Event: 2018 Phocuswright Europe
Product: Wanup
Category: Established Company
HQ: Barcelona, Spain
Principal(s): Guillermo Vallet, Adolfo Sanchez, Jorge Rodergas, Rosa Montero
Funding: €20M; privately funded by the Vallet family; hoteliers. Looking for a partner to invest over two years
Product Description: Wanup is the new loyalty club solution for top guest-rated hotel chains and independent hotels. The club, launched in 2016, caters to a new generation of frequent travellers keen to discover unique hotels while accumulating rewards and receiving special treatment for their travel purchases. The collection includes 1000+ properties ranging from design hotels and boutiques, to business hotels and much more.
Business Model: Revenue is generated through a sliding scale commission model. Wanup takes 6-9% of each booking made by a club member at one of its partner hotels. These bookings come from various booking channels including; main website, widgets (installed on the websites of partner hotels), and microsites and call center.
Competitors: Traditional hotel loyalty programs and new rewards alliances such as Mr & Mrs Smith or The Guestbook.
Competitive Edge: We're designing a club for millennial frequent travellers with monetary and experiential rewards at a large selection of unique independent and quality small-chain hotels. Members are guaranteed the best price and better in-stay treatment and can redeem travel cash for future hotel nights or experiences.
Market Opportunity: In today's travel market, independent hotels are facing two increasingly significant situations that affect revenue: (1) The OTAs dominate online sales and distribution, with Expedia and Booking.com accounting for 80% of these bookings; (2) Frequent travelers tend to prefer international chain hotels that cater to their preferences through loyalty programs. Wanup bridges this gap, providing its partner hotels with SaaS tools to boost direct bookings and increase revenue, while offering travellers a loyalty club alternative featuring quality hotels at all price points.
Early Customers: Our hotel collection is made up of 1000+ top guest-rated independent properties and small to medium sized hotel groups. We have 1M+ members.
