Bidroom’s COO Michael Ros presenting the case for smart tech and the no-commission hotel booking model at the Hospitality Technology Forum 2019 in Zurich. (© htr/Chantal Niklaus).
Michael Ros received the award on behalf of Bidroom at the event, 26 June.
AMSTERDAM – Over 200 attendants of the Hospitality Technology Forum 2019 in Zurich voted the Bidroom hotel booking platform as the Best Startup in the Grown Startups category.
Bidroom was one of three finalists at the event. Each one presented their breakthrough solution for the hospitality industry. Contestants were judged by an audience of over 200 attendees, with the majority voting for the presentation from Michael Ros, Bidroom’s Co-Founder and COO.
In his address, Ros emphasised the key role of innovative technology underpinning Bidroom’s revolutionary new no-commission model, which saves money for both the online traveller and hotel owners.
The vote was presided by a jury of three, including Sigi Gübeli of Hôtelière Platzhirsch Zürich, Simon Lehmann of AJL-Consulting, and Michael Thomann of THOMANN Hospitality Management. Mr. Ros received the award on behalf of Bidroom at the event, 26 June.
“We’re humbled to have Bidroom recognised as a game-changing solution for the hospitality industry,” said Ros. “It was a strong endorsement from a large and informed audience of Swiss hospitality professionals,” he said.
Simon Lehmann, who is a member of the jury for the Hospitality Technology Forum, said: “Bidroom comes across as fresh, disruptive, and innovative. It's exactly what our industry needs: new ideas for distribution, breaking down old ways with new tech alternatives – all presented with a friendly and a personal approach."
Since its founding in 2014, Bidroom has enrolled over 120,000 hotels from 128 countries to its unique commission-free online booking model. Bidroom has, to date, raised €21 million in private funding. In 2018, Bidroom signed a partnership deal with Visa Inc.
Making online hotel booking fairer and more profitable
This year’s edition of the Hospitality Technology Forum connected around 300 hospitality industry professionals. They attended to discover the latest innovations to boost hotel performance. With digitization of hotels as the focus of the event, COO Ros told the audience that hoteliers should embrace the no-commission model.
Ros said that in an age of excessive OTA commissions and power, Bidroom was the appropriate solution. He explained that with Bidroom, hotels don’t have to pay any membership fee until they receive a pre-specified amount of revenue in bookings. Ros said that these features, and access to an audience of over 250,000 frequent bookers, made Bidroom a compelling direct booking channel for hoteliers in Switzerland and beyond.
Michael Ros is known in the Swiss hospitality scene as an active participant at the World Tourism Forum in Lucerne, where he serves as an expert on disruptive hospitality technology. Under his guidance, Bidroom continues its international expansion. In May, Maurizio Tripi joined Bidroom as Chief Technology Officer, following previous roles in Silicon Valley. Tripi’s plan is to grow Bidroom’s IT power by 300% and reach over one million active members by 2020.
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