Hyatt Hotels Corp. has struck an agreement to acquire London-based travel club and hotel booking service Mr & Mrs Smith for 53 million British pounds.
Founded in 2003, Mr & Mrs Smith bills itself as the “travel club for hotel lovers.” The company specializes in boutique and luxury properties, showcasing a collection of more than 1,500 hand-picked and anonymously reviewed hotels and villas.
According to Mr & Mrs Smith, members who book stays receive “guaranteed best prices” and complimentary extras upon arrival as well as 24/7 access to its Smith24 in-house travel specialists. The club has more than one million members and is free to join.
“We are excited by this planned acquisition and to explore bringing guests and World of Hyatt members even more global luxury offerings across hundreds of geographies — including over 20 countries where there are currently no Hyatt hotels, such as Fiji, Croatia, Iceland and Anguilla,” said Mark Vondrasek, Hyatt’s chief commercial officer.
Hyatt said it plans to make properties within the Mr & Mrs Smith platform directly bookable through Hyatt’s distribution channels, including Hyatt.com and the World of Hyatt app, and that it’s also looking at ways to enable World of Hyatt members to earn and redeem points at eligible hotels within the Mr & Mrs Smith network.
The deal is expected to close in the second quarter.
Following the deal’s closure, more than 100 Mr & Mrs Smith colleagues will join Hyatt’s commercial services team. Mr & Mrs Smith co-founders Tamara and James Lohan will also remain on board, with Tamara and James to serve as Mr & Mrs Smith’s CEO and chief creative officer, respectively.
The Mr & Mrs Smith acquisition follows Hyatt’s acquisitions of Apple Leisure Group in 2021 and Dream Hotel Group late last year.