In a transformative move, Sojern, a preeminent figure in the world of travel marketing, has confirmed its purchase of VenueLytics, a ground-breaking guest experience platform. This strategic alliance enhances Sojern’s platform, previously well-known for driving direct hotel bookings. The collaborative endeavour brings to the table a plethora of innovative tools, including AI-powered concierge services, dynamic feedback systems, and digital reputation management utilities, expanding the scope of services Sojern offers.
Sojern’s pre-existing travel marketing platform has been instrumental in driving direct bookings for hotels, leveraging digital advertising solutions to attract new travellers, cultivating loyalty in returning guests, and optimizing revenue per available room (RevPAR). By bringing on board VenueLytics’ highly-integrated platform, Sojern propels its marketing strategy, integrating the guest journey from start to finish. The power of AI and data analytics at the heart of VenueLytics’ platform serves as a force multiplier for Sojern, helping to find, attract, convert, and engage travellers throughout their journey.
Mark Rabe, the CEO of Sojern, describes the merger as a significant progression for their clients. “We can now empower hoteliers beyond advertising alone, broadening our services to be a comprehensive marketing platform,” he noted. “We remain dedicated to providing the travel industry with inventive solutions leveraging data, AI, and technology to drive tangible results.” Rabe sees the acquisition as a stepping stone towards Sojern becoming the go-to travel marketing platform, using the acquired expertise from VenueLytics to enhance hospitality relationships.
VenueLytics has previously demonstrated its worth with key clients such as Grupo Posadas, Mexico’s leading hotel company. The use of VenueLytics’ AI concierge throughout guests’ journey led to a substantial uptick in ancillary revenue, boasting an impressive increase of over 53K requests in just nine months and a guest satisfaction improvement of over 19 percentage points in NPS (Net Promoter Score).
The fusion of the two platforms provides Sojern with a powerful all-in-one tool, which will drive guests directly to the property and enable mid-stay upsells, post-stay remarketing, and long-term loyalty building. The unified platform extends beyond the multi-channel offerings of Sojern to engage customers on an expansive network that includes SMS, Email, WiFi, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, ChatBot, Alexa, Google Home, and various other social media and third-party applications.
Baskar Manivannan, the Co-Founder and CEO of VenueLytics, expressed his enthusiasm for the union. “This will strengthen our customer base and reputation while enabling us to offer the hospitality and travel industry a wider and more timely range of solutions. Our shared vision is to empower hotels around the world to elevate guest experience and satisfaction and drive profitability,” he stated.
The acquisition is Sojern’s latest move in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in travel marketing, following their recently announced Sojern Travel Marketing Platform update featuring enhanced AI-powered audiences. Though the specific terms of the deal remain undisclosed, it’s clear this is a massive stride for Sojern, a company already known for driving over $10 billion in global travel bookings and serving over 10,000 customers annually worldwide with its extensive AI capabilities.
The absorption of VenueLytics not only amplifies Sojern’s expertise in the North American hospitality sector, where VenueLytics has been highly active but also opens the door to supporting the global hospitality industry. To discover more about the transformative potential of this acquisition for travel marketing, please visit Sojern’s website.
Written by: My Thanh Pham
