M-Travel Switzerland / MTCH AG: A new legal name for Hotelplan Schweiz AG & Travelhouse AG
Since January 2008, Hotelplan Schweiz AG and Travelhouse AG have been operating under the joint name of M-Travel Switzerland. As of tomorrow, 1st November 2008, the merger will also be legally complete and the resulting company will bear the name of M-Travel Switzerland / MTCH AG. For end customers however, the company will be represented by the seven different trademarks and not by the umbrella brand M-Travel Switzerland.
This merger of Hotelplan Schweiz AG and Travelhouse AG has strategically repositioned M-Travel Switzerland. Consistent customer focus is the priority, as demonstrated by three clearly distinct divisions: The "Specialist/Premium" division includes the Globus Reisen and Travelhouse brands with their ten sub-brands. The "Value" division includes the Hotelplan and ESCO brands as well as Tourisme Pour Tous in French speaking Switzerland. The "Direct" division covers the direct sales brands Denner Reisen and, since September 2008, Migros Ferien.
From the beginning of the new financial year, all personnel in the various divisions of Hotelplan Schweiz AG and Travelhouse AG will be working for the same organisation - not only nominally but also physically. In addition, the two flight reservation departments belonging to Hotelplan Schweiz AG (Flight Shop) and Travelhouse AG (Passepartout) will be brought together to form a single department under the name of ticketXpress. All staff will be combined at the head office in Glattbrugg.
From 2009, M-Travel Switzerland will emerge on the market with 89 Hotelplan, 16 Travelhouse and 7 Globus Reisen subsidiaries. Hotelplan travel agencies will continue to sell the travel group's entire product range as well as products from other selected operators and, above all, will maintain a presence in shopping centres and other busy locations. Travelhouse's outlets will concentrate on selling individual holidays and holidays which are tailor made to meet clients' requirements. They will focus primarily on the ten Travelhouse Group sub-brands. With Globus Reisen, M-Travel Switzerland will be represented in the premium sector for the first time and will be able to able to offer luxury travel thanks to its own travel lounges in Zürich, Bern, Basel, Lucerne, Geneva and Lausanne.
M-Travel Switzerland is part of the Hotelplan Group and is responsible for the travel market in Switzerland. The group also owns foreign companies in England and Italy as well as the international holiday home agency Interhome and the online travel specialist Travelwindow. The Hotelplan Group also has a majority shareholding (51%) in the Swiss airline Belair, which operates in conjunction with Air Berlin.