WEST PALM BEACH, FL, Oct 18, 2021 – HotelPlanner, a leading travel technology
platform powered by proprietary artificial intelligence, today announced the launch of its new
Alexa-enabled hotel booking feature that immediately connects customers to a global gig-
based ‘Hotel Planner’ agent to book a discounted hotel stay – anywhere in the world – at any
time, an industry first.
The announcement is well-timed with the rise in voice-activated technology and the ‘Internet
of Things’ revolution that is already disrupting every industry across the globe.
How Alexa-Enabled Hotel Bookings Work
Using an Alexa device or the Alexa app, a customer must first say “Alexa – enable the
HotelPlanner skill.” Once the skill is enabled, customers can then activate the feature any
time by saying “Alexa – open HotelPlanner” or “Alexa – ask HotelPlanner to make a new
reservation in Boston.”
Once a customer tells Alexa their travel details, the service immediately connects the
customer to a live Hotel Planner as a priority call, which bypasses the call queue. The Hotel
Planner can then typically offer a discounted rate before completing the booking. This is
equivalent to having a personal hotel concierge at one’s beck and call anytime help is needed
with hotel bookings.
HotelPlanner’s proprietary artificial intelligence and VOIP capabilities will also try to route
customers to a gig-based Hotel Planner who either lives in, or knows about, the customer’s
desired destination so that they can provide localized and personalized service.
And this new booking feature is completely free of charge.
Here’s a short instructional video to learn more.
Staying Ahead of the Technology Curve
Since its founding in 2004, HotelPlanner has sought to stay ahead of the technology curve
with next generation features that anticipate evolving customer needs to further simplify and
automate the hotel booking process.
For example, HotelPlanner pioneered the electronic Request for Proposal (eRFP) process for
group bookings in 2004, and then added an online negotiation capability in 2009. In 2014, the
company launched its instant group booking feature. In May 2020, at the height of the
pandemic, HotelPlanner launched its global gig-economy based reservations platform in
response to an influx of customer calls, an industry first for an online travel agency.
“We believe that adding Alexa-enabled hotel bookings is an industry game changer,” says
John Prince, Co-Founder & Chief Information Officer, HotelPlanner. “As the Internet of
Things and smart homes, smart cars and smart offices become more ubiquitous, HotelPlanner
is ready to provide a tech-forward solution that embraces voice activation and anticipates
how consumers will interact with technology to make travel plans. And this capability is
sustainable, scalable, and complementary with the ongoing expansion of our gig-based Hotel
Planner reservation platform.”
HotelPlanner Seeking to List on NASDAQ
In August 2021, HotelPlanner announced that it had entered into an agreement providing for
a three-way merger with Astrea Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:ASAXU), a special purpose
acquisition company, and Reservations.com . The merger contemplates HotelPlanner
becoming a publicly listed company on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “HOTP.”
Completion of the merger is subject to approval by the stockholders of Astrea and other
conditions. Astrea has filed a preliminary proxy statement regarding the transaction.
HotelPlanner, with its family of brands, including HotelPlanner.com, Meetings.com, and
following the transaction, Reservations.com, will offer individual, group, and corporate
booking access to more than 1 million global properties, enabled by a proprietary, cloud-
based, artificial intelligence technology platform, and a 24/7 global gig-based reservations
platform.
The transaction is expected to enable HotelPlanner to transform into a diversified hotel and
event booking platform with complementary revenue streams, and to provide the combined
company opportunities to realize multiple operating synergies to drive growth at scale.
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Legal Disclaimer
Amazon, Alexa and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
The transaction referred to in this press release, as well as detailed financial and business
information concerning HotelPlanner and Reservations.com and other information will be
contained in proxy materials filed with the SEC by Astrea Acquisition Corp., and definitive
proxy materials will be sent to all Astrea shareholders. Before making any voting decision,
Astrea’s stockholders are urged to carefully review the proxy materials and all other relevant
documents filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction as they become
available.
Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy materials and all
other relevant documents filed or that will be filed by the SEC by Astrea through the website
maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Copies of the proxy materials can also be obtained,
when available, without charge, from HotelPlanner’s website
at https://www.hotelplanner.com/investors and https://www.astreaacquisitioncorp.com/.
Participants in the Solicitations
Astrea, HotelPlanner, Reservations.com and certain of their respective directors, executive
officers and other members of management and employees may, under SEC rules, be deemed
to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Astrea’s shareholders in connection with
the proposed transaction. You can find more information about Astrea’s directors and
executive officers in Astrea’s final prospectus dated February 3, 2021 and filed with the SEC
on February 4, 2021. Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy
solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests has been included in the
preliminary proxy statement filed by Astrea referred to above. Shareholders, potential
investors and other interested persons should read the proxy statement carefully before
making any voting or investment decisions. You may obtain free copies of these documents
from the sources indicated above.
No Offer or Solicitation
This press release shall not constitute a solicitation of a proxy, consent, or authorization with
respect to any securities or in respect of the proposed business combination. This press
release shall also not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any
securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any states or jurisdictions in which such
offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the
securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
federal securities laws with respect to the proposed transaction between HotelPlanner,
Reservations.com and Astrea Acquisition Corp., including statements regarding the
anticipated benefits of the transaction, the anticipated timing of the transaction, future
financial condition and performance of HotelPlanner and Reservations.com and expected
financial impacts of the transaction (including future combined revenue, equity value and
cash balance), the satisfaction of closing conditions to the transaction, the level of
redemptions of Astrea’s public stockholders and the products and markets and expected
future performance and market opportunities of HotelPlanner and Reservations.com.
These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,”
“expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,”
“may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar
expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements
about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result,
are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ
materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited
to: (i) the risk that the transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which
may adversely affect the price of Astrea’s securities, (ii) the risk that the transaction may not
be completed by Astrea’s business combination deadline and the potential failure to obtain an
extension to the business combination deadline if sought by Astrea, (iii) the failure to satisfy
the conditions to the consummation of the transaction, including the approval of the merger
agreement by the stockholders of Astrea, the satisfaction of the minimum trust account
amount following any redemptions by Astrea’s public stockholders and the receipt of certain
governmental and regulatory approvals, (iv) the lack of a third party valuation in determining
whether or not to pursue the proposed transaction, (v) the occurrence of any event, change or
other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, (vi) the
effect of the announcement or pendency of the transaction on the business relationships,
operating results, and business generally of HotelPlanner and Reservations.com, (vii) risks
that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and operations of HotelPlanner and/or
Reservations.com, (viii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against
HotelPlanner, Reservations.com, or Astrea related to the merger agreement or the proposed
transaction, (ix) the ability to maintain the listing of Astrea’s securities on NASDAQ or
another national securities exchange, (x) changes in the competitive and regulated industries
in which HotelPlanner and Reservations.com operate, variations in operating performance
across competitors, changes in laws and regulations affecting the business of HotelPlanner
and Reservations.com and changes in the combined capital structure, (xi) the ability to
implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations after the completion of the
proposed transaction, and identify and realize additional opportunities, (xii) the risk of
downturns and a changing regulatory landscape in the highly competitive online travel
booking industry, and (xiii) costs related to the transaction and the failure to realize
anticipated benefits of the transaction or to realize projected results and underlying
assumptions, including with respect to anticipated shareholder redemptions.
The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing
factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of the
proxy materials discussed above, and other documents filed by Astrea from time to time with
the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-
looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made.
Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and
HotelPlanner, Reservations.com, and Astrea assume no obligation and do not intend to
update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. None of
HotelPlanner, Reservations.com, or Astrea gives any assurance that HotelPlanner,
Reservations.com, or Astrea, or the combined company, will achieve its expectations.
About HotelPlanner
HotelPlanner is a leading travel technology company that combines proprietary artificial
intelligence capabilities with a 24/7 global gig-based reservations and customer service
network. HotelPlanner travel agents can customize all traveler hotel & accommodation needs
from a single platform while providing localized advice. HotelPlanner is one of the leading
providers of individual, group and corporate travel bookings, specializing in unique “Closed
User Group” discounted rates offered in unpublished private sale environments. Founded in
2004, HotelPlanner has enduring partnerships with many of the world’s largest OTAs, well-
known hotel chains, individual hotels, online wedding providers, ancillary lodging providers,
corporations, professional and amateur sports teams and franchises, universities and
government agencies.
For more information, please visit https://www.hotelplanner.com
About Reservations.com
Reservations.com is an award-winning online travel company on a mission to bring the
human-touch back to travel. Founded in 2014 with a focus on helping consumers create
memorable travel experiences, Reservations.com has experienced rapid growth.
Reservations.com’s user-friendly website offers unparalleled visibility into hotels, including:
descriptions, pricing information, and reviews of nearly 500,000 properties globally. The
company is on a journey to enable customers to not only reserve hotels, but to create
memories.
For more information, please visit www.reservations.com
About Astrea Acquisition Corp.
Astrea Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:ASAXU) is a blank check company organized for the
purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition or other similar
business combination with one or more businesses or entities. While we intend to evaluate
opportunities in many industries, we are targeting technology-enhanced high-growth
companies that have clear differentiated business models suited for disruption in their sectors.
The diverse experience, extensive relationship network, and successful SPAC experience of
our management team and board of directors make Astrea an ideal partner for businesses that
have the potential to become outstanding public companies.
