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buuteeq, the world’s first Digital Marketing System (DMS) for independent hotels, closed a $3.5m. Series A investment round. Digital marketing pioneer Mike Galgon and Seattle ‘super angel’ Geoff Entress led the round, which also included Benaroya Capital Company and significant angel investors and executives from the Seattle advertising, digital marketing and technology industries. Galgon also joins buuteeq’s board of directors. The round brings the company’s total capital raise to date to $5M.
buuteeq enables independent hotels to increase occupancy and reduce distribution costs by converting more direct reservations through online bookings. With buuteeq’s subscription-based service, hotels can easily create and manage high-performing web, mobile and Facebook sites, promotions and reservations, all from one place. This eliminates the need for custom hotel website design and development. buuteeq will apply the new funding to expand the capabilities of its DMS and drive adoption worldwide.
buuteeq is led by co-founders and former Microsoft executives Forest Key and Adam Brownstein. From its outset, the company has focused on helping independent hotels directly reach the growing cadre of international business and leisure travelers. The company has realized rapid success since launching its DMS in January 2011, bringing hotels online with its solution in more than 10 countries. buuteeq’s customers represent a wide range of hotels, from inns and bed & breakfast properties with fewer than 10 rooms to independent hotels with more than 100, and room rates ranging from $20 to $500 per night.
Galgon, the lead investor on the round, co-founded the pioneering online advertising technology firm aQuantive (acquired by Microsoft for $6B in 2007) and was later chief advertising strategist for Microsoft. He noted, “Independent hotels have thus far been left out of the software and digital marketing revolutions. buuteeq gives these hotels, for the first time, the power of a major hotel web and mobile presence without the cost or the headaches. More consumers find them, choose them, and book with them directly. This means both revenue and profits for the hotels, and a powerful value proposition for buuteeq.”
buuteeq customer Barbara Gross, general manager of the Garden Court Hotel in Palo Alto, California, said, “Since engaging with buuteeq we’ve seen a big uptick in overall occupancy and our direct bookings have risen by 20%. With a lot less effort than before, our hotel has better looking, better performing marketing tools.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
