SiteMinder expands footprint into the Americas, continues ambitious growth

DALLAS, June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Having completed a $30 million Series B funding this year and lined up key strategic partners, one of the hotel industry's leading online distribution and direct booking technology providers – SiteMinder – has opened its headquarters for the Americas as it continues to rapidly expand its global operations.

The opening of SiteMinder's office in Dallas builds on the successful financing round with U.S. VC Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV) in January and further caters for the localization of the company's services into its global markets. Already, SiteMinder has experienced significant growth in the Americas as hotels look for reliable, robust and cost-effective ways to attract guests from around the world through smart and easy-to-use technology.

"We are delighted to announce the opening of our head office for the Americas," says Mike Ford, SiteMinder's co-founder and CEO. "We've been very excited about bringing our market-leading products and services to the region, and this step now allows us to complete our follow-the-sun service model alongside our existing operational centers in Sydney, Bangkok, London and Cape Town. As SiteMinder looks to become truly global, it's important we not only offer our leading technology products to hotel customers, but that we provide world class services to back that up."

SiteMinder's products are aimed at allowing hotels to find, connect and convert guests online. At the heart of the cloud-based platforms is The Channel Manager – a category-leading enterprise distribution technology platform that enables hotels to connect their systems to all points of sale, including OTAs, GDS, wholesalers, booking meta sites and hotels' own direct websites. The Channel Manager is now the online distribution technology of choice at more than 14,000 hotel properties in 137 countries – including the U.S. – and adoption locally is expected to accelerate rapidly, following the opening of SiteMinder's Dallas office.

About SiteMinder, the Americas

SiteMinder's new office in Dallas is already staffed with exceptional talent, including David Chestler, a senior executive with more than thirty years' management experience in the hospitality industry and who now serves in the global role of Executive Vice President, Enterprise Sales and Business Development.

Chestler and the team will be led by Fig Cakar, Managing Director for SiteMinder's Americas operation. As the former Director – North America for Asia's largest accommodation website,

Agoda, Cakar is a hospitality professional with close to a decade of experience managing product introductions, business development and service programs for innovative online travel brands and companies.

Fig Cakar says, "I am extremely proud to help establish and drive SiteMinder's presence in the Americas, at this dynamic and promising moment in the company's history.

"SiteMinder has a firm track record of innovation and service excellence around the world, and we look forward to quickly introducing The Channel Manager and our other products to hotel brands, owners, asset managers and industry leaders throughout the Western Hemisphere. With several new agreements in the offing, we expect rapid adoption among hotel companies of all sizes, and in all segments of the industry."

For more information about SiteMinder and its products, please visit www.siteminder.com.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Michael Frenkel, MFC PR
(212) 808-6559
[email protected]

About The Channel Manager
SiteMinder's Channel Manager provides fully integrated, two-way XML connections to the world's leading online booking sites, helping properties of all sizes maximize their online exposure through a network of online distribution channels. Using SiteMinder's Channel Manager, hotel properties globally can update their room rates in real-time, via their own booking system as well as on online travel agency (OTA) websites and wholesale channels.

About SiteMinder
Founded in 2006 and headquartered globally in Sydney, SiteMinder is a leader in the online hotel distribution industry. SiteMinder offers award-winning, cloud-based distribution products – including a channel manager, booking engine, PMS/CRS integration and GDS connection tools, to help hotels increase online revenue, streamline business processes and decrease operational costs. Driven by a no-contract, commission-free business model, SiteMinder's robust product suite and exceptional client support has made the business one of the most recognizable in the industry. In addition to its operations in Sydney, SiteMinder has offices in Bangkok, Cape Town, Dallas and London, and more than 14,000 customers in over 137 countries. For more information about SiteMinder and its award-winning products, please visit www.siteminder.com.

SOURCE SiteMinder