ZenRooms, a hotel booking platform for price-conscious travelers, is the newest start-up from Rocket Internet. Like other Rocket Internet companies, ZenRooms replicates a proven business model—in this case, OYO’s—in new marketplaces.
According to VC Circle, the venture, run by Singapore-based Zen Rooms Hospitality Pte Ltd, had in June raised $1 million from former Kingfisher Airlines CEO Sanjay Aggarwal and Kaneswaran Avili, former chief commercial officer of SpiceJet.
Launching about 250 properties in 8 cities across Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the company plans to quickly expand to other cities and countries.
Founded by Kiren Tanna and Nathan Boublil, ZenRooms underwent a one-month pilot in Indonesia before expanding regionally to 200 locations with 1,000 rooms available across Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. It is currently available on desktop & mobile web and will soon be launched on Android and iOS.
The Asia Pacific Internet Group which was founded in 2014, is a joint venture of Rocket Internet and Ooredoo. The group’s network consists of 17 eCommerce and online marketplace companies, operating across 15 countries.
The next countries it plans to tackle include Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. According to ZenRooms’ own estimate, the budget accommodation market in Southeast Asia is worth $10 billion, with 100 million tourists each year.
(With inputs from VC Circle)