Keys Hotels partners with Paytm Wallet to boost online bookings

MUMBAI: In a bid to push online bookings and payments, mid-market chain Keys Hotels has partnered with wallet-to-ecommerce company Paytm. Under this partnership, Keys Hotels customers can manage their bookings and payments across Keys hotel brands using Paytm.

Currently, the hotel chain gets 20-25% of its bookings through its online platform and plans to grow this segment through this tie-up. Hotel chains are aggressively wooing smartphone customers by launching mobile apps, making their websites mobile friendly and focusing on digital and social media marketing, as more and more people in India and elsewhere use their phones to book hotels and holidays.

Billionaire investor Nicolas Berggruen-owned Berggruen Hotels, which owns the Keys Hotels brand, is investing in technology and digitization to help the brand grow across multiple customer segments. The company recently rebranded its overall portfolio and introduced two new brands Keys Prima and Keys Lite to cater to upscale (4-star) and budget travelers respectively.

"At Keys, we aim at consistently delighting our customers by providing the options to choose at every touch point in his/her journey with the Keys brand," Vikas Chadha, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer, Keys Hotels said in a statement.

Keys Hotels plans to sign up 100 properties in the next one year under 'Keys Lite' brand and expand its core brands - Keys Prima and Keys - by adding 6-8 properties every year with the target to reach 50 hotels - owned or managed - in the next five years. Keys Hotels currently owns seven out of the 18 properties under its portfolio in the Keys and Keys Prima brand.

Nicolas Berggruen set up Keys Hotels in India in September 2006 and has invested close to $100 million in the company in the last nine years.