Amadeus buys TravelClick for $1.52 b

Amadeus has agreed to acquire TravelClick from Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity investment firm, for $1.52 billion.

TravelClick, which is headquartered in New York City, is a leading global hospitality provider that serves more than 25,000 customers across 176 countries. It provides cloud-based solutions, including an independent and mid-size hotel Central Reservation System (CRS) and Guest Management Solution (GMS), as well as business intelligence and media solutions. “TravelClick has a great team, great technology and a broad customer base, and we are looking forward to welcoming such a successful business into Amadeus,” said Amadeus President and CEO Luis Maroto. “Our ambition is to provide the hospitality industry with the tools they need to grow their businesses and deliver a great experience to their guests. The combination of our two portfolios will allow us to provide that to hotels of all shapes and sizes across the world.”

While Amadeus already has a strong portfolio of hotels from within the major brands, the TravelClick acquisition gives the company access to a good number of mid-chain and independent hotels that make up almost three-quarters of the market.

As part of the acquisition, approximately 1,100 TravelClick employees are expected to join Amadeus.

“This deal marks the next stage in TravelClick’s incredible journey of success in delivering ground-breaking solutions for hoteliers,” said TravelClick CEO Larry Kutscher. “I couldn’t be more proud of our team, or more excited about the impact our combined companies will have on the hospitality industry as we begin to deliver the next generation of innovation for hoteliers.”

Amadeus and Thoma Bravo expect to close the acquisition in the fourth quarter of the calendar year 2018, following regulatory approvals. The transaction will be debt-financed and immediately earnings accretive.

“TravelClick is an excellent example of Thoma Bravo’s proven investment approach of acquiring a best in class vertical market software company and working alongside talented leadership to implement operational best practices and drive growth both organically and through M&A,” said Thoma Bravo Managing Partner Holden Spaht. “We appreciate the outstanding execution of Larry Kutscher and the management team at TravelClick, and believe the company is well positioned to continue delivering innovative software, data analytics and marketing services that maximise revenue for hotels around the world.”