The Edinburgh-based startup Criton, which says it is the largest provider of guest apps for independent hotels in the United Kingdom, has been acquired by Portuguese hospitality tech company Nonius.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The merger of Criton, which includes GuestU, Nonius’ mobile app, promises to allow these companies in the hospitality sector to serve a market that has burgeoned since COVID-19 struck two years ago.
Criton is a guest engagement platform that allows hotels to digitize their guest information and place their technology into a mobile app for guests to use on their own smart phones.
It provides guest apps to more than 300 locations, which allows push notifications, mobile check-in, digital door key, messaging and food ordering. Criton was founded in 2016 by Julie Grieve.
The pandemic saw dramatic growth in demand for Criton’s product. Hotels have struggled to meet guest demand for contactless solutions while allowing speedier check-in, and use of a mobile key that allows guests to go to their room and mobile order.
Nonius was founded in Portugal in 2005 by Antonio Silva and Leonel Domingues as a global provider of solutions to the hospitality sector.
Last month, PYMNTS reported Best Western Hotels & Resorts, which has 18 brands and 4,700 hotels in more than 100 countries, said it had to take a digital leap before the pandemic began, digitizing aspects of the customer journey for seamless experiences.
See also: Best Western on Delivering a Digital-First Customer Experience In The Hospitality Business
“Technology has always played a role in hospitality,” said Graham Perry, Best Western’s Australasia managing director. “So, when we came into the pandemic, it was all about how you could use technology to provide customer service.”