Impala shakes up travel sector as open distribution paves the way for innovation
Impala, the startup using technology to reimagine travel infrastructure, has named the new approach to hotel distribution innovation at record pace in the sector as ‘Open Distribution’.
Open Distribution is a new business model that finally makes it fast and easy for any hotel and room seller in the world to work together. Enabled by modern API infrastructure, Open Distribution is easy for any travel business to join. Hotels can quickly gain access to new markets, to attract more of the guests that work for their property. Room sellers can access the technology and inventory they need to build new, differentiated products. Both sides can work with each other, without anybody getting in the way - and keep more of the revenue they earn.
Impala, a leading provider of Open Distribution, has spent years developing its API with experts from tech, travel and beyond. Today’s announcement comes as the trend for a new approach to distribution gathers significant pace. Impala is providing the innovation layer for an influx of new travel startups that are adapting to major changes in traveller behavior such as remote working and longer stays.
One example is RemoteDream, a startup that helps travellers find and book the best hotels and hostels suitable for remote work. RemoteDream was able to go to market incredibly quickly, thanks to Impala lowering the barriers to entry and removing the need to integrate with other parties such as channel managers.
Joeri Nanov, RemoteDream Co-founder: “Impala has helped us tremendously with our go-to market, both in terms of speed and initial investment in technology. Because of Impala we were able to go from offering zero to now hundreds of locations without having to spend time on integrating 60+ Property Management Systems. This has saved us a lot of time and money. Impala made it feasible for us.”
Ben Stephenson, Impala CEO: “Impala was born out of the idea that we needed to rebuild travel’s infrastructure to pave the way for the future. The Open Distribution approach is already breaking down barriers to entry for the sector, and removing layers of complexity that hotels and room sellers have faced for years. We're already bringing innovation to some of the biggest names in the industry - and enabling new startups to build travel businesses from scratch.”
These new developments sit alongside a full brand relaunch and a strong period of expansion and talent acquisition for Impala with the recent announcement of four senior hires with a wealth of experience from leading technology and travel businesses including Google, Airbnb and Checkout.com.
With backing from Lakestar, Kima Ventures, Stride VC and Latitude - who backed Airbnb, Trivago and Deliveroo, to name just a few - Impala is constantly adapting and innovating to enable better travel experiences for everyone.
