Access Hospitality acquires ResDiary

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Joining forces: ResDiary CEO 'thrilled' to merge with Access Hospitality

Access Hospitality, part of the Access Group, has announced the acquisition of ResDiary – a provider of bookings and table management software to clients in the hospitality sector.

ResDiary’s booking and table management platform supports more than 9,000 venues by maximising reservations, reducing no-shows and unlocking venue potential.

Access Hospitality managing director Henry Seddon said: "We are delighted to add ResDiary to the Access Hospitality division.

“As well as enabling us to offer customers a greater range of tailored products to best suit their requirements, the acquisition will enable us to expand into new territories and introduce our suite of connected solutions to new customers, given ResDiary's strength in European and ANZ markets.  

“We have been particularly impressed with the strength and experience of the ResDiary management team and look forward to welcoming our new colleagues into the Access Group." 

New partnership

The acquisition will expand the suite of products Access Hospitality offers operators of hospitality venues, who will benefit from a greater range of solutions that best suit their bookings and table management requirements.

ResDiary chief executive Colin Winning said the company was “thrilled” to become part of Access Hospitality.

He added: “The expertise and resources of The Access Group will undoubtedly fuel our collective success and empower us with a broader range of solutions with which to offer our customers.

“We look forward to the opportunities and achievements ahead as we embark on this transformative new chapter together.” 

Emma Harrison, managing director at The Three Hills,​ Bartlow, Cambridgeshire, said her pub with rooms couldn’t do without platforms like Booking.com or ResDiary as they provided “massive marketing reach”.

Booking habits

However, she said these platforms came with an “intolerable” price tag attached, with online booking agents charging around 18% of sales.

This comes after new research indicated that pubgoers are falling out of love with third-party booking platforms, with many opting to book directly through the venue’s website instead.

Three times as many consumers (31%) are now choosing to book on a restaurant website directly rather than through third-party sites like OpenTable and Resy, the data from SevenRooms has shown.

What’s more, 40% of diners are wary of the fees third-party sites charge pubs, and a quarter (15%) of consumer chose to book directly due to worries over sharing personal data, the research from guest experience platform SevenRooms also revealed.