK over the past five years has been an absolute privilege, and I am immensely proud of what we have achieved. More than any particular milestone, what I will remember most is the collaboration, dedication, and commitment of the people I’ve had the privilege to work with in our great businesses Explore Worldwide | B Corp, Inghams, Inntravel | B Corp and @Santa’s Lapland. I will always be proud of what we built together."
