French hotel booking platform CDS Groupe has acquired Germany-based hotel specialist Corporate Rates Club (CRC) as part of its expansion plans in Europe.

CDS Groupe has purchased its fellow hotel booking portal for an undisclosed sum and this latest move comes after CDS acquired online booking tool Rydoo Travel in May 2022.

The French firm said the enlarged company would have business travel hotel bookings of around €800 million per year. It also gives CDS a total workforce of 300 employees across France, Italy and Poland, and now Germany and Croatia following the CRC purchase.

Ziad Minkara, CEO of CDS Groupe, said: ¡°We have long been admirers of CRC¡¯s talent and technology, so we are very excited to integrate the entire team into our group.?

¡°This acquisition reinforces and accelerates our strategy for international expansion. By increasing our strong customer and supplier relations even further, CDS Groupe now has an even better product offering in each region.¡±

As part of the deal CRC, which is based in Stralsund in northern Germany, will remain ¡°autonomous¡± with no changes to its management or structure.?

Michael Krenz, CEO of Corporate Rates Club, added: ¡°We are thrilled to become a part of CDS Groupe¡¯s success story in the EU and beyond, and excited by the benefits this brings both our clients and hotel suppliers in the medium to long-term.¡±

CRC has been operating since 2002 as part of TourisMarketing Service. It offers a customisable web-based booking platform or its content can be integrated into online booking engines. The company has also offered central billing for hotel services through its partnership with corporate card specialist AirPlus.