Spain's Barceló Hotel Group and Germany's Dorint Group have signed a distribution partnership that will allow customers to book both Barceló and Dorint hotels on each other's websites. The alliance allows each group to market its product to new customers and open new markets of sale.
Dorint currently operates 65 hotels in Germany, Switzerland and Austria through three brands: Hommage, Dorint and Essential by Dorint.
For Barceló, with hotels and resorts primarily in Mexico, Latin America and Spain, the partnership will allow it to open up its awareness to a new cohort of travelers, particularly in Europe. "It is a good commercial opportunity for Barceló, which will allow us to increase notoriety and direct sales in the markets of Central Europe, a strategic area for the growth of the company," said Raúl González, CEO of Barceló Hotel Group for EMEA.
Simultaneously, legacy Dorint customers will have access to hotels and resorts some preferred destinations for Germans, in countries such as Spain, Tunisia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
“This alliance is a success after the difficulties that our sector has gone through in the last two years as a result of the pandemic," said Jörg T. Böckeler, CEO of the Dorint Group. "It will make the two companies stronger internationally with the consolidation of their presence in Europe and expansion into new markets."
The competition for customers and opening up new markets of exposure are top reasons why hotel companies form distribution/marketing alliances. They are also a way to further counter online travel agencies that are often costly sales channels.