After successfully facing the crisis in the hotel sector and positioning itself as a solution for business travelers, low-cost hotel chain Ayenda announced milestone of 500 hotels, which consolidates the company founded in 2018 as the largest hotel chain in Latin America by number of properties.
During 2021, the Colombian startup managed to add more than 300 hotels in the region; at the same time it became the chain with the largest number of properties in Peru, with more than 90 hotels, and strengthened its presence in Mexico with more than 15. Moreover, with nearly 200 thousand users on its platform it had an increase of 142.9% compared to 2020.
“In addition to increasing our hotel base considerably, we managed to enter the Mexican market by opening operations in Mexico City and Guadalajara, while expanding into new cities in Colombia and Peru. Today we are present in more than 40 cities in these three countries, with more than 10 thousand rooms,” said Andres Sarrazola, CEO and co-founder of Ayenda.
The figures demonstrate the great opportunity for the independent hotel sector, since Ayenda works through a franchise system that increases the number of reservations by up to 30% of its allied hotels, without increasing operating costs.
The startup uses smart technology to connect and improve the services of small hotels in major cities, ensuring quality and efficiency for customers. Ayenda provides hotel software, pricing algorithms, and improved marketing techniques, such as a mobile booking app for travelers.
The team behind Ayenda has also been fundamental for this expansion process in Latin America, which in September last year received an important boost with an investment of $10 million from the US fund 500 Global, Dalus Capital and BID Lab.
By 2022, the startup’s objectives are to double the number of associated hotels hand in hand with a technological development that allows this scaling. While the reactivation of the hotel sector is progressing in the countries where the startup operates, Ayenda is aware of the importance of travel as a source of employment and economic development, especially in developing economies such as those of Latin America.
