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Three days after receiving the green light from the Competition Commission, the travel group Dertour has completed the purchase of its competitor Hotelplan from Migros. This brings the Hotelplan and Kuoni brands under one roof. (archive picture)
Keystone
Three days after receiving the green light from the Competition Commission, the travel group Dertour has completed the purchase of its competitor Hotelplan from Migros. The Swiss business will be merged. This brings the Hotelplan and Kuoni brands under one roof.
The package tours, city breaks, round trips and business trips of the Hotelplan Group will be added to the Dertour Suisse portfolio, the German group announced in a press release on Friday. This does not include the Hotelplan vacation home provider Interhome, which was purchased by Berlin-based Hometogo.
The completion of the takeover will have no impact on Hotelplan Group customers: The brands' offers will remain unchanged, it said: "All booked trips will be carried out as planned and all offers can be booked for any desired travel date."
All travel agencies will also continue to operate. "Our commitment to personal advice and the branch business stands," explained Dertour Central Europe CEO Ingo Burmester.
Migros announced the sale of the largest part of the Hotelplan Group to the German tour operator Dertour in mid-February. The reason given by the retail giant was that the travel business no longer fitted in with its strategy. Migros wants to concentrate on its core business and has sold or closed a number of other businesses in addition to Hotelplan.
The parties have agreed not to disclose the sale price of Hotelplan. In Switzerland, Dertour operates the Helvetic Tours and Kuoni brands, among others. Together, the two companies operate over 150 travel agencies in Switzerland.
With the Hotelplan takeover, Dertour can further extend its lead over Tui Suisse. The Hotelplan Group generated sales of CHF 1.78 billion in 2024 and an operating profit of CHF 23 million.
"After months of intensive preparation, the merger has now been legally completed," said Christoph Debus, CEO Dertour Group. The step-by-step merging of the structures and processes of the two companies will now begin.
The operational business units in Switzerland will be assigned to Dertour Suisse. Stephanie Schulze zur Wiesch, Head of Dertour Suisse, will take over the management. Hotelplan Group CEO Laura Meyer will leave the company at the end of September.
The twelve-strong Swiss management team will consist of an equal number of executives from the Hotelplan Group and Dertour Suisse. The role of CFO will be split between the two co-CFOs Olivier Weiss (previously CFO Dertour Suisse) and Björn Eckardt (previously CFO Hotelplan Suisse).
Markus Glesti, the current CFO and deputy CEO of the Hotelplan Group, will be responsible for the integration of the Hotelplan Group into the Dertour Group. Over the next twelve months, he will manage the integration of the Hotelplan Group into the respective national companies and ensure continuity during this transition phase, it was said.
In addition to merging the Swiss business, Hotelplan's international business will be divided between the respective Dertour national companies.
The group functions will be integrated into Dertour Suisse. Dertour Group will thus continue to rely on strong local brands in order to satisfy the country-specific needs and preferences of travelers. The IT and booking systems will also be merged.
In addition to Hotelplan Group CEO Laura Meyer, other top managers are also stepping down: Group Executive Board member and Hotelplan Suisse CEO Nicole Pfammatter has decided to relinquish her position at the end of September. Group Management members Torge Petersen and Joe Ponte will also be leaving the company at their own request.
In addition, Hotelplan's Head of Communications Muriel Wolf Landau will continue to support the integration process in her role as Director of Communications for the next six months and will then step down.
29.08.2025, 13:09
