Company thinks profits could double in a year
A Stowe-based technology company that’s attracted national investors and international clients thinks its profits could double in the next year.
Inntopia provides reservation technology and services to destination marketing organizations, ski resorts, vacation resorts and tour operators as well as lodging, activity, event, and transportation suppliers.
Its products allow clients to package and sell services that range from air and rental-car reservations to hotel stays, ski passes and tours.
Recently, North Star Media, a leading provider of news, information and data for the tourism and hospitality industries, became a majority shareholder in Inntopia. Other partners in the company include Inntopia founder and Chief Executive Officer Trevor Crist, Aspen Skiing Co. and Intrawest Resorts Holdings Inc.
Earlier this month, Inntopia announced it had formed a partnership with the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and Route 802, a digital marketing company that uses mobile technologies.
The partnership’s goal is to increase state tourism. Route 802 is launching Inntopia’s cloud-based platform to power e-commerce and contact-center reservations in the state’s primary tourism website, Vermontvacation.com.
The partnership will help Inntopia attract new clients, according to Chief Operating Officer Craig Deluca.
“It shows potential customers that we’re supported by larger companies,” Deluca said.
While he declined to provide sales figures for the privately held company, Deluca said its revenues are expected to grow by 50 percent between 2014 and 2015.
It has nearly doubled its workforce from 17 employees last year to 30 currently, and it’s looking to hire several more employees.
The company this week moved from three cramped spaces in lower Stowe village to a 6,000-square-foot office in the PAR Springer-Miller Systems Inc. building at 782 Mountain Road. The open floor plan provides plenty of room for expansion and comfortable features for employees including a foosball table and eat-in kitchen. There’s also outdoor space for company gatherings.
Crist who founded the company in 2001, sees its remarkable success as proof that it’s possible to start and grow a technology-based company in the Green Mountains, especially if you offer high-skill jobs and competitive wages and benefits.
The company has recruited employees from Burlington to the Northeast Kingdom and from as far away as New York City.
Inntopia’s global clients include national and international destination resorts, ski resorts, tour operators and travel suppliers.
“There’s a specific niche we’re best suited for,” Crist said. “Any type of destination where there’s an activity involved.”
Inntopia sets itself apart from other reservations technology companies because of its “ability to provide anything and everything that’s needed by the traveler.”
While some companies focus on lodging or tour packages, Inntopia helps its clients provide one-stop shopping for their customers. For instance, a traveler can visit a resort website and make reservations for everything from transportation to lodging to ski passes and lessons.
This encourages the customer to book directly rather than through travel websites like Travelocity or Expedia, which charge commissions of up to 20 percent for taking reservations. Inntopia’s business model is based on flat transaction fees, which helps clients save money.
In Stowe, Inntopia’s clients include Stowe Mountain Resort, the Stowe Area Association and several lodging facilities.
Other Vermont clients include Killington, Okemo, Mount Snow and Sugarbush. The company also provides reservation technology services for Intrawest Resorts in Canada and the U.S.
It’s attracted most of its customers through word of mouth.
“The ski resort world is fairly small and intimate,” Deluca said. “We’ve leveraged a good relationship with our customers and they’ve spread the word.”
All of the company’s software uses responsive design where screen images automatically adjust to fit the type of device a customer is using, whether a mobile phone, tablet or computer.
The company’s new location in the PAR Springer-Miller Systems Inc. building will help it build on the relationship it has established with the hospitality software company, Crist said.
The software from the two companies is designed to interface. For instance, a resort may use Inntopia software to book reservations and Springer-Miller software to check its guests in and out.
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