Travelnode acquires Rentlio: the strongest hospitality-tech platform in the region is created

Travelnode, a Swiss-based hospitality-tech platform majority-owned by private equity funds Sandberg Capital and ARX Equity Partners, has acquired Rentlio, the second largest Croatian provider of software solutions for tourism.

Just a few weeks after the acquisition of Italian software company Podcamp, which develops software specialized in campsite management, this transaction represents another important milestone in the group's strategy aimed at consolidating the European hospitality-tech market. 

Travelnode is already the owner of the Dubrovnik platform Phobs, and through synergy Phobsa i Rentlija becomes the undisputed market leader in software solutions for hotels, camps and apartments in Croatia and Slovenia and builds the most ambitious hospitality-tech platform in the Adriatic region.

Rentlio and Phobs together have almost a hundred employees and generate over ten million euros in revenue with a clear plan for further growth.

/ / / Croatian PHOBS acquires Italian pod.camp: a signal that domestic travel tech is finally moving into the acquisition phase

The association of these proven successful technological platforms is an important step towards accelerating the technological transformation of tourism. The growing expectations of guests, increasingly complex operations and the accelerated development of artificial intelligence are changing the way hoteliers and other entrepreneurs in tourism do business.

With disjointed systems for sales, distribution, operations and communication, it is no longer possible to keep up with market demands, so the future belongs to platforms that unify key business processes and enable hotels to deal less with technology and more with their guests.

This is precisely the vision behind Travelnode, a hospitality-tech platform owned by Sandberg Capital and ARX Equity Partners.

Travelnode now brings together two domestic companies - Phobs and Rentlio, which, each in their own field, have developed hospitality-tech solutions for tourism in Croatia that are competitive not only in the region but also on a global level. 

Rentlio has become synonymous with modern technology in tourism. Its cloud platform for facility management and accompanying solutions help hoteliers and other tourism professionals automate processes, simplify the work of reception and operations teams, and provide a better guest experience every day.

Phobs, on the other hand, has positioned itself as a leading technology platform focused on growing hotel revenues through the management of key sales processes. It places particular emphasis on increasing the share of direct bookings and developing a broad distribution network that enables hotels to connect with all relevant OTA channels, tour operators and traditional travel agencies.

At the same time, the platform supports direct advertising on leading metasearch channels, among which Google stands out as the most important place for comparing prices and making a booking decision.  

"Twelve years ago, we started out in Zadar with the idea of ​​developing products that would be used worldwide. That ambition remains the same today, with the difference that we now have partners who share the same vision and with whom we can achieve much more than any of our companies could on their own. The expertise, experience and user base built by Phobs is unique in this part of Europe. For our users, this means speeding up everything we've built so far. Rentlio remains Rentlio - with the same team, the same values, but even greater ambition than before. We believe that the future of technology in tourism will be built on connected platforms that allow hoteliers to focus less on technology and more on what the business is all about - creating a superior experience for their guests."  said Marko Mišulić, founder and director of Rentli, adding that for him this is the beginning of a new chapter at Rentli, which is very motivating and emotional.

Phobs remains strongly focused on large users, hotel and camping chains that develop their own, complex technological ecosystems, within which Phobs plays an important role in connecting systems, distribution and managing sales processes, he emphasized. Miho Borkovic, CEO of Phobs. 

"This connectivity opens up additional space for hotel facilities, which are increasingly looking for complete, integrated and simple solutions. Such users need a unified technological environment that reduces operational complexity, simplifies daily operations and allows them to focus more on guests and developing their business.

This is the creation of a broader technology platform that brings together key knowledge, products and competencies needed by hoteliers in the years to come. Each company remains focused on what it is best at, while the joint development of technology, exchange of knowledge and access to new market segments will be a strong driver of further growth.", said Miho Borković, CEO of Phobs. 

Our ambition is to build the leading European platform for technology in tourism, he emphasized. Michal Rybovic, Managing Partner Sandberg Capital added "Travelnode today offers a comprehensive set of cloud solutions for hotels, apartments and campsites and is systematically building an integrated technology ecosystem for the entire accommodation industry. The acquisition of Rentli is the next logical step in this strategy - after Podcamp, this is our second transaction in just a few weeks, further strengthening our position across the region.”

Rentlio fit naturally into our strategy, he said Michal Rzavsky, Investment Manager at Sandberg Capital and added how the company combines a quality product, a strong market position and, above all, an experienced management team led by Marko Mišulić, who has consistently proven his ability to build an internationally successful technology company.

"We are extremely pleased that Marko will remain in a management position and also become a shareholder of the Travelnode Group. This reflects our long-term philosophy of building the platform together with entrepreneurs and management teams who continue to drive growth and create new value," Rzavsky added.

Through the joint development of these two companies, as well as the Italian Podcampo, investments in innovation, artificial intelligence, integrations, and new functionalities that will bring even greater value to users will be further accelerated.

About fifteen years ago, Croatia almost didn't even exist on the map of global hospitality technology.

Today from Dubrovnik comes one of the leading hotel revenue-generating platforms, developed to enable hotels to have greater control over sales, increase the share of direct bookings and connect them with global distribution channels, and from Zadar one of the most modern platforms for operational management of tourist facilities.

Both companies, under one roof, but still from their Croatian offices, now continue to develop technological solutions for tourism together.

Photo: Rentlio