Otamiser Lands $3M Investment to Enhance Hotel Revenue and Online Presence

Ghent-based Otamiser, a ranking management solution provider for the hospitality industry, has successfully secured a $3 million (approximately €2.79 million) funding round, aimed at supporting its global expansion efforts. Previously self-funded, Otamiser is now drawing attention from tech investors to propel its services across international markets.

The funding round was led by Pitchdrive VC, with Wim Derkinderen, Boris Bogaert, and Koen Christiaens at the helm. Additional investors include Stijn Christiaens, Jacob Quartier, Peter van Praet, Viktor De Martealere, Lorenz Bogaert, Jorn Vanysacker, Gilles Mattelin, Anthony, and Gregory De Clerck.

These investors are backing Otamiser's ambitious plan to extend its proprietary algorithm to 100,000 properties globally, revolutionizing online visibility and booking platform rankings within both the hotel and Airbnb sectors.

Founded in 2022, Otamiser has dramatically transformed revenue management for the hospitality sector through its sophisticated algorithm which boosts search result rankings on prominent platforms like Booking.com, Expedia, and Airbnb. The company claims to be the only global entity that merges pricing and online visibility optimization, reportedly increasing client revenues by 24 percent.

Otamiser’s management team is spearheaded by founder and CEO Bart-Jan Leyts and co-founder Korneel Defauw. The executive squad also includes Lucas Ballyn as CTO with expertise in AI, Nils Casteur as CCO, and Jarne Vancompernolle as COO, who specializes in hotel pricing strategies.

"We start from the core idea that ranking on platforms like Booking.com and Airbnb is crucial. We like to compare it to Google and SEO. In the early days of Google, it was a success just to have a website. Nowadays, countless companies help you rank higher on Google,” stated Bart-Jan Leyts.

Co-founder Korneel Defauw elaborated on the significance of platform rankings in the travel industry, “In reality, nearly three-quarters of all reservations come through travel platforms like Booking.com or Expedia. Research shows that 75 percent of all bookings on these travel platforms go to the top 15 hotels. Good positioning can make or break a hotel’s profit. What we do is place our clients in those coveted top positions. You wouldn’t go to page 2, let alone page 5 of Google, would you?”

Since its inception, Otamiser has achieved an Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) of €1.8 million without external capital. The company currently facilitates 50,000 reservations weekly, with ambitious plans to increase this to 500,000 weekly within the next two years.

The new capital will be utilized to launch an AI tool for Airbnb operators and to expand the commercial team to secure market leadership. Otamiser's mission is to transform the global hotel and Airbnb industry, empowering property owners to achieve profitability through cutting-edge technology.

“We started bootstrapped in 2022 and have since realized significant growth, proving that our model works. Now it’s time to scale quickly. We found an ideal partner in Pitchdrive, who will fully support us in this endeavor,” commented Bart-Jan Leyts. He continued, "For us, it’s simple: what we do works. Now it’s time to accelerate with our dream team and our army of trusted and deeply involved advisors,” added Korneel.

With this injection of funds, Otamiser aims to rapidly capture this niche market, potentially setting a new standard in the hospitality industry.