Routier

Routier operates as a guest engagement solutions provider for the hospitality industry, offering a platform designed to enhance communication between hotels and their guests. Founded in 2013 by Gal Bareket, Guy Leibovitz, and Niv Penso, the Tel Aviv-based company leverages artificial intelligence to streamline hotel operations and guest services. The founding team combines deep hospitality industry experience with expertise from elite Israeli army intelligence units, including the renowned 8200 unit. This background informs the development of their technology platform, which aims to address critical communication gaps in the hospitality sector.

The company's core offering is a SaaS-based, AI-powered platform that facilitates personalized guest engagement, internal staff communication, and collaboration. Routier's system allows hotels to proactively communicate with guests on their personal devices via various messaging platforms like SMS and WhatsApp, without requiring the guest to download an application. This functionality enables hotels to manage guest requests, handle complaints, and provide recommendations automatically, which frees up staff and improves operational efficiency. The platform serves a range of clients, from independent and boutique hotels to larger hotel groups and brands, and has expanded its reach to properties in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Revenue is generated by providing these technology solutions that help hotels increase guest satisfaction, which in turn can lead to increased loyalty and ancillary revenue.

Significant milestones for Routier include raising a total of $5.02 million over three funding rounds, with a Series A round of $3 million in September 2018 led by Cockpit Innovation. The company has also been awarded a U.S. patent for its guest engagement technology. In October 2018, Routier was acquired by EbixCash. A key product is the MessageHub™, a centralized, omni-channel communications hub that unifies all guest conversations into a single, trackable thread. This system provides hotel management with real-time data on property operations and guest satisfaction, allowing for performance benchmarking and improvement across their portfolio.

Keywords: guest engagement, hospitality technology, hotel operations, AI communication, guest messaging platform, SaaS, hotel management software, personalized guest experience, staff collaboration tool, ancillary revenue, hotel communication, guest satisfaction, hospitality AI, contactless service, travel technology, real-time feedback, operational efficiency, hotel marketing, guest loyalty, customer relationship management