It was in a small family establishment in the Swiss Alps that Alexandre Guinefolleau, founder of Amenitiz, observed his parents’ difficulties in modernizing their hotel. Reservations were still noted in notebooks, invoices were written by hand and payments were made on site. In seeking to digitalize the activity, he discovered a market saturated with complex tools, designed for large chains, unsuitable for independents. From this experience was born the idea of a platform built for them.
In just a few years, Amenitiz has established itself as a central player in the independent European hotel industry. Its solution brings together reservation management, invoicing, dynamic pricing and distribution on a single interface. It now equips more than 15,000 establishments across the continent. The company has also developed specific tools such as PriceAdvisor, a revenue management system adapted to small structures, which according to the company allows it to increase revenues by 20 to 40% on average.
The other key product, Amenitiz Boost, aims to improve the visibility of hotels on Google Hotel Ads and metasearch engines. It is based on a simplified model, without campaign management or per-click costs, with hoteliers only paying per reservation.
The company is now preparing a new stage. Alexandre Guinefolleau believes that artificial intelligence will shake up the cards in the sector: “Artificial intelligence will transform everything: the way travelers plan and book their stays, the way hotels communicate with their customers and the way hoteliers automate their daily work. » He imagines a system capable not only of identifying the most profitable markets, but also of automatically translating a hotel’s website and launching targeted campaigns.
According to a study cited by Amenitiz, 80% of reservations made in AI mode end up directly with operators, compared to 13% via intermediary platforms. AI could therefore reverse the historic balance of power between hoteliers and online agencies, by giving independents direct access to their customers again.
Founded in 2017 in Barcelona, Amenitiz employs more than 200 people. The company raised $45 million, or around €38 million, in a Series B round led by Eight Roads and Chalfen Ventures. This funding round follows a fundraising of 25 million euros in 2022. It should make it possible to accelerate product development and expand the European presence. Amenitiz was founded by Alexandre Guinefolleau, Emma Jaworski and Pierre-Antoine Laporte.
